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2 Corinthians 5:13 — Word Study

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N1904εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

BSAIfeite forgar we are crazy,existēmi [completely beside ourselves, out of our wit] [it is] for God;theos [for the sake of, unto] or ifeite we are sober-mindedsōphroneō [of sober mind, sane] [it is] for you.su [for your benefit, on your behalf]

Word
Listen & take away2 Corinthians 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 13 is in this chapter.
Greek ↓ Download MP3 Nestle 1904 — the very text on this page — read by Andy Martin in Erasmian pronunciation.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (su) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Corinthians 5:13quick helps
In a sentencePaul addresses the perception of his sanity, stating that his behavior is either for God or for the benefit of the Corinthians.
Who is speakingThe Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth.
Where we areIn a section where Paul defends his ministry and motivations.
The hard wordἐξίστημι
Take awayPaul's actions may seem irrational but are driven by divine purpose.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbἐξίστημι The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 2 Corinthians 5:13

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Paul's Defense of His Ministrygenerated

12We are not commending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart.
13If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.
15And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:13 finds Paul explaining his behavior to the Corinthians. He contrasts being perceived as 'out of his mind' with being 'of sound mind', clarifying that both states serve different purposes: one for God and the other for the benefit of the church. This reflects his commitment to his ministry and the love of Christ compelling him, as he elaborates in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
12 Corinthians 11:1–16I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that.
22 Corinthians 12:6–11Even if I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me,
3Acts 26:24–25At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
41 Corinthians 4:10–13We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.
51 Thessalonians 2:3–11For our appeal does not arise from deceit or ulterior motives or trickery.

The Key Word ἐξίστημι, existēmigenerated

The verb ἐξίστημι (i.e., *existēmi*) is a second aorist form meaning 'to amaze' or 'to be beside oneself'. It conveys a sense of astonishment or losing one's senses, often in a context of extreme emotion or behavior.

In this verse, Paul uses it to describe a state that might appear irrational to outsiders, emphasizing that such behavior is directed towards God. The choice of this verb highlights the intensity of his devotion and the misunderstandings that can arise from it.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study uses the Berean Standard Bible as the baseline, which states, 'If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.' The KJV and ASV echo this, using 'beside ourselves' and 'sober' respectively, maintaining the contrast between the two states.

The translations diverge particularly in the rendering of θεῷ·. The BSB, KJV, and others use 'for God', while the ASV and RVA opt for 'unto', reflecting a slight variation in the prepositional choice but aligning in meaning.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse comprises two main clauses, both initiated by the conjunction εἴτε — 'if'. The structure presents a conditional statement, with the finite verb ἐξέστημεν governing the first clause, while the second clause introduces an alternative state with σωφρονοῦμεν.

Each clause serves to contrast the two states of mind, emphasizing the purpose behind each: one directed towards God and the other towards the Corinthians.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Greek word ἐξέστημεν (existēmi), translated as 'we are crazy,' appears in the Septuagint in a context that often conveys a sense of being overwhelmed or terrified, as seen in its connections to Hebrew terms like חָרַד (ḥārad) meaning 'tremble' or 'be terrified.' This choice carries the implication of a deep emotional state, suggesting that the speaker's apparent madness is rooted in a profound spiritual experience.

The word θεῷ (theos), meaning '[it is] for God,' corresponds to the Hebrew אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm), which is a common term for God in the Old Testament. This connection emphasizes the divine purpose behind the actions described, framing the speaker's 'madness' as a response to God's influence.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Corinthians 5:13 presents Paul explaining that if he seems crazy, it is for God, while if he seems sane, it is for the benefit of the Corinthians. This highlights his commitment to his mission and the different perceptions of his actions.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Paul mean by 'out of our mind'?

Paul refers to the perception that his intense devotion and actions may seem irrational to others, yet they are motivated by his relationship with God.

Why does Paul contrast being 'out of our mind' with being 'of sound mind'?

He contrasts these states to show that both can serve a purpose: one for glorifying God and the other for serving the needs of the church.

How does this verse reflect Paul's ministry?

This verse illustrates Paul's commitment to his calling, showing that his actions are driven by love for God and concern for the Corinthians.

What can we learn from Paul's statement about perceptions of sanity?

We can learn that dedication to a cause, especially in faith, may be misunderstood by others, but it is important to remain steadfast in one's convictions.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways might my own actions be misunderstood by others in my faith journey?
  2. How can I ensure that my motivations align with serving God and others?
  3. What does it mean for me to be 'of sound mind' in my faith and actions?
  4. How can I support others who may feel they are perceived as 'out of their mind' for their beliefs?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early church fathers comment on this verse to explore the nature of Paul's ministry and the perception of his actions.

John ChrysostomHomily 11 on 2 Corinthians c. 347–407
And if, saith he, we have uttered any great thing, (for this is what he here calls being beside himself, as therefore in other places also he calls it folly) for God's sake we do this,
Early Church Fathers on 2 Corinthians 5 →
AmbrosiasterCOMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES fl. c. 366–384
What Paul has said is sane from his hearers’ point of view, as long as it is understood in the sense in which it was uttered, but if it is thought to have been spoken out of boastfulness, it is insane. For all pride is a kind of insanity.
Early Church Fathers on 2 Corinthians 5 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Corinthians 5:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For whether we be besides ourselves,.... As some took them to be, and as Festus thought the Apostle Paul was, because of the doctrines they preached, and the self-commendation they were obliged to

Read John Gill on 2 Corinthians 5 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. Be , [ exesteemen (G1839)] - 'have been' in your opinion.

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Corinthians 5 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

It should seem, that some amongst the Corinthians, amongst other reproaches, had reproached Paul for a madman; either taking advantage of the warmth and fervour of his spirit, or of those ecstasies in which he sometimes was; or of his speaking things which they could not apprehend and understand: as the Roman governor, in the Acts, told him: Much learning hath made thee mad. The apostle tells them, that if indeed he was beside himself in any of their opinion, it was to God, that is, for the honour and glory of God: or if he was sober, it was for their sake; in what temper soever he was, it was either for service to God, or them.

Read Matthew Poole on 2 Corinthians 5 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. Ver. 13. It is to God] i.e. When to the world we seem mad of pride and vain glory, yet then we respect only God’ s glory. It is for your sakes] i.e. For your learning, that we are more modest and sparing in commending our apostleship. It is a good rule, Quicquid agas, propter Deum agas, do all for God’ s sake.

Read John Trapp on 2 Corinthians 5 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) For whether we be beside ourselves.—The recollection of one sneer leads on to another. This also had been said of him, and the intense sensitiveness of his nature made him wince under it. Some there were at Corinth who spoke of his visions and revelations, his speaking with tongues as in ecstasy, his prophecies of future judgment, as so many signs of madness. “He was beside himself.” (Comp. Agrippa’s words in Acts 26:24, and Note there.) Others, or, perhaps, the same persons, pointed to his tact, becoming all things to all men, perhaps even insinuated that he was making money by his work (2 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 12:10): “he was shrewd enough when it served his turn.” He…

Read Charles John Ellicott on 2 Corinthians 5 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 13. Beside ourselves] Probably he was reputed by some to be deranged. Festus thought so: Paul, thou art beside thyself; too much learning hath made thee mad. And his enemies at Corinth might insinuate not only that he was deranged, but attribute his derangement to a less worthy cause than intense study and deep learning. It is to God] If we do appear, in speaking of the glories of the eternal world, to be transported beyond ourselves, it is through the good hand of our God upon us, and we do it to promote his honour. Whether we be sober] Speak of Divine things in a more cool and dispassionate manner, it is that we may the better instruct and encourage you.

