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Matthew 22:36 — Word Study

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N1904διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

BSATeacher,didaskalos [instructing one, master] whichpoios commandmententolē [great rule, divine instruction] [is the] greatestmegas [most important, supreme] inen theho law?nomos [Mosaic law, God's regulations]

Word
Listen & take awayMatthew 22
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 36 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 (nomos) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Matthew 22:36quick helps
In a sentenceA teacher asks Jesus which commandment holds the highest importance in the Law.
Who is speakingA lawyer, testing Jesus with a question.
Where we areIn a discussion about the Law, where Jesus is challenged by experts.
The hard wordἐντολὴ
Take awayJesus emphasizes the greatest commandment in the Law.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause subjectποῖος 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 — Matthew 22:36

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 — The Greatest Commandmentgenerated

35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question:
36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
37Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:36 presents a question posed to Jesus by a lawyer, who is an expert in the Law. This interaction occurs during a time when Jesus is being tested by various religious leaders. The lawyer's inquiry about the greatest commandment leads to a profound teaching about love and the essence of the Law, revealing Jesus' authority and understanding of God's commandments.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Matthew 5:19–20So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
2Matthew 15:6he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
3Matthew 23:23–24Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
4Hosea 8:12Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.
5Mark 12:28–33Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?Matthew 5:19–20 Matthew 15:6 Matthew 23:23–24 Hosea 8:12 Mark 12:28–33 Luke 11:42

The Key Word ἐντολὴ, entolēgenerated

The Greek word ἐντολή (i.e., *entolē*) signifies a command or instruction, particularly in a religious context. It is derived from the verb ἐντέλλω (i.e., *entellō*), which means 'to command'. This term is often associated with divine laws and is used frequently in the New Testament, especially regarding the commandments given by God.

In this verse, ἐντολή refers specifically to the commandments of the Mosaic Law, highlighting the importance of adhering to God's instructions. Jesus' response to the lawyer emphasizes the centrality of love in fulfilling these commandments.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is presented in the Berean Standard Bible as: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” This wording is echoed in the ASV and WEB, both maintaining the same structure and meaning.

However, the KJV and BBE use the term Master instead of Teacher, which reflects a different nuance in addressing Jesus. The translations also differ slightly in rendering ἐντολὴ as command in LSV and YLT, while the others use commandment.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb in this verse is ἐπηρώτησεν, meaning he asked, which governs the entire sentence. The structure consists of a noun phrase as the subject, followed by a direct question regarding the commandment's significance within the Law.

The sentence is organized around the lawyer's inquiry, with the prepositional phrase ἐν τῷ νόμῳ specifying the context of the question, indicating that the focus is on the commandments found in the Mosaic Law.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

ἐντολή is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for commandment, מִצְוָה (i.e., *mitzvah*), which refers to God's laws and instructions. This connection highlights the continuity of the concept of divine commandments from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

The term νόμος appears frequently in the Septuagint as well, denoting the Law of Moses, which encompasses the commandments that Jesus refers to in this context.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Matthew 22:36 shows a lawyer asking Jesus which commandment is the most important in the Law. This question leads to Jesus teaching about the greatest commandment, which emphasizes love for God and others.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What is the significance of the question about the greatest commandment?

The question seeks to understand which commandment holds the highest importance in the Law, revealing the lawyer's desire to clarify the essence of God's instructions.

How does Jesus respond to the question?

Jesus responds by stating that the greatest commandment is to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, which summarizes the essence of the Law.

Why is the term 'Teacher' used for Jesus?

The term 'Teacher' reflects respect and acknowledges Jesus' role as an authoritative figure in interpreting the Law and guiding others.

What does this passage teach about the Law?

This passage emphasizes that love is the foundation of the Law, suggesting that following God's commandments is rooted in loving God and others.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does it mean to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind?
  2. How can I apply the greatest commandment in my daily life?
  3. In what ways do I see the importance of love reflected in the commandments?
  4. How can I help others understand the significance of Jesus' teaching on the greatest commandment?

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

Origen of Alexandria comments on this verse, discussing the nature of true discipleship and the significance of addressing Jesus as Master.

Origen of AlexandriaCatena Aurea by Aquinas c. 185–253
He said Master tempting Him, for none but a disciple would thus address Christ. Whoever then does not learn of the Word, nor yields himself wholly up to it, yet calls it Master, he is brother to this Pharisee thus tempting Christ.
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 22 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Matthew 22:36 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?] He calls him "master, Rabbi, or doctor", as the Sadducees had in Matthew 22:24 either because he was usually so called by his disciples, and by the

Read John Gill on Matthew 22 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. For the exposition, see the notes at Mark 12:13-34.

Read Robert Jamieson on Matthew 22 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Ver. 36. Which is the great commandment] the Rabbis reckoned up 613 commandments of the law; and distinguished them into the greater and the lesser. These later they thought might be neglected or violated with little or no guilt. The Romish Pharisee have also their venial sins, their peccadillos, as we know, but the Scripture makes all sin mortal and destructory. A little strange fire might seem a small matter, yet it was such a sin as made all Israel guilty, as appears by the sacrifices offered for that sin, Leviticus 10:1-2; Leviticus 16:1-3.

Read John Trapp on Matthew 22 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(36) Which is the great commandment . . .?—Literally, of what kind. The questioner asked as if it belonged to a class. Our Lord’s answer is definite, “This is the first and great commandment.”

Read Charles John Ellicott on Matthew 22 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 36. Which is the great commandment] We see here three kinds of enemies and false accusers of Christ and his disciples; and three sorts of accusations brought against them. 1. The Herodians, or politicians and courtiers, who form their questions and accusations on the rights of the prince, and matters of state, Matthew 22:16. 2. The Sadducees, or libertines, who found theirs upon matters of religion, and articles of faith, which they did not credit, Matthew 22:23. 3. The Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, or Karaites, hypocritical pretenders to devotion, who found theirs on that vital and practical godliness (the love of God and man) of which they wished themselves to be thought the sole…

Read AdamClarke on Matthew 22 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

34–40. The Greatest Commandment Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28 In St Luke the question is asked at an earlier period of the ministry, after the return of the Seventy; and the meaning of “neighbour” is illustrated by the parable of the “Good Samaritan.”

Read Cambridge on Matthew 22 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

36. Great commandment — The Jewish Talmud reckons the positive laws of Moses at 248, and the negative at 365, the sum being 613.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Matthew 22 →

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

“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

NETBNew English Translation2006

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

RVARevised Version, American1894

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Master, which is ye great commandement in the Lawe?

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

'Teacher, which [is] the great command in the Law?'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

“Teacher, which [is] the great command in the Law?”

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Master, which is the chief rule in the law?

Word by word, the decisions they made

διδάσκαλε,didaskalos Teacher, G1320 2 different renderings
teacherASV BSB DBY FBV LSV MSB NETB ULB WEB
masterBBE DRA GNV KJV NWB RVA
ἐντολὴentolē commandment G1785 2 different renderings
commandmentASV BSB DBY DRA FBV KJV MSB NETB NWB RVA ULB WEB
commandLSV YLT
μεγάληmegas [is the] greatest G3173 2 different renderings
greatASV DBY GNV KJV LSV NWB RVA YLT
greatestBSB DRA FBV MSB NETB ULB WEB

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.

clauseκαὶAndclauseverbἐπηρώτησενquestioned [Him]noun phrase · subjectnoun phraseεἷςoneprepositional phraseἐξofαὐτῶνthemνομικὸςa lawyerclause · adverbialverbπειράζωνtestingobjectαὐτόνHimclauseΔιδάσκαλεTeacherclausepredicateποίαwhichnoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseἐντολὴcommandmentμεγάλη[is the] greatestprepositional phraseἐνinnoun phraseτῷtheνόμῳlaw

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

Magister, quod est mandatum magnum in lege ?