Read AdamClarke on 2 Corinthians 5 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. For whether we be besides ourselves] Literally, were beside ourselves, i.e. when we were with you. The reproach of madness was afterwards cast upon St Paul by Festus (Acts 26:24), and may well have been cast upon him before this. Cf. Acts 17.it is to God] Better, for God, i.e. for His cause. See ‘for your cause’ below. Literally, for you.or whether we be sober] The word here used signifies the quiet self-restraint characteristic of the Christian. Its original meaning is to have one’s thoughts safe, and hence to be of sound, healthy mind (cf. the Latin salvus and our ‘safe and sound’). Cf. Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35 (where the word is opposed to the idea of madness). Also Romans 12:3; Titus…

Read Cambridge on 2 Corinthians 5 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For whether we be beside ourselves - This is probably designed to meet some of the charges which the false teachers in Corinth brought against him, and to furnish his friends there with a ready

Read Albert Barnes on 2 Corinthians 5 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

NETBNew English Translation2006

For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you.

RVARevised Version, American1894

For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

For whether we are beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we are sober, it is for your cause.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

For whether we be out of our wit, we are it to God: or whether we be in our right minde, we are it vnto you.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

For whether we are beside ourselves, [it is] to God; or are sober, [it is] for you.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

for whether we were beside ourselves, [it was] to God; whether we be of sound mind — [it is] to you,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

for whether we were beside ourselves, [it was] to God; whether we be of sound mind, [it is] to you,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; and if we are in our right minds, it is for your sake.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

For whether we be transported in mind, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is for you.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

If we are “crazy people,” it's for God. If we make good sense, it's for you.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are serious, it is for you.

Word by word, the decisions they made

θεῷ·theos [it is] for God; G2316 2 different renderings
godBBE BSB DBY DRA FBV GNV KJV LSV MSB NETB NWB ULB WEB YLT
untoASV RVA

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseγὰρforclauseεἴτεIfclauseverbἐξέστημενwe are beside ourselvesclauseindirect objectΘεῷ[it is] to Godεἴτεor ifclauseverbσωφρονοῦμενwe are sober-mindedclauseindirect objectὑμῖν[it is] for you

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

Sive enim mente excedimus Deo : sive sobrii sumus, vobis.

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܐܢ ܓܝܪ ܫܛܝܢܢ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܘܐܢ ܬܩܢܝܢܢ ܠܟܘܢ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖν.

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse all agree
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

Every edition agrees. All 8 printed editions — Nestle-Aland 28, Nestle-Aland 27, SBLGNT, Westcott-Hort, Tregelles, Tyndale House 2017, Textus Receptus (KJV), Byzantine majority — carry every word of this verse, in the same order, with no difference that any translator would render differently.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

2 Corinthians 5:13εἴτεIfIfεἴτεγάρforforγάρἐξίστημιwe are crazwe are crazy,ἐξίστημιθεός[it is] for[it is] for Godθεόςεἴτεor ifor ifεἴτεσωφρονέωwe are sobewe are sober-miσωφρονέωσύ[it is] for[it is] for youσύεἰCond. ifCond. ifεἰἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκσώφρωνAdj self-cAdj self-controσώφρωνArticle thArticle theΚηφᾶςn.m. Cephan.m. CephasΚηφᾶςὥσπερAdv just aAdv just as, asὥσπερτοιοῦτοςDem.pr. ofDem.pr. of suchτοιοῦτοςεἴτεCj. and ifCj. and if, wheεἴτεμέγαςAdj. & ComAdj. & Comp.advμέγαςεὐχαριστέωv. I thankv. I thank, givεὐχαριστέωβασιλείαn.f. kingsn.f. kingship, βασιλείαἱματίζωv. I clothv. I clotheἱματίζωἀμήνHebr. veriHebr. verily, tἀμήν
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 2 Corinthians 5:13

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
εἴτεeite If G1535 Conjunction
65× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'whether' or 'if', used in conditions and questions, like in Matthew 11:14 and Romans 8:25. It helps us understand choices and possibilities in the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
whether
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word εἴτε (i.e., *eite*) means 'whether' or 'either...or...' and is often used to present alternatives. It is derived from two roots and appears in various contexts, including indirect questions. In the New Testament, it is found 65 times, notably in Romans and Corinthians, indicating its role in expressing choices or conditions.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

εἴτε, v.s. εἰ.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εἴτε (eite) — whether.

εἴτε,

Doric dialect αἴτε, generally doubled, εἴτε..εἴτε.., Latin sive..sive.., either..or.., whether..or.., so that two cases are put as equally possible or equivalent; thrice repeated, [Refs 5th c.BC+] is sometimes omitted in Poets, ξεῖνος, αἴτ᾽ ὦν ἀστός [Refs 5th c.BC+]; and even in Prose, πόλις, εἴτε ἰδιῶται [Refs 5th c.BC+] Latin utrum..an.., variant in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; sometimes ἤ (ἠὲ καί.. variant in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἴτε.. εἴτε.., with subjunctive (compare εἰ), variant in [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. in indirect questions, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

εἴτε

eite

from 1487 and 5037; if too:--if, or, whether.

see GREEK for 1487

see GREEK for 5037

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

εἴτε

Cj.

and if, whether

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

εἴτε eite 65x

whether, Rom. 12:6, 7, 8; 1 Cor. 3:22; 2 Cor. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:10

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

εἴτε εἰ, τε generally doubled, εἴτε . . , εἴτε Lat. sive . . , sive, either . . , or . . , whether . . , or . . the first εἴτε is sometimes omitted in Poets:—the first εἴτε is sometimes replaced by εἰ, as εἰ . . , εἴτε . . , Hdt., Trag.

also used, like εἰ, in indirect questions, Od., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
51%or
or51% · 33×whether32% · 21×if15% · 10×other renderings2% · 1×

65 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 4 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject31%adverbial15%object6%predicate3%verb3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 65 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ζωήlife
εἴτεand if, whetherδιά
θεόςGod, a god
λέγωI say, speakἐξίστημιI astonish, am a
δοῦλος (II)
εἴτεand if, whether
ἐγώ
οὖνtherefore, thenσῶμαbody, flesh
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
παράArticle the
εἴτεIf65×
what comes after →
Article the
διδάσκωI teachπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaἐπί
διά
ζωήlifeθάνατοςdeathλόγοςa word, speech,
ἐν
σῶμαbody, fleshοὐρανόςthe sky, the hea
οὖνtherefore, then
ἐσθίωI eatἐγώ
δοῦλος (II)
εἴτεand if, whether

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceεἴτε · 65× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Colossians Philippians Romans 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians Ephesians
Across the New Testament9 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 140c. AD 40

ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀκμάζον αἰεὶ τοῦ παρηβηκότος βέλτιόν ἐστιν, εἴτε ζῷον εἴτε φυτὸν εἴτε καρπὸς εἴτ’ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐν τῇ φύσει τυγχάνοι, οὕτως ἔοικεν ὁ μὲν πρῶτος διαπλασθεὶς ἄνθρωπος ἀκμὴ τοῦ ἡμετέρου παντὸς ὑπάρξαι γένους, οἱ δ’ ἔπειτα μηκέθ’ ὁμοίως…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.47c. AD 75–95

εἴτε γὰρ δευτέραν δέησιν ἐξεδέχετο, ταύτην γεγονέναι καὶ μετὰ πλείονος σπουδῆς·

The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 9.1.10c. AD 140

διὰ τοῦτο προσετάγη ὑμῖν ἐφ̓ ἑαυτοῖς μένειν, εἴτε ἀνὴρ εἴτε γυνή: δύναται γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις μετάνοια εἶναι.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 4th c. AD 5th c. AD 7th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Stras. 6 504Kerkesucha bzw. Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 106

Ἀμμωνίου πέπρακα ὡς πρόκειται Στοτοῆτις Στοτοήτιος ἠγόρακα καθὼς πρόκειται Ἀ … ι γρα Κερκεσούχων ειτε … … … ερ

APF 6 (1920), p. 85Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoites)AD 120–AD 121

πράγματος ὑπερτεθέντος εἰς τὴν μείζονα ἐξουσίαν συνέβη, καθὼς ἅπαντες προφέρονται, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ παιδίον, εἴτε ἦν τῆς Ἀπίας τῆς καὶ Ἡρακλείας εἴτε ἀλλότριον, τελευτῆσαι, τὰ νῦν εἰς διάλυσιν ἀγείοχαν

P.Bodl. 1 31Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 169–AD 176

εἰπεῖν π … ε … … τοῦ ἐπιστρατήγου … ε … ο … … εἴτε δικαστοῦ. εὐδοκῶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὸ σοῦ ἐπιτελεσθησομένοις. Τὸ χειρόγραφον τοῦτο κύριον ἔστω πανταχῇ ὡς

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
γὰρgar for G1063 Conjunction
1,038× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
For is a word used to explain or give a reason, often introducing a justification or clarification, as seen in Matthew 4:18 and Romans 7:1. It's a conjunction that connects ideas and provides additional information.
Tyndale gloss
for
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word γάρ (gar) is a coordinating particle primarily used to introduce reasons or explanations, similar to 'for' in English. It can serve various functions, including causal, explicative, and conclusive, and is often placed after the first word in a clause. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts that clarify or justify preceding statements, aligning with its classical usage.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

γάρ,

co-ordinating particle, contr. of γε ἄρα,

verily then, hence, in truth, indeed, yea, then, why, and when giving a reason or explanation, for, the usage in NT being in general accord with that of cl.;

explicative and epexegetic: Mt 4:18 19:12, Mk 1:16 5:42 16:4, Lk 11:30, Ro 7:1, I Co 16:5, al.

Conclusive, in questions, answers and exclamations: Mt 9:5 27:23, Lk 9:25 22:27, Jo 9:30, Ac 8:31 16:37 19:35,

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

γάρ, a conjunction, which ace. to its composition, γέ and dpa (i. 4. ἄρ), is properly a particle of affirmation and conclusion, denoting truly therefore, verily as the case stands, “ the thing is first aflirmed by the particle yé, and then is referred to what precedes by the force of the particle dpa” (Klotz ad Devar. ii. 1, p. 232; οἵ. Kiihner ii. p. 724; [Jelf § 786; W. 445 (415) sq-]). Now since by a new affirmation not infrequently the reason and nature of something previously mentioned are set forth, it comes to pass that, by the use of this particle, either the reason and cause of a foregoing statement is added, whence arises the causal or argumentative force of the particle, for (Lat. nam, enim; Germ. denn) ; or some previous declaration is explained, whence γάρ takes on an ex plicative force: YP Sor, the fact is, namely (Lat. videlicet, Germ. ndmilich). Thus the force of the…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

γάρ (gar) — for.

γάρ

(γε, ἄρα), causal conjunction, used alone or with other Particles.

I. introducing the reason or cause of what precedes, for, τῷ γὰρ ἐπὶ φρεσὶ θῆκε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη· κήδετο γ. Δαναῶν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; but frequently in explanation of that which is implied in the preceding clause, πολλάων πολίων κατέλυσε κάρηνα.. τοῦ γὰρ κράτος ἐστὶ μέγιστον [Refs]

I. b in simple explanations, especially after a Pronoun or demonstrative adjective, ἀλλὰ τόδ᾽ αἰνὸν ἄχος κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἱκάνει· Ἕκτωρ γ. ποτε φήσει [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὃ δὲ δεινότατον.. ὁ Ζεὺς γ... [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently in introducing proofs or examples, μαρτύριον δέ· Δήλου γ. καθαιρομένης.. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τεκμήριον δέ· οὔτε γ. Λακεδαιμόνιοι.. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; in full, τεκμήριον δὲ…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

γάρ

gar

a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason (used in argument,

explanation or intensification; often with other particles):--and, as,

because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then,

therefore, verily, what, why, yet.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

γάρ

Cj.

for

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

γάρ gar 1x

for; it is, however, frequently used with an ellipsis of the clause to which it has reference, and its force must then be variously expressed: Mt. 15:27; 27:23, et al.; it is also sometimes epexegetic, or introductory of an intimated detail of circumstances, now, then, Mt. 1:18

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

γάρ for, Lat. enim, and like it, regularly placed after the first word of a sentence: to introduce the reason:

ARGUMENTATIVE, to introduce the reason for a statement, which usually precedes:—when it precedes the statement, it may be rendered since, as, Ἀτρείδη, πολλοὶ γὰρ τεθνᾶσιν Ἀχαιοί, χρὴ πόλεμον παῦσαι Il.

the statement of which γάρ gives the reason may be omitted, οὐ γάρ τί μοι Ζεὺς ἦν ὁ κηρύξας τάδε [yes], for it was not Zeus, etc., Soph.; ἔστι γὰρ οὕτω [yes], for so it is, i. e. yes certainly, Plat.; οἵδ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ εἰσί: τοῦτο γάρ σε δήξεται [I say this], for it will sting thee, Eur.: —in Conditional Propositions, where the Condition is omitted, it may be transl. for otherwise, else, οὐ γὰρ ἄν με ἔπεμπον πάλιν, (sc. εἰ μὴ ἐπίστευον)…

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for (ki (conjunction), le, from 'el (preposition), and various other words. In the New Testament also the words are various, chiefly gar, kai gar, hoti (conjunctions); anti apo eis dia (accusative), epi (dative and accusative), peri (genitive), pros (genitive and accusative), huper (genitive) (prepositions)): the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version give in many cases more literal or more accurate renderings than those in the King James Version.

In the New Testament the most important preps. from a doctrinal point of view are anti, "face to face," "over against," "instead," "on behalf of," peri, "around," "about," "concerning," huper, "over," "on behalf of." The first has been claimed as stating the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice as contrasted with huper and peri, more frequently used of it. But, although anti in the New Testament often means…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
97%for
for97% · 1050×other renderings3% · 33×

1,083 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 11 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,038 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
αὐτόςἐγώσύ
οὐNeg
οὐδείςno one, none, noαὐτόςλαλέωI speak, say
εἰμίI am, exist
θάλασσαthe sea, lakeλυπέωI pain, grieve, καθεύδωI sleep, am slee
οὗτος
εἰςαὐτόςδιά
καίand, even, also, nam
εἰμίI am, existκύριοςlord, Lord, mastἐγώ
γάρfor1038×
what comes after →
Article the
πατήρfather, Father, θεόςGod, a godArticle the
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theσύἐν
σύ
ὅτιthat, since, becἐνοὐNeg
αὐτός
Article theοὗτοςλέγωI say, speak
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theδιάἐν

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceγάρ · 1,038× in the New Testament
Romans Matthew 1 Corinthians Luke Hebrews Acts 2 Corinthians John Mark Galatians 1 Thessalonians Revelation

1 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 4c. AD 40

καὶ γὰρ λόγον καὶ ἀκοὴν ὑπερβάλλει μείζω καὶ σεμνότερα ὄντα ἢ ὡς θνητοῦ τινος ὀργάνοις ἐναρμοσθῆναι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.2c. AD 75–95

τινὲς μὲν γὰρ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι λόγων δεινότητα καὶ τὴν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς θηρευόμενοι δόξαν ἐπὶ τοῦτο τῆς παιδείας τὸ μέρος ὁρμῶσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ χάριν ἐκείνοις φέροντες, περὶ ὧν τὴν ἀναγραφὴν εἶναι συμβέβηκε, τὸν εἰς αὐτὴν πόνον καὶ παρὰ δύναμιν ὑπέστησαν·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.7c. AD 100