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

ܡܠܦܢܐ ܐܝܢܐ ܦܘܩܕܢܐ ܪܒ ܒܢܡܘܣܐ

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

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

διδάσκαλε, ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη ἐν τῷ νόμῳ;

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.

Matthew 22:36διδάσκαλοςTeacher,Teacher,διδάσκαλοςποῖοςwhichwhichποῖοςἐντολήcommandmentcommandmentἐντολήμέγας[is the] gr[is the] greateμέγαςἐνininἐνthetheνόμοςlaw?law?νόμοςδιδάσκωv. I teachv. I teachδιδάσκωἐντέλλομαιv. I give v. I give orderἐντέλλομαιοἷοςCorr.pr. &Corr.pr. & Rel.οἷοςεἰςPrep. intoPrep. into, in,εἰςἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκποῦIrg.adv. wIrg.adv. where,ποῦγραμματεύςn.m. a scrn.m. a scribe, γραμματεύςσημαίνωv. I signiv. I signify, iσημαίνωἐξουσίαn.f. powern.f. power, autἐξουσίατηρέωv. I keep,v. I keep, guarτηρέωκαινόςAdj fresh,Adj fresh, newκαινόςσεισμόςn.m. an ean.m. an earthquσεισμόςΒαβυλώνn.f. Babyln.f. BabylonΒαβυλώνσυναγωγήn.f. an asn.f. an assemblσυναγωγήἔρημοςAdj desertAdj deserted, dἔρημοςΜωϋσῆςn.m. Mosesn.m. MosesΜωϋσῆςὑπόPrep. by, Prep. by, underὑπό
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 Matthew 22:36

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.

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
διδάσκαλε,didaskalos Teacher, G1320 Noun · vocative · singular · masculine
59× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means a teacher or instructor, like Jesus in John 3:2 or Jewish teachers in Luke 2:46. It is often used as a title of respect.
Amplified meaning
instructing one, master
Tyndale gloss
teacher
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word διδάσκαλος (i.e., *didaskalos*) means 'teacher' or 'master.' It is derived from the verb διδάσκω (i.e., *didasko*), meaning 'to teach.' The term is used in various contexts in the New Testament, referring to teachers of the Jewish faith, including Jesus and the apostles, as well as false teachers. It appears frequently in titles of address, especially in the Gospels.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

* διδάσκαλος, -ου, ὁ

(< διδάσκω),

[in LXX: Es 6:1, II Mac 1:10 * ;]

given as rendering of Heb. רַבּוֺן, רַבִּי (NT, Ῥαββεί, Ῥαββουνεί q.v.);

a teacher: Jo 1:39 20:16; of Jewish teachers, Lk 2:46, Jo 3:10, cf. Ro 2:20, 21; of John Baptist, Lk 3:12; of Jesus, Jo 3:2, 10 8:[4] 11:28 13:13, 14, and often in Syn., most freq. in voc., as title of address, as Mt 8:19, Mk 4:38; of Jesus by himself, Mt 23:8; of an apostle, I Ti 2:7,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

διδάσκαλος, -ov, 6, (διδάσκω). a teacher; in the N. T. one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man: 1. of one who is fitted to teach, or thinks himself so: Heb. v. 12; Ro. ii. 20. 2. of the teachers of the Jewish religion: Lk. ii. 46; Jn. iii. 10; hence the Hebr. 37 is rendered in Greek διδάσκαλος : Jn.i. 38 (39) ; xx. 16; cf. below, under ῥαββί, and Pressel in Herzog xu. p. 471 sq.; [Campbell, Dissert. on the Gospels, diss. Vii. pt. 2]. 3. of those who by their great power as teachers drew crowds about them; a. of John the Baptist: Lk.iii.12. Ὁ. of Jesus: Jn.i.38 (39); iii. 2; viii. 4; xi. 28; xiii. 13 sq.; xx. 16; often in the first three Gospels. 4. by preéminence used of Jesus by himself, as the one who showed men the way of salvation: Mt. xxiii. 8 L T Tr WH. 5. of the apostles: ὁ διδάσκαλος τῶν ἐθνῶν, of Paul, 1 Tim. ii. 7; 2 Tim. i. 11. 6. of those who in…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

διδάσκαλος occurs 76) in the contract of apprenticeship P Oxy IV. 725 (A.D. 183); cf. BGU IV. 102124. (iii/aA.p.). OG/S 149° (ii/B.c.) διδάσκαλος μαθημάτων] τακτικῶν. For διδασκαλεῖον cf. the dream from the Serapeum P Par 51° (B.c. 160) (= Selections, p. 19) ἐξαίφνης] ἀνύγω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς pov, Kal ὁρῶ [τὰς] Διδύμας ἐν τῷ διδασκαλήῳ τοῦ Τοθῆ[τος, ‘in the school of Tothes,” and the adj. διδασκαλικός in P Par 63°! (B.c. 165) (P Petr ILI. p. 22) τρόπον τινὰ διδασκαλικὴν] ἡμῶν πεποημένων τὴν [ὑ]φήyou, ““we made our explanation such as almost to teach

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) — teacher.

δῐδάσκᾰλ-ος, ὁ

(but feminine, [Refs 4th c.BC+], compare ξυμφορὴ γίνεται δ. [Refs 2nd c.AD+], teacher, master, μαντείης [Refs 5th c.BC+]; διδάσκαλον λαβεῖν get a master, [[Refs 5th c.BC+]; εἰς διδασκάλου (i.e. οἶκον) φοιτᾶν go to school, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; διδασκάλων or ἐκ διδασκάλων ἀπαλλαγῆναι leave school, [Refs]; ἐν διδασκάλων at school, [Refs]

II. trainer of a dithyrambic or dramatic chorus, producer of a play, etc., ἴτω δὲ καὶ τραγῳδίας ὁ Κλεομάχου δ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

διδάσκαλος

didaskalos

from 1321; an instructor (genitive case or specially):--doctor,

master, teacher.

see GREEK for 1321

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

διδάσκαλος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

a teacher

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

διδάσκαλος didaskalos 59x

a teacher, master, Rom. 2:20; in NT as an equivalent, to ῥαββί, Jn. 1:39

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

διδάσκαλος δι^δάσκα^λος, ὁ, ἡ, ndi^daska^l os_ou masc fem διδάσκω a teacher, master, Hhymn., Aesch., etc.: εἰς διδασκάλου (sc. οἶκον) φοιτᾶν to go to school, Plat.; διδασκάλων or ἐκ διδασκάλων ἀπαλλαγῆναι to leave school, id. Plat.; ἐν διδασκάλων at school, id. Plat.

a dramatic poet was called διδάσκαλος because he taught the actors, Ar.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-VSM — Noun · vocative · singular · masculine
vocative — the one being addressed.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-VSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Vocative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
85%teacher
teacher85% · 50×teachers12% · 7×other renderings3% · 2×