ἐγνώρισεν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ δεσπότης διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων δοὺς ἀπαρχὰς ἡμῖν γεύσεως, ὧν τὰ καθ̓ ἕκαστα βλέποντες ἐνεργούμενα, καθὼς ἐλάλησεν, ὀφείλομεν πλουσιώτερον καὶ ὑψηλότερον προσάγειν τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. BC 2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD

ἀποκαταστῆναι , ἔτι καὶ νῦν καλῶς ποιήσεις παρακαλῶν σαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς παρʼ ἡμῶν· προσπέπτωκεν γὰρ Παῶν ἀναπλεῖν ἐν τῶι Τῦβι μηνὶ μετὰ δυνάμεων ἱκανῶν πρὸς τὸ καταστεῖλαι τοὺς ἐν

P.Grenf. 1 37Thebais109 BC

ἀλλʼ ἀποστερέσαι … ησας ἀλλά … τας κατὰ κοινόν … ἐπίσκεψιν ποιησάσθαι. … τούτων γὰρ γενομένων ἐσόμεθα βεβοηθημένοι ὑφʼ ὑμῶν. ἔρρωσθε. ἔτους θ Φαρμοῦθι κζ, ἐπιλέγματος ἀναγνωσθέντος τοῦ ὑπομνήματος

P.Bad. 2 16Pathyris89 BC

ποιήσετε συνγεινόμενοι εἰς τοῦτον τόπον ἐν ἀσφαλείαι ὑπάρχοντα συντηρηθῆναι τοῦτον τῶι κυρίωι βασιλεῖ· οὕτω γὰρ πράσσοντες καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὰ πράγματα εὔνοιαν διατηροῦντες … ε … παρὰ τῶν ἐπάνω

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
ἐξέστημεν,existēmi we are crazy, G1839 Verb · second aorist · active · indicative · first person · plural
17× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to amaze or astound someone, like in Luke 24:22. It's about being shocked or confused. It's used to describe a strong reaction.
Amplified meaning
completely beside ourselves, out of our wit
Tyndale gloss
to amaze
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἐξίστημι (i.e., *existēmi*) is built from the prefix ἐξ and the root ἵστημι. It covers a range of meanings including to displace, to astonish, and to lose one's senses. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts of amazement and confusion, such as in Luke 24:22 and Acts 8:9. Dodson's entry is notably brief, simply stating it means to astonish or be astonished.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

† ἐξ-ίστημι (also in Hellenistic -ιστάνω, Ac 8:9),

[in LXX forחרד , etc. (29 words in all) ;],

causal in pres., impf., fut., 1 aor., to put out of its place; metaph., ἐ. τινά φρενῶν (Eur.), to drive one out of his senses, hence, absol., to confound, amaze: c. acc pers., Lk 24:22, Ac 8:9, 11.

Intr. in pass. and mid., also in 2 aor., pf., plpf. act., seq. ἐκ or c. gen., to stand aside from, retire from; esp. τ. φρενῶν,to lose one's senses (Eur.), hence, absol.;

to be beside oneself, be mad: Mk 3:21, II Co 5:13 (opp. to σωφρονεῖν);

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐξίστημι (existēmi) — to amaze.

ἐξίστημι,

causal in present, imperfect, future, aorist 1:—displace: hence, change, alter utterly, τὰν φύσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. metaphorically, ἐξιστάναι τινὰ φρενῶν drive one out of his senses, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; simply ἐ. τινά drive one out of his senses, confound, amaze, [Refs 5th c.BC+]diverts the attention, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; excite,[NT]; τὸν λογισμόν, τὴν διάνοιαν, [Refs 1st c.AD+]

3. get rid of, dispose of the claims of a person, [Refs 1st c.BC+]

4. ἐξεστᾰκότα (ἐξεστηκότα codex): εἰς δίκην κεκληκότα, [Refs 5th c.AD+]

__B intransitive in passive and middle, with aorist 2, perfect, and pluperfect active:

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐξίστημι ἐξιστάνω

existemi

from 1537 and 2476; to put (stand) out of wits, i.e. astound, or

(reflexively) become astounded, insane:--amaze, be (make) astonished,

be beside self (selves), bewitch, wonder.

see GREEK for 1537

see GREEK for 2476

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐξίστημι

v.

I astonish, am astonished

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐξίστημι existēmi 17x

pr. to put out of its place; to astonish, amaze, Lk. 24:22; Acts 8:9, 11; intrans. to be astonished, Mt. 12:23; to be beside one’s self, Mk. 3:21; 2 Cor. 5:13

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐξίστημι Causal in pres., imperf., fut., aor1: to put out of its place, to change or alter utterly, Arist., Plut.

metaph., ἐξιστάναι τινὰ φρενῶν to drive one out of his senses, Eur.; τοῦ φρονεῖν Xen.; absol. to derange, Dem.

intr. in Pass. and Mid., with aor2, perf., and plup. act.:

of Place, to stand aside from, ἐκστάντες τῆς ὁδοῦ out of the way, Hdt.; so, ἐκστῆναί τινι Soph., etc.:—metaph., ἐξ, ἕδρας ἐξέστηκε is displaced, disordered, Eur.

c. acc. to shrink from, shun, Soph., Dem.

c. gen. to retire from, give up possession of, τῆς ἀρχῆς Thuc.: — to cease from, abandon, τῶν μαθημάτων Xen.

ἐκστῆναι πατρός to lose one's father, give him up, Ar.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-2AAI-1P — Verb · second aorist · active · indicative · first person · plural
second aorist active indicative — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-2AAI-1P Part of Speech: Verb Tense: second Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: first Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
47%amazed
amazed47% · 8×they were amazed18% · 3×amazing6% · 1×have amazed6% · 1×he was amazed6% · 1×we are crazy6% · 1×be amazed6% · 1×he is crazy6% · 1×other renderings0% · 0×

17 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 8 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 17 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
δώδεκαIndecμαγεύωI practice sorceαὐτός
ὥστεso that, therefore
πᾶςall, the whole,
ὅτιthat, since, because
γάρfor
ἑαυτοῦ
ἐν
ἐγώ
ἐκ
ἐξίστημιwe are crazy,17×
what comes after →
δέbut, on the other ha
πᾶςall, the whole, καίand, even, also,
Article the
γονεύςa parentἔθνοςa race, people, ἐκ
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
Article theκαίand, even, also,
εὐθέωςimmediately, soon
ἔκστασιςbewilderment, am
ἐγώ
γίνομαιI come into bein

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἐξίστημι · 17× in the New Testament
Acts Mark Luke 2 Corinthians Matthew
Across the New Testament5 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 41 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus
Philo of AlexandriaWho is the Heir of Divine Things 251c. AD 40

„καὶ εἶδε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἐξέστη, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον“ (Lev.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 15.120c. AD 75–95

τοὐντεῦθεν ὁ μὲν Ἡρώδης λῃστείαις ἐχρῆτο καὶ τὰ πολλὰ κατατρέχων τὴν τῶν Ἀράβων ἐκάκου ταῖς ἐπιδρομαῖς στρατοπεδευόμενος ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρων, καὶ τὸ μὲν σύμπαν ἐξίστατο κατὰ τοὐμφανὲς εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν, οὐκ ἀζήμιος δὲ γινόμενος τῇ συνεχείᾳ καὶ τῷ φιλοπόνῳ…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. AD 1st c. BC 2nd c. BC 3rd c. AD
P.Mich. 5 350Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 37

Ἀρσινόης Πτολέμᾳ Ἡρώδου, ὡς ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα , οὐλὴ γαστροκνημίᾳ δεξιᾷ, μετὰ κυρίου αὐτοῦ Ἡρακλείδου, ἐξίστασθαι αὐτοῖς πάντων ὧν ἔχουσι καὶ ὧν ἐὰν ἐπικτήσωνται κλήρων τε καὶ ἀμπελώνων καὶ παραδείσων

P.Mich. 5 351Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 44

ἀνδρὸς Ἁτρείους τοῦ Ἁτρείους τοῦ Χεῶτος, ὡς ἐτῶν τριάκοντα ἑπτά , οὐλὴ πήχει δεξιῶι, ἐξίστασθαι αὐτῇ πάντων τῶν καταλελειμμένων ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμφοτέρων μητρὸς Ταπνεβτύνιος τῆς Λύκου μερῶν οἰκοπέδων παλαιῶν

P.Mich. 5 352ArsinoitesAD 46

αὐτῆς υἱοῦ Ὥρου τοῦ Ἁρμιύσιος καὶ τῆς Θαήσιος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς Ὀννώφριος τοῦ Νεφερῶτος ὁμολογοῦμεν ἐξίστασθαι τῇ προγεγραμμένῃ ἡμῶν ὁμοπατρίῳ καὶ ὁμομητρίῳ ἀδελφῇ Σοήρει περὶ τῶν προσενηνεγμένων αὐτῇ ὑπὸ τῆς

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
θεῷ·theos [it is] for God; G2316 Noun · dative · singular · masculine
1,311× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word simply means God, referring to the one true deity. It is used throughout the New Testament, including in Matthew 27:46 and Acts 14:11, to describe the supreme being and creator of the universe.
Amplified meaning
for the sake of, unto
Tyndale gloss
God
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

θεός (theos) means 'God' or 'a god' and is used in both singular and plural forms. It refers to the supreme deity in monotheistic contexts, as well as to lesser deities in polytheistic settings. The New Testament frequently employs this term, notably in verses like Matthew 27:46 and Acts 19:37. Some lexicons note its use as a title for rulers or magistrates, reflecting its broader application in ancient texts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Ac 19:37 only; v. M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mt 27:46; cf. De 3:24, al.),

[in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc.;]

a god or deity, God.

In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Ac 28:6, I Co 8:4, II Th 2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Ga 4:8, al.

Of the one true God;

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

θεός, -οὔ, ὁ and ἡ, voc. θεέ, once in the N. T., Mt. xxvii. 46; besides in Deut. iii. 24; Judg. [xvi. 28;] xxi. 3; [2 S. vii. 25; Is. xxxviii. 20]; Sir. xxiii. 4; Sap. ix. 1; 3 Mace. vi. 3; 4 Mace. vi. 27; Act. Thom. 44 sq. 57; Eus. h. 6. 2, 23,16; [5, 20,7; vit. Const. 2,55, 1.59]; ef. W. §8, 2 ο.; [B. 12 (11)]; ({on the eight or more proposed derivations see Vaniéek p. 386, who follows Curtius (after Doderlein) p. 513 sqq. in connecting it with a root meaning to supplicate, implore; hence the implored ; per contra cf. Max Miiller, Chips ete. iv. 227 sq.; L. and 8. s. v. fin.]); [fr. Hom. down]; Sept. for 58, ΟΝ and m7; a god, a goddess; 1. a general appellation of deities or divinities: Acts xxviii. 6; 1 Co. viii. 4; 2 Th. ii. 4; once ἡ θεός, Acts xix. 37 G LT Tr WH; θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου, Acts xii. 22; ἄνθρωπος ὧν ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν θεόν, Jn. x. 33; plur., of the gods of the…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

θεός. For the application of the title θεός to the Ptolemaic kings it is sufficient to recall Brit. Mus. Inscrr. IV. 1 No. 906% (B.C. 284-273) where a votive offering is dedicated in honour of Πτολεμαίου τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ θεοῦ, and the description of Ptolemy V. (Epiphanes) on the Rosetta stone—OG/S gol? (B.C. 196) ὑπάρχων θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ Kal θεᾶς : cf. Deissmann LAE, p. 348 and the full discussion by E. Kornemann ‘‘ Zur Geschichte der antiken Herrscherkulte” in Beztrdge zur alten Geschichte [Klio] i., p. 51 ff. (Leipzig, 1902). The same practice is still more strikingly illustrated in the Imperial period, as when in an inscr. from the Fayum district, dated March 17th, B.c. 24, Augustus is described as θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ (OG/S 6557), or as when a votive inscr. is addressed to Nero—daya0a(t) θεῶ(ι) (Cos 927): see Deissmann 7s. p. 349. With this may be compared the frequent use for Augustus of the…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

θεός (theos) — God.

θεός, ὁ,

Boeotian dialect θιός, Laconian dialect σιός (see. below), [Refs 5th c.AD+], Cretan dialect θιός [Refs], Doric dialect also θεύς [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; vocative (only late) θεός, also θεέ [LXX+NT]; but classical in compound names, Ἀμφίθεε, Τιμόθεε:—God, the Deity, in general sense, both singular and plural (εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ θεοὺς καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπὶ θεὸν ἁρμόζει μεταφέρειν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; σὺν θ. εἰρημένον [Refs 5th c.BC+]: so in plural, σύν γε θεοῖσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐ θεῶν ἄτερ pi.[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὑπὲρ θεόν against his will,[Refs 4th c.BC+]; θεῶν συνεθελόντων, βουλομένων, [Refs 5th c.BC+]bless you! good heavens! for heaven's sake! [Refs 8th c.BC+]: doubled in poets, θεὸν θεόν τις ἀγλαϊζέτω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θεοί (Cretan dialect θιοί) as an opening formula in Inscrr. (i.e. τύχην ἀγαθὴν διδοῖεν), [Refs].1, etc.: in Prose also with the Article, ὁ θ.…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

θεός

theos

of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme

Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding,

God, god(-ly, -ward).

see GREEK for 3588

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

θεός, οῦ, ὁ

n.f. & n.m.

God, a god

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

θεός theos 1x

a deity, Acts 7:43; 1 Cor. 8:5; an idol, Acts 7:40; God, the true God, Mt. 3:9, et al. freq.; God, possessed of true godhead, Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; from the Hebrew, applied to potentates, Jn. 10:34, 35; τῷ θεῷ, an intensive term, from the Hebrew, exceedingly, Acts 7:20, and, perhaps, 2 Cor. 10:4

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

θεός θεός, ὁ, God, Hom., both in general sense, Θεὸς δώσει God will grant, and in particular sense, θεός τις a god; πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε Hom.:—things are said to happen σὺν θεῷ, σύν γε θεοῖσιν by the will of God, id. Hom., etc.; οὐκ ἄνευ θεοῦ, Lat. non sine diis, Od.; οὐκ ἄνευθε θεοῦ Il.; οὐ θεῶν ἄτερ Pind.;— ἐκ θεόφι Il.;— ὑπὲρ θεόν against his will, id. Il.;— κατὰ θεόν τινα, Lat. divinitus, Eur.:—as an oath, πρὸς θεῶν by the gods, in God's name, Trag.; θεὸς ἴστω Soph., etc.