59 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
predicate22%adverbial22%subject15%object9%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 59 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
ὑπέρὡςas, like as, howλέγωI say, speak
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakπρόςἐπερωτάωI interrogate, q
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςΦαρισαῖοςa PhariseeἩρῳδιανοίthe Herodians, t
καίand, even, also, nam
προφήτηςa prophet, poetποιμήνa shepherdἀπόστολοςan apostle, a me
ὄχλοςa crowd
Article the
διδάσκαλοςTeacher,59×
what comes after →
λέγωI say, speak
Article theποῦIrgφημίI say
τίςIrg
ποιέωI do, makeἀγαθόςgood
οἶδαI know, remember
ὅτιthat, since, bec
ΜωϋσῆςMoses
γράφωI writeλέγωI say, speak
οὗτος
πᾶςall, the whole, λέγωI say, speakArticle the

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

Concordanceδιδάσκαλος · 59× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Mark John 1 Corinthians 2 Timothy 1 Timothy Acts Ephesians Hebrews James Romans
Across the New Testament12 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas The Didache Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Sacrifices of Abel and Cain 51c. AD 40

τὸν γὰρ κυβερνήτην καὶ ὑφηγητὴν τῶν καλῶν ὀρθὸν λόγον βδελύττεται πᾶς φιλοπαθής, καθάπερ οἱ τῶν παίδων ἀφρονέστατοι τοὺς διδασκάλους καὶ παιδαγωγοὺς καὶ πάντα νουθετητὴν καὶ σωφρονιστὴν λόγον.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.61c. AD 75–95

αὔξων δὲ τὸν οἶκον πλήθει χρημάτων ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ βίας πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ λῃστείαν τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας παρακαλῶν διδάσκαλος αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρχε πονηρῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, καὶ τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην, ᾗ πρότερον συνέζων οἱ ἄνθρωποι, μέτρων ἐπινοίᾳ καὶ σταθμῶν μετεστήσατο…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.8c. AD 100

ἐγὼ δὲ οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος, ἀλλ̓ ὧς εἰς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑποδείξω ὀλίγα, δἰ ὧν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν εὐφρανθήσεσθε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 1st c. AD 2nd c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Wisc. 1 4OxyrhynchosAD 53

εἶναι δραχμὰς ἑκατὸν καὶ εἰς τὸ δημόσιον τὰς ἴσας. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διδάσκαλος μὴ ἐκδιδάξῃ τὸν παῖδα ἀποτεισατω τὸ ἴσον ἐπίτιμον. κυρία ἡ διδασκαλική. ἔτους ιγ Τιβερίου

σπέρματα πάντα ἐκβήσονται ὅλως. καὶ μὴ λυποῦ περὶ τῶν τέκνων· καλῶς διάκεινται καὶ εἰς διδάσκαλον παρεδρεύουσι. καὶ περὶ τῶν σῶν ἐδαφῶν κεκούφικα τὸν ἀδελφόν σου δύο ἀρτάβας ἀπὸ τῶν

P.Oxy. 14 1647OxyrhynchosAD 176–AD 200

διδασκάλῳ μετὰ τὸν χρόνον, τῶν τῆς τέχνης χειρωναξίων καὶ ἐκδόσεων τελεσμάτων ὄντων πρὸς τὸν διδάσκαλον. ὁ δὲ

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
ποίαpoios which G4169 Interrogative pronoun · nominative · singular · feminine
33× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
What sort or which one is the meaning of this word, used in questions like those in Matthew 19:18 and Mark 11:28. It's about asking for specifics or details.
Tyndale gloss
what?
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ποῖος (poios) is an interrogative pronoun meaning 'of what sort' or 'what kind.' It is used in both direct and indirect questions throughout the New Testament, often to inquire about the nature or quality of something. The word can also imply a sense of surprise or scorn in classical texts. There is a noted shift in usage, where it retains its original meaning in Pauline writings but becomes more general in other contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ποῖος, -α, -ον,

interrog. pronom. adj.

(corresponding to the demonstr. τοῖος and the relat. οἷος),

[in LXX chiefly for אֵי־זֶה;]

of what quality or sort: absol., n. pl., Lk 24:19; c. subst.;

prop., in direct questions: Mt 19:18 21:23 22:36 24:42, Mk 11:28 12:28, Lk 6:32-34, Jo 10:32, Ac 4:7 7:49, Ro 3:27, I Co 15:35, Ja 4:14 (but v.s. ποία), I Pe 2:20;

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

ποῖος, -a, -ov, (interrog. pron., corresponding to the rel. οἷος and the demonstr. τοῖος), [fr. Hom. down], of what sort or nature (Lat. qualis): absol. neutr. plur. in a direct question, Lk. xxiv.19; with substantives, in direct ἡ questions: Mt. xix. 18; xxi. 23; xxii. 36; Mk. xi. 28; Lk. vi. 32-34; Jn. x. 32; Actsiv. 7; vii. 49; Ro. iii. 27; 1 Co. xv. 35; Jas. iv. 14; 1 Pet. ii. 20; in indirect discourse: Mt. xxi. 24, 27; xxiv. 43; Mk. xi. 29,33; Lk. xii. 39; Jn. xii. 33; xviii. 32; xxi.19; Acts xxiii. 34; Rev. iil. 3; εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρόν, 1 Pet. i. 11; ποίας (Rec. διὰ ποίας) sc. ὁδοῦ, Lk. v.19; cf. W. § 30, 11; [(also ὃ 64, 5); B. §§ 123, 8; 132, 26; cf. Tob. x. 7].

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

ποῖος. Hort ad 1 Pet 111 has pointed out that in Mt, Lk, Ac (23°*) and Rev ποῖος loses its classical force of “kind,” “but only with reference to locality (including way) and time.” Paul, on the other hand, keeps the proper sense “what manner,” (Rom 327 a/.), and so probably Jas 414 and 1 Pet 111, 220, For ποῖος in the weakened sense of ‘‘what”’ in indirect Interrogation, see P Par 607 (B.c. 154) (as read UPZ i. P. 321) ἀπόστιλόν μοι, πόσον ἔχει ΠΠετευσοράπιος καὶ

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ποῖος (poios) — what?.

ποῖος, α, ον,

Ionic dialect κοῖος, η, ον, of what kind? in [Refs 8th c.BC+] what manner of speech hast thou spoken! [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ποῖοί κ᾽ εἶτ᾽ Ὀδυσῆϊ ἀμυνέμεν what sort would ye be to.. ! [Refs 8th c.BC+]; in simple questions, ποίῃ.. νηΐ σε ναῦται ἤγαγο; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ποῖος οὐ interrogative, equivalent to every affirmative, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. frequently in Comedy texts and Prose dialogue, used in repeating a word used by the former speaker, to express scornful surprise, Πρωτέως τάδ᾽ ἐστὶ μέλαθρα. Answ. ποίου Πρωτέω; [Refs 5th c.BC+]

3. with the Article, when the question implies a Noun which is defined by the Article or the context, τὸ π. εὑρὼν.. φάρμακο; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; λέγεις δὲ τὴν π. κατάστασιν ὀλιγαρχία; Answ. τὴν…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ποῖος

poios

from the base of 4226 and 3634; individualizing interrogative (of

character) what sort of, or (of number) which one:--what (manner of),

which.

see GREEK for 4226

see GREEK for 3634

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ποῖος, α, ον

Irg.pr.

of what sort

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ποῖος poios 33x

of what kind, sort or species, Jn. 12:33; 21:19; what? which? Mt. 19:18; 21:23, 24, 27

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ποῖος ποῖος, η, ον of what nature? of what sort? Lat. qualis? used in questions:—in Hom. expressing surprise and anger, ποῖον τὸν μῦθον ἔειπες what manner of speech hast thou spoken! ποῖόν σε ἔπος φύγεν ἕρκος ὀδόντων! ποῖον ἔειπες! etc.