θεός as fem. for θεά, θέαινα, a goddess, Hom.; θήλεια θεός Il.; ἡ νερτέρα θ. Proserpine, Soph.; often in oaths, νὴ τὼ θεώ id. Soph.; ναὶ τὼ σιώ, with the Spartans, of Castor and Pollux, Xen.; with the Boeotians, of Amphion and Zethus, id.…

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-DSM — Noun · dative · singular · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-DSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

god ('Elohim, 'El, [`Elyon], Shadday, Yahweh; Theos):

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GENERAL IDEA

1. The Idea in Experience and in Thought

2. Definition of the Idea

3. The Knowledge of God

4. Ethnic Ideas of God

(1) Animism

(2) Fetishism

(3) Idolatry

(4) Polytheism

(5) Henotheism

(6) Pantheism

(7) Deism

(8) Semitic Monolatry

(9) Monotheism

II. THE IDEA OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Course of Its Development

2. Forms of Its Manifestation

(1) The Face or Countenance of God

(2) The Voice and Word of God

(3) The Glory of God

(4) The Angel of God

(5) The Spirit of God

(6) The Name of God

(7) Occasional Forms

3. The Names of God

(1) Generic

(2) Attributive

(3) Yahweh

4. Pre-prophetic Conceptions of God

(1) Yahweh Alone Is the God of Israel

(a) His Early Worship

(b) Popular Religion

(c) Polytheistic Tendencies

(i) Coordination

(ii) Assimilation

(iii) Disintegration

(d) No Hebrew Goddesses

(e) Human Sacrifices

Easton's Bible Dictionary

God

(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew ’El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of ’Eloah_, plural _’Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by “LORD,” printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).

The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:

(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and JEHOVAH, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength , as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect , and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
96%god
god96% · 1289×other renderings3% · 34×other renderings1% · 19×

1,342 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 14 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject31%adverbial26%object24%predicate12%indirect object5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,311 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
βασιλείαkingship, sovereλόγοςa word, speech, υἱόςa son, descenden
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theπαράδικαιοσύνηjustice, justnes
ἀπό
εἰρήνηpeace, peace of ὅτιthat, since, becἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἈβραάμPropἸσαάκPropΧριστόςanointed, the Me
εἰμίI am, exist
οὐNegυἱόςa son, descendenοὗτος
θεός[it is] for God;1311×
what comes after →
Article the
δίδωμιI offer, giveπαντοκράτωρruler of the uniπατήρfather, Father,
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theπατήρfather, Father, αὐτός
ἐγώ
καίand, even, also,Article theἐκβάλλωI throw, cast, p
ἐν
Article theαὐτόςΧριστόςanointed, the Me
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,εἰς

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceθεός · 1,311× in the New Testament
Acts Romans Luke 1 Corinthians Revelation John 2 Corinthians Hebrews 1 John Matthew Mark 1 Peter

15 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 1,637 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 7c. AD 40

Τινὲς γὰρ τὸν κόσμον μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν κοσμοποιὸν θαυμάσαντες τὸν μὲν ἀγένητόν τε καὶ ἀίδιον ἀπεφήναντο, τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ πολλὴν ἀπραξίαν ἀνάγνως κατεψεύσαντο, δέον ἔμπαλιν τοῦ μὲν τὰς δυνάμεις ὡς ποιητοῦ καὶ πατρὸς καταπλαγῆναι, τὸν δὲ μὴ πλέον ἀποσεμνῦναι…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ὡς πύργος, ὃν οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ὕβρει τοῦ θεοῦ ᾠκοδόμησαν, καὶ ὡς τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν μετέβαλε καὶ ὁ τόπος, ἐν ᾧ τοῦτο γέγονε, Βαβυλὼν ἐκλήθη.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.2c. AD 100

Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν: οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 2nd c. AD 7th c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Grenf. 2 33Pathyris101 BC

αὐτῷ μέρος ἧς ἐμισθώσατο σὺν Πακοίβι Σχώτου καὶ τοῖς μετόχοις γῆς σιτοφόρου λεγομένης Νεχθαραῦτι θεοῦ μεγάλου παρὰ τῶν ἱερέων ἐτῶν δέκα εἰς τὰ ἐνλιπόντα αὐτῷ ἑτέρων , τεσσάρων εἰς

P.Adl. 20Poinkoris (Diopolites)99 BC

1 βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου θεοῦ Φιλομήτορος καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεᾶς Φιλαδέλφου ἔτους ἑκκαιδεκάτου ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν καὶ

Chrest.Wilck. 12Pathyris89 BC

ἡμῖν Φιλόξενος ὁ ἀδελφὸς διʼ ὧν κεκόμικεν ἡμῖν Ὄρσης γραμμάτων περὶ τοῦ τὸν μέγιστον Θεὸν Σωτῆρα βασιλέα ἐπιβεβληκέναι εἰς Μέμφιν, Ἱέρακα δὲ προκεχειρίσθαι μετὰ δυνάμεων μυρίων ἐπὶ καταστολὴν τῆς

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
εἴτεeite or if G1535 Conjunction
65× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'whether' or 'if', used in conditions and questions, like in Matthew 11:14 and Romans 8:25. It helps us understand choices and possibilities in the Bible.
Tyndale gloss
whether
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word εἴτε (i.e., *eite*) means 'whether' or 'either...or...' and is often used to present alternatives. It is derived from two roots and appears in various contexts, including indirect questions. In the New Testament, it is found 65 times, notably in Romans and Corinthians, indicating its role in expressing choices or conditions.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

εἴτε, v.s. εἰ.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εἴτε (eite) — whether.

εἴτε,

Doric dialect αἴτε, generally doubled, εἴτε..εἴτε.., Latin sive..sive.., either..or.., whether..or.., so that two cases are put as equally possible or equivalent; thrice repeated, [Refs 5th c.BC+] is sometimes omitted in Poets, ξεῖνος, αἴτ᾽ ὦν ἀστός [Refs 5th c.BC+]; and even in Prose, πόλις, εἴτε ἰδιῶται [Refs 5th c.BC+] Latin utrum..an.., variant in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; sometimes ἤ (ἠὲ καί.. variant in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἴτε.. εἴτε.., with subjunctive (compare εἰ), variant in [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. in indirect questions, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

εἴτε

eite

from 1487 and 5037; if too:--if, or, whether.

see GREEK for 1487

see GREEK for 5037

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

εἴτε

Cj.

and if, whether

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

εἴτε eite 65x

whether, Rom. 12:6, 7, 8; 1 Cor. 3:22; 2 Cor. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:10

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

εἴτε εἰ, τε generally doubled, εἴτε . . , εἴτε Lat. sive . . , sive, either . . , or . . , whether . . , or . . the first εἴτε is sometimes omitted in Poets:—the first εἴτε is sometimes replaced by εἰ, as εἰ . . , εἴτε . . , Hdt., Trag.

also used, like εἰ, in indirect questions, Od., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
51%or
or51% · 33×whether32% · 21×if15% · 10×other renderings2% · 1×

65 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 4 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject31%adverbial15%object6%predicate3%verb3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 65 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ζωήlife
εἴτεand if, whetherδιά
θεόςGod, a god
λέγωI say, speakἐξίστημιI astonish, am a
δοῦλος (II)
εἴτεand if, whether
ἐγώ
οὖνtherefore, thenσῶμαbody, flesh
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
παράArticle the
εἴτεor if65×
what comes after →
Article the
διδάσκωI teachπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaἐπί
διά
ζωήlifeθάνατοςdeathλόγοςa word, speech,
ἐν
σῶμαbody, fleshοὐρανόςthe sky, the hea
οὖνtherefore, then
ἐσθίωI eatἐγώ
δοῦλος (II)
εἴτεand if, whether

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceεἴτε · 65× in the New Testament
1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Colossians Philippians Romans 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians Ephesians
Across the New Testament9 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 140c. AD 40

ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀκμάζον αἰεὶ τοῦ παρηβηκότος βέλτιόν ἐστιν, εἴτε ζῷον εἴτε φυτὸν εἴτε καρπὸς εἴτ’ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐν τῇ φύσει τυγχάνοι, οὕτως ἔοικεν ὁ μὲν πρῶτος διαπλασθεὶς ἄνθρωπος ἀκμὴ τοῦ ἡμετέρου παντὸς ὑπάρξαι γένους, οἱ δ’ ἔπειτα μηκέθ’ ὁμοίως…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.47c. AD 75–95

εἴτε γὰρ δευτέραν δέησιν ἐξεδέχετο, ταύτην γεγονέναι καὶ μετὰ πλείονος σπουδῆς·

The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 9.1.10c. AD 140

διὰ τοῦτο προσετάγη ὑμῖν ἐφ̓ ἑαυτοῖς μένειν, εἴτε ἀνὴρ εἴτε γυνή: δύναται γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις μετάνοια εἶναι.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
6th c. AD 4th c. AD 5th c. AD 7th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Stras. 6 504Kerkesucha bzw. Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 106

Ἀμμωνίου πέπρακα ὡς πρόκειται Στοτοῆτις Στοτοήτιος ἠγόρακα καθὼς πρόκειται Ἀ … ι γρα Κερκεσούχων ειτε … … … ερ

APF 6 (1920), p. 85Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoites)AD 120–AD 121

πράγματος ὑπερτεθέντος εἰς τὴν μείζονα ἐξουσίαν συνέβη, καθὼς ἅπαντες προφέρονται, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ παιδίον, εἴτε ἦν τῆς Ἀπίας τῆς καὶ Ἡρακλείας εἴτε ἀλλότριον, τελευτῆσαι, τὰ νῦν εἰς διάλυσιν ἀγείοχαν

P.Bodl. 1 31Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 169–AD 176

εἰπεῖν π … ε … … τοῦ ἐπιστρατήγου … ε … ο … … εἴτε δικαστοῦ. εὐδοκῶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὸ σοῦ ἐπιτελεσθησομένοις. Τὸ χειρόγραφον τοῦτο κύριον ἔστω πανταχῇ ὡς

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
σωφρονοῦμεν,sōphroneō we are sober-minded G4993 Verb · present · active · indicative · first person · plural
6× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To be of sound mind means being sane and moderate. In Mark 5:15, Jesus healed a man and made him sane. It's about being self-controlled and discreet.
Amplified meaning
of sober mind, sane
Tyndale gloss
be of sound mind
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σωφρονέω means to be of sound mind, self-controlled, or temperate. It is built from the root σώφρων and covers a range of meanings from sanity to moderation in behavior. The New Testament uses it in contexts like Mark 5:15 and Romans 12:3, where it contrasts with extremes of behavior. Mounce notes it appears six times in the New Testament.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

* σωφρονέω, -ῶ

(< σώφρων),

to be of sound mind or in one's right mind: Mk 5:15, Lk 8:35; opp. to ἐκστῆναι, II Co 5:13 (Hdt.);

to be temperate, discreet, self-controlled (opp. to μαίνεσθαι, ὑβρίζειν, etc.; Æsch., Thuc., al.): Tit 2:6; opp. to ὑπερφρονεῖν, Ro 12:3; σ. καὶ νήφειν, I Pe 4:7.†

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

σω-φρονέω, -@; 1 aor. impv. σωφρονήσατε ; (σώφρων, 4. v-); fr. Tragg., Xen., Plat. down; to be of sound mind, i. 6. a. to be in one’s right mind: of one who has ceased δαιμονίζεσθαι, Mk. v.15; LK. viii. 35; opp. to ἐκστῆναι, 2 Co. y. 13, (the σωφρονῶν and paveis are contrasted in Plat. de rep. i. p. 331 ¢c.; σωφρονοῦσαι and μανεῖσαι, Phaedr. p. 244b.; ὁ μεμηνὼς - . - ἐσωφρόνησε, Apollod. 3, 5, 1, 6). b. to exercise self-control; i.e. a. to put a moderate estimate upon one’s self, think of one’s self soberly: opp. to ὑπερφρονεῖν, Ro. xii. 3. B. to curb one’s passions, Tit. ii. 6; joined with νήφω (as in Leian. Nigrin. 6), [R. V. be of sound mind and be sober], 1 Pet. iv. 7.

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

σωφρονέω. We can add nothing from our sources to Preisigke’s (Worterd. s.v.) iv/A.D. citations for this verb, P Lips I. 397 and PSI I. 417 and 33 σ]ωφρονῖν καὶ ἡσυχάζειν, where the meaning is ‘‘am of sound mind,” ‘am discreet,” as in the NT occurrences (Mk 51° a/.). See also Xen. Oecov. vil. 14 ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἔφησεν ἡ μήτηρ ἔργον εἶναι σωφρονεῖν, the reference being to prudence in household management.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σωφρονέω (sōphroneō) — be of sound mind.

σωφρον-έω,

poetry σᾰοφ- [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:— to be sound of mind, [NT+5th c.BC+]

2. to be temperate, moderate, show self-control, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ={σωφροσύνη}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐς Ἀφροδίτην σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of soldiers, σ. καὶ εὐτακτεῖν[Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ὑπερφρονέω, [NT]: with a participle, πέμποντες σωφρονοῖμεν ἄν [Refs 5th c.BC+]

3. come to one's senses, learn moderation, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐ σωφρονήσει; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σεσωφρονηκώς when he had recovered his senses, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

4. passive, τὰ σεσωφρονημένα ἐν τῷ βίῳ μοι things I had done with discretion, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

σωφρονέω

sophroneo

from 4998; to be of sound mind, i.e. sane, (figuratively)

moderate:--be in right mind, be sober (minded), soberly.

see GREEK for 4998

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σωφρονέω

v.

I am sober-minded, exercise self-control

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σωφρονέω sōphroneō 6x

to be of a sound mind, be in one’s right mind, be sane, Mk. 5:15; Lk. 8:35; to be calm, 2 Cor. 5:13; to be sober-minded, sedate, Tit. 2:6; 1 Pet. 4:7; to be of a modest, humble mind, Rom. 12:3*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

σωφρονέω σωφρονέω, φυτ. -ήσω σώφρων to be sound of mind, Hdt.

to be temperate, discreet, shew self-control, Aesch., Ar., etc.; ς. περὶ τοὺς θεούς Xen.

to come to one's senses, learn self-control, Hdt., etc.

Pass., τὰ σεσωφρονημένα μοι things I had done with discretion, Aeschin.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-1P — Verb · present · active · indicative · first person · plural
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-1P Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: first Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
17%be sober-minded
be sober-minded17% · 1×we are sober-minded17% · 1×be self-controlled17% · 1×do be clear-minded17% · 1×sound minded17% · 1×being of sound mind17% · 1×

6 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 6 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb83%second object17%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 6 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
ἱματίζωI clothe
Article the
εἰς
εἴτεand if, whether
θεόςGod, a god
παρακαλέωI summon, entreat, a
ὡσαύτωςlikewise
ἐγγίζωI come near, approac
τέλοςan end, purpose,
σωφρονέωwe are sober-minded
what comes after →
Article the
ἔχωI have, hold, po
παρά
Article the
ἕκαστοςeach, every one
ὡςas, like as, how
σύ
οὖνtherefore, then
καίand, even, also,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceσωφρονέω · 6× in the New Testament
1 Peter 2 Corinthians Luke Mark Romans Titus
Across the New Testament6 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaThat the Worse Attacks the Better 114c. AD 40

γίνεται μὲν γὰρ ἐκ φρονήσεως τὸ φρονεῖν, ἐκ δὲ σωφροσύνης τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ἐκ δὲ εὐσεβείας τὸ εὐσεβεῖν, καὶ ἀφ’

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.201c. AD 75–95

τοῦ δὲ Λώτου παραινοῦντος σωφρονεῖν καὶ μὴ χωρεῖν ἐπʼ αἰσχύνῃ τῶν ξένων, ἀλλʼ ἔχειν αἰδῶ τῆς παρʼ αὐτῷ καταγωγῆς, εἰ δὲ ἔχουσιν ἀκρατῶς, τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτῶν λέγοντος παρέξειν, οὐδʼ οὕτως ἐπείσθησαν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
4th c. AD 3rd c. AD
P.Oxy. 14 1678Oxyrhynchos (OxyrhynchitesAD 201–AD 300