ποῖος οὐ; interrog., equiv. to ἕκαστος affirm., Hdt., Soph.

in attic, often with Art., τὸ ποῖον φάρμακον; Aesch.; τὰ ποῖα τρύχη; Ar.; τὸ ποῖον; Plat., etc.

ποῖός τις; makes the question less definite, κοῖόν μέ τινα νομίζουσιν εἶναι; Hdt.; ποῖ᾽ ἄττα; Plat.; τὰ τοῖ᾽ ἄττα; Xen.

ποίᾳ, ionic κοίῃ, as Adv., = πῶς; Lat. quomodo? Hdt., Ar.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Interrog-NSF — Interrogative pronoun · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

I-NSF Part of Speech: Interrogative pronoun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%what
what64% · 21×which9% · 3×what kind of6% · 2×what manner of3% · 1×at what3% · 1×which ?3% · 1×on what3% · 1×what way3% · 1×other renderings6% · 2×

33 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 10 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
adverbial67%predicate15%object9%subject9%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 33 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
ἐν
σύλέγωI say, speakεἶπονI say, speak
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἐπερωτάωI interrogate, q
σημαίνωI signify, indicate
λέγωI say, speak
οἰκοδεσπότηςa head of a househol
Article the
σύ
ἀγαπάωI loveἀγαθοποιέωI do that which
ποῖοςwhich33×
what comes after →
ἐξουσίαpower, authority, we
οὗτος
Article the
δέbut, on the otheζωήlife
σύ
χάριςgrace, favor, ki
θάνατοςdeath
μέλλωI am about toδοξάζωI glorify, honor
ὥραan hour, season
Article theἥκωI have come, am

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

Concordanceποῖος · 33× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Acts John Mark 1 Peter 1 Corinthians James Revelation Romans
Across the New Testament10 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 16 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 Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.90c. AD 40

ποίῳ Ἀδὰμ ἐντέλλεται καὶ τίς ἐστιν οὗτος, διαπορητέον·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 4.255c. AD 75–95

ἐρομένης δὲ τῆς γερουσίας, διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν ἀλλοτρίως ἔχοι πρὸς τὸν γάμον, ἄν τε μικρὰν ἄν τε μείζω λέγῃ, πρὸς ταῦτα ῥεπέτω·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 6.13c. AD 100

λέγει δὲ κύριος: Ἰδού, ποιῶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὡς τὰ πρῶτα.

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 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Mert. 2 65Narmuthis (Arsinoites)AD 118–AD 119

Ἄμβριος, οἱ τέσσαρες αθεμ … … αλλ … … τωπα … ρ … … ποιω ἔδησαν μοι του … α … θ … κης καὶ ἀφήρπασαν παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἱμάτιον

P.Amh. 2 78Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 184

ἐν νωθρίᾳ μου γενομένου ἐξεβιάσατο ὥστε ἀσφάλειαν γραπτὴν αὐτῷ με ποιήσασθαι, ἐπανγειλάμενος εἰ μὴ ποιῶ εἰς τὸ ζῆν μοι ἐπιχειρήσειν. τοιαύτης οὖν αὐθαδίας ἐν αὐτῷ οὔσης οὐ δυνάμενος ἐνκαρτερεῖν

P.Berl.Cohen 3Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 176–AD 225

τίς τινος τοῦ τινος μητρὸς ποιὰς ἱερεὺς ποιὰς φυλῆς εἰσκρίσεως ἱερέων διέγραψεν δραχμὰς κ Ἑρμοῦ η δραχμάς … … ῥυπαρὰς

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
ἐντολὴentolē commandment G1785 Noun · nominative · singular · feminine
67× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'commandment', referring to a divine instruction or order, as seen in Luke 15:29 and John 10:18. It is about following God's rules. Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others.
Amplified meaning
great rule, divine instruction
Tyndale gloss
commandment
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἐντολή (i.e., *entolē*) means a command, injunction, or order, often used in a religious context to refer to God's commandments. It is derived from the verb ἐντέλλω and appears frequently in the New Testament, particularly in relation to the Mosaic law and the teachings of Christ. Notably, it is used in verses like Matthew 5:19 and John 14:15.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐντολή, -ῆς, ἡ

(< ἐντέλλω, q.v.),

[in LXX chiefly for מִצְוָה; in pl. freq. in Pss for פִּקּוּדִים ;]

generally, a charge, injunction, order, command: Lk 15:29, Jo 10:18 11:57 12:49, 50 14:31, Ac 17:15, Col 4:10; ἐ. σαρκίνη, He 7:16, 18

Esp. of religious precepts and commandments;

of God's commandments: in OT, Mt 15:3 22:36, 38, 40 ; Mk 10:5, 19 12:28, 31 Eph 2:15, He 9:19; esp. of the decalogue,

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

ἐντολή, -ῆς, ἡ, (ἐντέλλω Or ἐντέλλομαι, 4. v-), fr. Pind. and Hdt. down; Sept. often for ΤῚΝ, in the Pss. the plur. ἐντολαΐ also for Dpa; an order, command, charge, precept ; 1. univ. a charge, injunction: Lk. xv. 29; ἐντολὴν λαμβάνειν παρά τινος, Jn. x. 18; πρός τινα, Acts XVii. 15; λαβεῖν ἐντολὰς περί τινος, Col. iv. 10; that which is prescribed to one by reason of his office, ἐντολὴν ἔχειν foll. by inf., Heb. vii. 5; ἐντολὴν διδόναι τινί, Jn. xiv. 31 LTr WH; with τί εἴπῃ added, of Christ, whom God commanded what to teach to men, Jn. xii. 49; ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ, of God, respecting the same thing, vs. 50. 2. a commandment, i. e. a prescribed rule in accordance with which a thing is done; a. univ. ἐντολὴ σαρκική [-ἰνη ἃ LT Tr WH], a precept relating to lineage, Heb. vii. 16; of the Mosaic precept concerning the priesthood, Heb. vii. 18; of a magistrate’s order or edict: ἐντολὴν διδόναι…

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

ἐντολή is used of a royal ‘‘ ordinance” of Euergetes IT. in P Tebt I. 610 (B.C. 140) broreTaxa]pev δὲ Kal τῆς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως[καὶ τῶν βασιλισσῶν παραδεδοἸμένης περὶ τῶν ἀνηκόντων [τοῖς ἱεροῖς κομίζεσθαι ἐϊντολῆς τὸ ἀντίγραφον, and in Par 6518 (B.c. 146), the writer, after informing Ptolemy Philometor that he had executed certain instructions regarding Egyptian contracts, adds— μὲν ἐντολὴ ἐγδέδοται ἡμῖν els τὴν A τοῦ ᾿Αθύρ: cf. P Lille I. 385 (c. B.c. 240) ἐν(τολὴ) τοῖς ἐλαιοκαπήλοις, ‘‘ circulaire aux revendeurs ᾿᾿ (Ed.). From Roman times we may cite the reference to Imperial ordinances —tats θειαῖς ἐντολαῖς in an inscr. from Bulgaria, Sy// 418°4 (a.D. 238) : cf. τ Cor 719 αἱ. Other more general exx. are P Ryl II. 812 (the letter of an official—c. A.D. 104) μεμνῆσ[θαί μΊου τῆς yevopevy[s] αὐτῷ ἐντολῆς, BGU 11. 6008 (ii/ili A.D.) ἐνμένω πᾶσι ταῖς προγεγραμέν[α7ις [ἐν]τολαῖς [κ]αθὼς…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐντολή (entolē) — commandment.

ἐντολ-ή, ἡ,

injunction, order, command, frequently in plural, orders, commands, [NT+5th c.BC+]; ἐντολὰς δοῦναι Decrees cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; royal ordinance, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; θεῖαι ἐ., of Imperial ordinances, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]; ἀπ᾽ ἐντολῆς by proxy, [Refs 2nd c.AD+] —Rare in Trag. and _Attic dialect_ Prose.

Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐντολή

entole

from 1781; injunction, i.e. an authoritative

prescription:--commandment, precept.

see GREEK for 1781

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐντολή, ῆς, ἡ

n.f.

an ordinance, injunction, command

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐντολή entolē 67x

an injunction; a precept, commandment, law, Mt. 5:19; 15:3, 6; an order, direction, Acts 17:15; an edict, Jn. 11:57; a direction, Mk. 10:5; a commission, Jn. 10:18, a charge of matters to be proclaimed or received, Jn. 12:49, 50; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Pet. 2:21

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐντολή ἐντολή, ἡ, ἐντέλλω an injunction, order, command, behest, Hdt., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-NSF — Noun · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-NSF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
58%commandment
commandment58% · 40×commandments35% · 24×command3% · 2×other renderings4% · 3×

69 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
object55%subject24%adverbial16%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 67 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
τηρέωI keep, guard, oκαίand, even, also,οὗτος
εἰμίI am, exist
ποῖοςIrgκύριοςlord, Lord, mastὅστις
λαμβάνωI receive, take
καίand, even, also,ὅςἱερατείαthe duty of a pr
ποῖοςIrg
διδάσκαλοςa teacher
πρῶτοςfirst, before
καίand, even, also,
ἐντολήcommandment67×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐμόςἁμαρτίαa sin
αὐτός
τηρέωI keep, guard, oζωήlifeμήNeg
καινόςfresh, new
γράφωI writeδίδωμιI offer, give
ἐγώ
καίand, even, also,τηρέωI keep, guard, o
οὗτος
Article the

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

Concordanceἐντολή · 67× in the New Testament
1 John John Romans Matthew Mark 2 John Hebrews Luke 1 Corinthians 2 Peter Ephesians Revelation
Across the New Testament16 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 101 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 The Shepherd of Hermas Philo of Alexandria The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 1.93c. AD 40

πρόσταξις, ἀπαγόρευσις, ἐντολὴ καὶ παραίνεσις·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.43c. AD 75–95

καὶ παρακρούεται μὲν οὕτω τὴν γυναῖκα τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ θεοῦ καταφρονῆσαι·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.11c. AD 100

ἐφ̓ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν ἡμῖν, μελετῶμεν τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσειν ἀγωνιζώμεθα τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασιν αὐτοῦ εὐφρανθῶμεν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 4th c. AD 2nd c. BC 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD
P.Grenf. 2 37Pathyris109 BC

τὰ βασιλικὰ πραγματευομένοις χαίρειν. πρὸς τῆι οἰκονομίαι τῆς κώμης καθέσταται Πατσεοῦς Πατῆτος ὁ τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐπιδεικνὺς χειρογραφήσας ὡς εἴθισται καὶ διαστολὴν λαβὼν προ

P.Flor. 2 190Theadelphia (Arsinoites)AD 252

ὀνηλάτου κτηνῶν πέντε ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ θ σὺν διχώροις ιϛ ἁπλᾶ μονόχωρα λβ ἐξ ἐντολῆς τοῦ ἀξιολογωτάτου εὐσχήμονος ὧν μοι πέμψον γράμματα. ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι τιμιώτατε ἔτους γ Θὼθ

P.Flor. 2 240Theadelphia (Arsinoites)AD 252

χαίρειν. ὡς ἠθέλησεν ὁ ἀξιολογώτατος εὐσχήμων ἐν Ταλει ὧν τῇ τρυγῇ μετεπέμψατό με καὶ ἐντολὰς ἔσχον πέμψαι σοι οἴνου μονόχωρα ρκ ἀφʼ ὧν ἔπεμψά σοι ἐπὶ λόγου διὰ μὲν

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
μεγάληmegas [is the] greatest G3173 Adjective · nominative · singular · feminine
243× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for great, describing something big or intense, like a large stone in Matthew 2:60 or a strong wind in John 6:18. It's used to show importance or magnitude. In the Bible, it's often used to describe God's power and love.
Amplified meaning
most important, supreme
Tyndale gloss
great
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

μέγας is an adjective meaning 'great' or 'large,' used to describe size, intensity, or importance. It can refer to physical dimensions, such as a stone or city, or to abstract qualities like love or fear. In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, including Matthew 2:10 and Revelation 11:8. The word has comparative and superlative forms: μείζων (greater) and μέγιστος (greatest).

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα,

[in LXX chiefly for גָּדוֹל, also for רַב, מַרְבֶּה (incl. μείζων), רֹב (μέγιστος);]

great;

of external form, bodily size, measure, extent: λίθος, Mt 2:60; δράκων, Re 12:3; ἰχθῦς, Jo 21:11; πόλις, Re 11:8; μάχαιρα, Re 6:4, al.

Of intensity and degree: δύναμις, Ac 4:33; φόβος, Mk 4:41; ἀγάπη, Jo 15:13; ἄνεμος, Jo 6:18; κραυγή, Ac 23:9; φῶς, Mt 4:16; πυρετός,

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

μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα, [(τοϊαϊοα to Lat. magnus, ADEE Goth. maist (cf. τὸ πλεῖστον), etc.; Vaniéek p. 682; Cur tius ὃ 462)], ace. μέγαν. μεγάλην, μέγα; plur. pokes ται, -a; comp. μείζων, -ον, (acc. πιᾶξο. and fem. μείζονα, once contr. μείζω, Jn. v. 36 [RG T WH, but L Tr μείζων (cf. Tdf. Proleg. p. 119)]; neut. plur. μείζονα, once contr. μείζω, Jn. i. 50 (51)) and pectorepos, 3 Jn. 4 (fr. the compar. μείζων), a poet. compar., on which see the remark quoted under ἐλαχιστότερος, cf. Matthiae § 136; superl. μέγιστος (found only in 2 Pet. i. 4); [fr. Hom. down]; Sept. for ὮΥΤΔ; also for 31; great; 1. predicated a. of the external form or sensible appearance of things (or of persons); in particular, of space and its dimensions, — as respects a. mass and weight: λίθος, Mt. xxvii. 60; Mk. xvi. 4; Rev. xviii. 21; ὄρος, Rey. viii. 8; ἀστήρ, ibid. 10; δράκων Rev. xii. 3,9; ἀετός, ibid. 14; δένδρον…