καὶ Ἄννειν καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς καὶ Εἶσιν καὶ Εὐτυχεὶν καὶ τὴν μητέρα μου Σωφρόνειν καὶ Νεῖλον καὶ Πυμένειν καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν Χοοῦν καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἡμῶν καὶ

PSI 1 41AntinoopolisAD 301–AD 400

σάμην καὶ νῦν οὐδὲ ἕνα ἔχω παῖδα ὃν προσεδοκώμην … αι πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ σωφρονεῖν διὰ παντὸς καὶ πράττειν … … καὶ σεμνῶς ἀναστρέφεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν με καὶ ἀγαπᾶν

P.Lips. 1 39HermopolisAD 390

ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως. ἐχρῆν τοὺς ἅπαξ πειραθέντας ἐπιστρεφείας καὶ ἄρχοντος φόβου τοῦ λοιποῦ σωφρονεῖν καὶ μηκέτι κατὰ μηδενὸς ἀτόπημα διαπράξασθαι. κάλανδος τοίνυν, τὰ ἐναντία τούτου μελετῶν, ἐξ ὧν

If for we are crazy, [it is] for God; or if we are sober-minded [it is] for you.
ὑμῖν.su [it is] for you. G4771 Personal pronoun · second person · dative · plural
2,892× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 2 Corinthians than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'you' and is used to address someone directly, like in John 1:30 and Matthew 26:64. It's a way to emphasize or contrast the person being spoken to. The KJV Bible translates it as 'thou'.
Amplified meaning
for your benefit, on your behalf
Tyndale gloss
you
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σύ is the second-person singular pronoun meaning 'you' in Greek. It has various forms: genitive σοῦ, dative σοί, and accusative σέ. The word can be used for emphasis or contrast, particularly in the New Testament, as seen in verses like Matthew 26:64. It also appears in various dialects and has enclitic forms.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σύ,

pron. of 2nd pers.,

thou, you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, pl., ὑμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς (enclitic in oblique cases sing., except after prep. (BL, §48, 3), though πρὸς σέ occurs in Mt 25:39). Nom. for emphasis or contrast: Jo 1:30, 42 4:10 5:33, 39, 44, Ac 4:7, Eph 5:32; so also perhaps σὺ εἶπας, Mt 26:64, al. (M, Pr., 86); before voc., Mt 2:6, Lk 1:76, Jo 17:5, al.; sometimes without emphasis (M, Pr., 85f.), as also

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

σύ, pron. of the second pers. (Dor. and Aeol. τύ, Boeot. Tov), gen. σοῦ, dat. σοί, ace. σέ (which oblique cases are enclitic, unless a preposition precede; yet πρός σε is written [uniformly in Ree. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18), in Grsb. (exe. Jn. xxi. 22, 23), in Treg. (exc. Mt. xxvi. 18; Acts xxiii. 30), in Lchm. (exe. Mt. xxvi.18; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; xxi. 22, 23; Acts xxiii. 30), in Tdf. (exe. Mt. xxvi. 18; Lk. i. 19; Jn. xvii. 11, 13; Jn. xxi. 22; Acts xxiii. 18, 30; 1 Tim. iii. 14; Tit. iii. 12); also by WH in Mt. xxv. 39], see ἐγώ, 2; Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch. p. 62 sq. [W. §6, 3; B. 31 (27)]); plur. ὑμεῖς, εἴς. : Lat. tu, ete., vos, ete.; thou, ete., ye,ete. The nominatives ov and ὑμεῖς are expressed for emphasis — before a vocative, as σὺ Βηθλεέμ, Mt. ii. 6; σὺ παιδίον (Leian. dial. deor. 2, 1), Lk. i. 76; add, Jn. xvii. 5; Acts i. 24; 1 Tim. vi. 11, etc.; ὑμεῖς of Φαρισαῖοι, Lk. xi. 39…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σύ (su) — you.

σύ [ῠ],

thou: pronoun of the second person:—Epic dialect nominative τύνη [ῡ] [Refs 8th c.BC+] (Laconian dialect τούνη [Refs 5th c.AD+]; Aeolic dialect σύ [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τύ [ῠ] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τού [short syllable] [Refs 6th c.BC+] (also τούν [Refs]σύ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]—Gen. σοῦ, [Refs], elsewhere only Attic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; enclitic σου, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (also in Lyric poetry, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (which also occurs in Lyric poetry, [Refs 7th c.BC+], and as enclitic σευ, [Refs 8th c.BC+], σεο (enclitic) [Refs] σευ (enclitic) [Refs]:—Doric dialect τεῦ, τευ, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; rarely τέο, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect τεῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Doric dialect τεοῦς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοι variant in [Refs]; enclitic τεος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; other Doric dialect forms are τίω, τίως, both [Refs 3rd c.BC+]—Dat. σοί, [Refs 8th c.BC+]…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σύ

su

the person pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou. See

also 4571, 4671, 4675; and for the plural 5209, 5210, 5213, 5216.

see GREEK for 4675

see GREEK for 4571

see GREEK for 4671

see GREEK for 5209

see GREEK for 5210

see GREEK for 5213

see GREEK for 5216

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ

Pers.pr.

you

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σύ sy 2x

you, gen., σοῦ, dat., σοί, acc., σέ, Mt. 1:20; 2:6

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-2DP — Personal pronoun · second person · dative · plural
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-2DP Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: second Case: Dative Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
78%you
you78% · 2412×you yourselves7% · 221×you yourself5% · 168×your3% · 87×other renderings3% · 96×other renderings3% · 89×

3,073 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 37 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject28%object24%adverbial23%indirect object20%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,892 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
λέγωI say, speak
ἀμήνHebrδέbut, on the otheἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώοὕτωthus, so, in thiμήNeg
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, existγίνομαιI come into bein
πρός
ἔρχομαιI come, goἐγώπέμπωI send
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaθέλωI will, wish, de
σύ[it is] for you.2892×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐνἁμαρτίαa sin
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theεἰρήνηpeace, peace of οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐν
ἐν
Article theποῖοςIrgΧριστόςanointed, the Me

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceσύ · 2,892× in the New Testament
Matthew Luke John Acts Mark 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Romans 1 Thessalonians Revelation Hebrews Colossians

16 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 450 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.48c. AD 40

„οὐ φυτεύσεις σεαυτῷ ἄλσος, πᾶν ξύλον παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ“ (Deuter.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.101c. AD 75–95

παύσομαι δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ μετὰ τοσαύτης ὀργῆς τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν εἰσπραττόμενος καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον σοῦ παρακαλοῦντος.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.2c. AD 100

Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν: οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 35Ptolemais - Akko (Syrien)103 BC

τοῦ ἀποδοθῆι τὸν ἐπεσταλμένον ἡμῖν κατὰ μῆνα πυρὸν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῶν. διʼ ἄλλων γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν βουλόμεθα μηδεμιᾶς προσφωνήσεως προσπεπτωκυίας. ἑαυτῶν δὲ ἐπιμελόμενοι ἵνʼ ὑγιαίνητε, — ἔσμεν ἐν

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

η Φατρήους καὶ … χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρωμένοις διευτυχεῖν. ἐρρώμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρίστην μνείαν ποιούμενοι παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Πηλουσίωι θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ

P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

παρὰ Πετεύριος διεθέντος μου ὑπάρξει σοι εἰς στέφανον χαλκοῦ τάλαντα δεκάπεντε, τάλαντα ιε. εὐτύχει .

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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