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

μέγας (B.C. 112) (= Selections, p. 30) μεγαλοίυϊπρεπέστερον ἐγδεχθήτωι, ‘let him be received with special magnificence ” (Edd.), PSI V. 4818 (v/vi a.p.) Tavptvyos ὃ μεγαλοπρεπέστί(ατος), and P Amh II. 154° (vi/vii A.D.) τοῦ peyadoπρε(πεστάτου) χαρτουλαρίου, ‘the most magnificent secretary.” For the subst. as a title of address cf. P Oxy VIII. 1163* (v/a.D.) ἐρωτηθὶς παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μεγαλοπρεπίας ὅσα ἐχρῆν ἀνεδίδαξα αὐ τ]ὸν περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεγαλο| πρεπίας, ‘Son the inquiry of his magnificence I told him what was fitting about your magnificence,” 76. I. 155° (vi/A.D.) ἐπειδὴ αἱ προσκυνοῦσαι τὴν ὑμετέραν μεγαλοπρί(έπειαν) καὶ τὰ παιδία ἀρρωστοῦσιν, ὡς ἔθος ἔχει τὸ ὑμῶν μέγεθος χαρίζεσθαί μου τοῦ λογαρίου, ‘since your magnificence’s obedient servants and their children are ill, I hope your highness will excuse my account” (Edd.). | , μεγαλύνω. With the use of this verb in the pass. in Phil…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μέγας (megas) — great.

μέγᾰς, μεγάλη [ᾰ], μέγα [ᾰ],

genitive μεγάλου, ης, ου, dative μεγάλῳ, ῃ, ῳ, accusative μέγᾰν, μεγάλην, μέγα [ᾰ]; dual μεγάλω, α, w; plural μεγάλοι, μεγάλαι, μεγάλα, etc.: the stem μεγάλο- is never used in singular nominative and accusative masculine and neuter, and only once in vocative masculine,

__A ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ [Refs 4th c.BC+]

__A.I big, of bodily size: frequently of stature, εἶδος.. μ. ἦν ὁράασθαι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; φῶτα μέγαν καὶ καλόν[Refs 5th c.BC+]; φύσιν τίν᾽ εἶχε φράζ; Answ. μέγας [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__A.I.b full-grown, of age as shown by stature, νῦν δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ μ. εἰμί [Refs 8th c.BC+]; later, elder of two persons of the same name, Wilcken [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; Σκιπίων ὁ…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

μέγας

megas

(including the prolonged forms, feminine megale, plural

megaloi, etc.; compare also 3176, 3187); big (literally or

figuratively, in a very wide application):--(+ fear) exceedingly,

great(-est), high, large, loud, mighty, + (be) sore (afraid), strong,

X to years.

see GREEK for 3176

see GREEK for 3187

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα

Adj. & Comp.adv.

large, great

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

μέγας megas 243x

great, large in size, Mt. 27:60; Mk. 4:32; great, much, numerous, Mk. 5:11; Heb. 11:26; great, grown up, adult, Heb. 11:24; great, vehement, intense, Mt. 2:10; 28:8; great, sumptuous, Lk. 5:29; great, important, weighty, of high importance, 1 Cor. 9:11; 13:13; great, splendid, magnificent, Rev. 15:3; extraordinary, wonderful, 2 Cor.…

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Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

μέγας Radic. sense, opp. to μικρός, σμικρός, big, great, of men's stature, tall, Hom.; of women, καλή τε μεγάλη τε Od.:—also, great, full-grown, of age as shewn by stature, id. Od., Aesch.

vast, high, οὐρανός, ὄρος, πύργος Hom.

vast, spacious, wide, πέλαγός, αἰγιαλός, etc., id. Hom.

of Degree, great, strong, mighty, of gods, id. Hom., etc.; μεγάλα θεά, of Demeter and Proserpine, Soph.; μέγας ηὐξήθη rose to greatness, Dem.; βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας, i. e. the King of Persia, le grand monarque, Hdt.; βασιλεὺς μέγας Aesch.; ὁ μ. ἐπικληθεὶς Ἀντίοχος the Great, Polyb.

great, strong, violent, etc., ἄνεμος, λαῖλαψ Hom.; of properties, passions, etc., id. Hom., etc.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj-NSF — Adjective · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-NSF Part of Speech: Adjective Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
56%great
great56% · 137×greater15% · 36×loud14% · 34×greatest3% · 7×other renderings9% · 21×other renderings4% · 11×

246 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 27 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
subject27%adverbial26%predicate24%object22%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 243 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
πόλιςa cityκαίand, even, also,ΒαβυλώνBabylon
φωνήa sound, noise, voic
κράζωI cry aloud, shrἐνφωνέωI crow, shout, s
καίand, even, also, nam
ποιέωI do, makeἀποθήκηa repository, grτέDisj
γάρfor
τίςIrgεἰμίI am, exist
φόβοςfear, terror, revere
φοβέωI fear, am terriγίνομαιI come into beinὅτιthat, since, bec
μέγας[is the] greatest243×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theλέγωI say, speakθαυμαστόςwonderful, marve
Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, mastἌρτεμιςthe Persian or EκάθημαιI sit, am seated
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theὧδεhereἐν
ἐν
Article theγεννητόςbegotten, bornσύ
ἐπί
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, ὅλοςall, the whole,

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

Concordanceμέγας · 243× in the New Testament
Revelation Luke Acts Matthew John Mark Hebrews 1 Corinthians 1 John James 1 Timothy 2 Peter

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament19 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 340 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 Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
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 1.7c. AD 75–95

ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ μείζων ἦν ἡ τοῦδε τοῦ λόγου περιβολή, κατʼ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον χωρίσας ταῖς ἰδίαις ἀρχαῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ τέλει τὴν γραφὴν συνεμέτρησα·

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 2nd c. BC 6th c. AD 3rd c. AD 7th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 85Pathyris114 BC

καὶ θεοῦ Φιλοπάτορος Νέου καὶ θεοῦ Εὐεργέτου καὶ θεῶν Φιλομητόρων Σωτήρων, ἱεροῦ πώλου Ἴσιδος μεγάλης μητρὸς θεῶν, ἀθλοφόρου Βερενίκης Εὐεργέτιδος, κανηφόρου Ἀρσινόης Φιλαδέλφου, ἱερείας Ἀρσινόης Φιλοπάτορος τῶν ὄντων ἐν

μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τῶν λοιπῶν κρατουσῶν, Ἀρίστων Ἀθηνοδότου τῶν ἀπὸ Διὸς πόλεως τῆς μεγάλης βιαιότερον ἐμβατεύσας εἰς τὸ δηλούμενον ἔδαφος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος καὶ εἰς τὰ συνκύροντα τούτωι ἐν

P.Grenf. 2 33Pathyris101 BC

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 συμπλήρωσιν

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
ἐνen in G1722 Preposition
2,743× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a preposition that means in, on, or among something. It's used in many places, like Matthew 7:3 and Luke 7:37, to describe a location or relationship. It can also mean by, with, or during.
Tyndale gloss
in/on/among
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The most frequent preposition in the New Testament, 2,752 occurrences. In, on, at, among, within — its force comes almost entirely from the word it is attached to. What it does here is put the events inside a community rather than at a distance: they were fulfilled among us.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐν,

prep, (the most freq. of all in NT), c. dat. (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, c. abl.).

Of place, c. dat. rei, pers., in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Lk 7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mt 7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mt 12:40; τ. ὄρει, II Pe 1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Re 3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Ro 8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν , Lk 1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Ga 3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mt 12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103)…

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

ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, ἐν κυρίῳ, (οἴ. Fritzsche, Com. on Rom. vol. ii. p. 82 544.; W. 389 (364); Weiss, Bibl. Theol. des N. T. §§ 84 b., 149 c.), ingrafied as it were in Christ, in fellowship and union with Christ, with the Lord: Ro. iii. 24; vi. 11, 23; viii. 39; 1Co.i.4; 2 Co. iii. 14; Gal. ii. 4; iii. 14, 26, 28; v. 6; Eph.i. 3 [Rec. om. ἐν]; ii. 6 sq. 10,13; 1 Tim.i.14; 2 Tim.i. 1,13; ii-1; 1 Pet. iii. 16; v.10; στήκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, Phil. iv. 1; iva εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ, that I may be found (by God and Christ) most intimately united to him, Phil. iii. 9; εἶναι ἐν Χριστῷ "Inc. 1 Co. i. 30; οἱ ἐν Xp. "Ina. Ro. viii. 1; 1 Pet. v. 14; κοιμᾶσθαι ἐν Χριστῷ, θνήσκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, to fall asleep, to die, mindful of relationship to Christ and confiding in it [W. u.s.], 1 Co. xv. 18; Rey. xiv. 13. Since such union with Christ is the basis on which actions and virtues rest, the expression is…

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

ἐν 210 contract—time of Augustus) ἱμάτια γυναικεῖα ἐν apyv(plov) δραχμαῖς ἑκατόν, P Oxy IV. 7247 (A.D. 155) ἐξ ὧν ἔσχες τὴν πρώτην δόσιν ἐν δραχμαῖς τεσσαράκοντα, 70. I. 565 (A.D. 211) δανειζομένη. .. ἀργύριον ἔντοκον ἐν δραχμαῖς ἑξακισχειλίαις, and P Grenf II. 778 (iii/iv a.p.) (=Selections, Pp. 120) το]ὺς μισθοὺς. . ὄντας ἐν δραχμαῖς τριακοσίαις τεσσαράκοντα. Similar are P Oxy IV. 7084 (a.p. 188) yopou . . ἐν (1vpod)(apraBats) ’B, BGU 1. 724 (a.p. 191) ἐξέκοψαν πλεῖστον τόπον ἐν ἀρούραις πέντε: with which may be compared Eph 2!° τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν, “consisting in.” In P Lond 9215 (ii/iii a.p.) (ΞΞ 111. P- 134) γεγονέναι ἐν ἀμπέλῳ = ‘to be planted with vines.” A predicative use of ἐν is seen in P Hib I. 421° (B.c. 262) δώσομεν Λευκίωι ἐν ὀφειλήματι, ‘asa debt,” P Petr I. 1215 (cf. II. p. 22) ὅσα δὲ ᾿Αξιοθέα προσενήνεγκται ἐμ φερνῆι, “ἐᾷς dowry,” and P Tebt I. 120 135…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐν (en) — in/on/among.

ἐν,

poetry ἐνί, εἰν, εἰνί [Refs 8th c.BC+], forms used by Epic dialect and Lyric Poets as the metre requires, but only as falsa lectio in Trag., εἰν [Refs 5th c.BC+] ἰν [Refs]

__PREP. WITH DAT. AND ACC. Radical sense, in, into.

__A WITH DAT.

__A.I OF PLACE,

__A.I.1 in, νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; with names of cities or islands, as ἐν Ἀθήνῃς, ἐν Τροίῃ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; where ἐν is used, it = in the district of.., ὲν Ἐλευσῖνι [Refs] in my arms, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐν αὑτῷ εἶναι to be in one's senses, be oneself, ἔτ᾽ ἐν σαυτῷ (variant -τοῦ) γενοῦ [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__A.I.1.b ἐν τοῖς ἰχθύσιν in the fish-market, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so ἐν τοῖν δυοῖν ὀβολοῖν ἐθεώρουν ἄν in the two-obol seats, [Refs 4th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐν

en

a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or

state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or

constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519

and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, +

almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+

all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to,

-wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly,

one, X quickly,

X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on),

through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while,

with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same

import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate

direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different)

preposition.

see GREEK for 1519

see GREEK for 1537

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐν

Prep.

in, on, among

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐν en 2x

followed by the dat., in, Mt. 8:6; Mk. 12:26; Rev. 6:6,; upon, Lk. 8:32; among, Mt. 11:11; before, in the presence of, Mk. 8:38; in the sight, estimation of, 1 Cor. 14:11; before, judicially, 1 Cor. 6:2; in, of state, occupation, habit, Mt. 21:22; Lk. 7:25; Rom. 4:10; in the case of, Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐν

e)nprepe)ni/prep ei)nprep ei)ni/prep in, among. c. dat.

Lat. in.

PREP. WITH DAT.:

OF PLACE

in, ἐν νήσῳ, ἐν Τροίῃ, etc., Hom., etc.:—elliptic, ἐν Ἀλκινόοιο (sc. οἴκῳ) Od.; εἰν Ἀΐδαο Il.; ἐν παιδοτρίβου at the school of the training master, Ar.

in, upon, ἐν οὔρεσι Hom., etc.

in the number of, amongst, ἐν Δαναοῖς, etc., Hom.; and with Verbs of ruling, ἄρχειν, ἀνάσσειν ἐν πολλοῖς to be first or lord among many, i. e. over them, id. Hom.; cf. ὁ, τό B. III. 3.

in one's hands, within one's reach or power, Lat. penes, Hom., etc.; ἐν σοὶ γάρ ἐσμεν Soph.; ἐν τῷ θεῷ τὸ τέλος ἦν Dem.

in respect of, ἐν γήρᾳ in point of age, Soph.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

A principal thing to notice about this preposition, which in the King James Version represents about 16 Hebrew and as many Greek words and prepositions, is that, in hundreds of cases (especially in the Old Testament, but frequently also in the New Testament) in the Revised Version (British and American) the rendering is changed to more exact forms ("to," "unto," "by," "upon," "at," "with," "among," "for," "throughout," etc.; compare e.g. Ge 6:16; 13:8; 17:7,9,12; 18:1; Ex 8:17; Le 1:9, etc.); while, nearly as often, "in" is substituted for divergent forms of the King James Version (e.g. Ge 2:14; 17:11; 31:54; 40:7; 49:17; Ex…

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
τῷho the G3588 Article · dative · singular · masculine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Matthew as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

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

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

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

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-DSM — Article · 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

T-DSM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. the independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights, and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. the sun is the source of light and heat.

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

2. the is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. the fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.

3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 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
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 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
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

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

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

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

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

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

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

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 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

Teacher, which commandment [is the] greatest in the law?
νόμῳ;nomos law? G3551 Noun · dative · singular · masculine
194× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in Matthew than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for law, referring to a set of rules or regulations, such as Moses' law or the law of Christ in Galatians 6:2.
Amplified meaning
Mosaic law, God's regulations
Tyndale gloss
law
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

νόμος refers to a law or custom, derived from the idea of distribution. It encompasses various meanings, including general law, the Mosaic law, and Christian teachings. In the New Testament, it appears in contexts such as the law of Moses and principles of Christian conduct. Notably, it is used in verses like Romans 3:27 and Galatians 6:2.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

νόμος, -ου, ὁ

(< νέμω, to deal out, distribute),

[in LXX chiefly for תּוֹרָה, also for חֻקָּה, etc.;]

that which is assigned, hence, usage, custom, then law; in NT (only in Mt, Jo, Ja, and the Lucan and Pauline bks.);

of law in general: Ro 3:27 5:13b; pl., of divine laws, He 8:10 10:16; ὁ ν. τ. Χριστοῦ, Ga 6:2; (τ.) ἐλευθερίας, Ja 1:25 2:12; βασιλικιός (Hort., in l.; Deiss., LAE, 3673), Ja 2:8.

Of a force or influence impelling to action: Ro 7:21, 23a, 25 8:2.

Of the Mosaic law: Mt 5:18, Lk 2:27, Jo 1:17,

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

νόμος, -ov, 6, (νέμω to divide, distribute, apportion), in prof. auth. fr. Hes. down, anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, usage, law; in Sept. very often for ΓΙ ΓΙ, also for 7p, ΠῚ, ete. In the N. T. a command, law; and 1. of any law whatsoever: διὰ ποίου νόμου; Ro. iii. 27; νόμος δικαιοσύνης, a law or rule producing a state approved of God, i. e. by the observance of which we are approved of God, Ro. ix. 31, ef. Meyer [see ed. Weiss], Fritzsche, Philippi ad loe.; α precept or injunction: κατὰ νόμον ἐντολῆς σαρκ. Heb. vii. 16; plur. of the things prescribed by the divine will, Heb. viii. 10; x. 16; νόμος τοῦ νοός, the rule of action prescribed by reason, Ro. vii. 23; the mention of the divine law causes those things even which in opposition to this law impel to action, and therefore seem to have the force of a law, to be designated by the term νόμος, as ἕτερος…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

νόμος (nomos) — law.

νόμος, ὁ,

(νέμω) that which is in habitual practice, use or possession, not in [Refs 8th c.BC+]

I. usage, custom, [Μοῦσαι] μέλπονται πάντων τε νόμους καὶ ἤθεα κεδνά [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔνθα ν. (i.e. ἐστί) with infinitive, where it is the custom.., [Refs 7th c.BC+]; ν. πάντων βασιλεύς custom is lord of all, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence, law, ordinance, τόνδε.. ν. διέταξε Κρονίων.. θηρσὶ.. ἐσθέμεν ἀλλήλους [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ν. κοινός, ={ὀρθὸς λόγος}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I. b in VT, of the law of God, ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ [LXX]; νόμον ὃν ἐνετείλατο ὑμῖν Μωϋσῆς[LXX]; so in NT, ὁ ν. Μωϋσέως [NT]; ὁ ν. τοῦ Πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς, opposed to ὁ ν. τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

νόμος

nomos

from a primary nemo (to parcel out, especially food or grazing to

animals); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), genitive case

(regulation), specially, (of Moses (including the volume); also of the

Gospel), or figuratively (a principle):--law.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

νόμος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

a law, the Mosaic Law

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

νόμος nomos 194x

a law, Rom. 4:15; 1 Tim. 1:9; the Mosaic law, Mt. 5:17, et al. freq.; the Old Testament Scripture, Jn. 10:34; a legal tie, Rom. 7:2, 3; a law, a rule, standard, Rom. 3:27; a rule of life and conduct, Gal. 6:2, Jas. 1:25

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

νόμος anything assigned, a usage, custom, law, ordinance, Lat. institutum, Hes.; νόμος πάντων βασιλεύς custom is lord of all, Pind. ap. Hdt.; κατὰ νόμον according to custom or law, Hes., Hdt., attic; poet. κὰν νόμον Pind.:— παρὰ νόμον contrary to law, Aesch.:—dat. νόμῳ by custom, conventionally, opp. to φύσει, Hdt., Arist.:—at Athens νόμοι were Solon.'s laws, those of Draco being called θεσμοί.

ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ by the law of force, in the fight or scuffle, Hdt.; ἐν χειρὸς νόμῳ in actual warfare, Arist.; also, ἐς χειρῶν νόμον ἀπικέσθαι to come to blows, Hdt.

a musical mode or strain, Aesch., Plat., etc.; νόμοι κιθαρῳδικοί Ar.

a song sung in honour of some god, Hdt.; νόμοι πολεμικοί war- tunes, Thuc.

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
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Law

A rule of action. (1.) The Law of Nature is the will of God as to human conduct, founded on the moral difference of things, and discoverable by natural light (Rom. 1:20; 2:14, 15). This law binds all men at all times. It is generally designated by the term conscience, or the capacity of being influenced by the moral relations of things.

(2.) The Ceremonial Law prescribes under the Old Testament the rites and ceremonies of worship. This law was obligatory only till Christ, of whom these rites were typical, had finished his work (Heb. 7:9, 11; 10:1; Eph. 2:16). It was fulfilled rather than abrogated by the gospel.

(3.) The Judicial Law, the law which directed the civil policy of the Hebrew nation.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The word is properly used, in Scripture as elsewhere, to express a definite commandment laid down by any recognized authority; but when the word is used with the article, and without any words of limitation, it refers to the expressed will to God, and in nine cases out of ten to the Mosaic law, or to the Pentateuch of which it forms the chief portion. The Hebrew word torah (law) lays more stress on its moral authority, as teaching the truth and guiding in the right way; the Greek nomos (law), on its constraining power as imposed and enforced by a recognized authority. The sense of the word, however, extends its scope and assumes a more abstracts character in the writings of St. Paul. Nomos , when used by him with the article, still refers in general to the law of Moses; but when used without the article, so as to embrace any manifestation of "law," it includes all powers which act on…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In the Bible, signifies sometimes the whole word of God, Ps 19:7-11 119:1-176 Isa 8:20; sometimes the Old Testament, Joh 10:34 15:25, and sometimes the five books of Moses, which formed the first of the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures, Lu 24:44 Ac 13:15. The Pentateuch was probably "the law," a copy of which every king was to transcribe for himself and study, and which was to be made known to young and old, in public and in private, De 6:7 17:18,19 31:9-19,26. In other places the Mosaic institutions as a whole are intend by "the law," in distinction from the…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ General scriptures concerning Ps 19:7-9; 119:1-8; Pr 28:4,5; Mt 22:21; Lu 16:17; 20:22-25; Ro 2:14,15; 7:7,12,14; 13:10; 1Ti 1:5,8-10; Jas 1:25; 1Jo 3:4; 5:3

→ See LITIGATION

→ See COMMANDMENTS

→ See DUTY TO GOD

→ OF MOSES

→ (Contained in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

Given at Sinai Ex 19; De 1:1; 4:10-13; 33:2; Hab 3:3

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
93%law
law93% · 184×the law2% · 4×other renderings3% · 6×other renderings2% · 3×

197 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 7 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
adverbial43%object22%subject22%predicate10%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 194 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
ἐνκατάἀπό
ὑπό
Article theεἰμίI am, existὡςas, like as, how
ἔργονwork, labor, action,
ἐκχωρίςapart from, with
γάρfor
Article theδιάἄχριas far as, up to
ἐν
γράφωI writeδύναμαιI am powerful, aὅσος
νόμοςlaw?194×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἁμαρτίαa sinπνεῦμαwind, breath, sp
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὐδείςno one, none, noπαρανομέωI act contrary t
ΜωϋσῆςMoses
καίand, even, also,ἐγώἀνάγωI lead up, put t
οὐNeg
δικαιόωI make righteousφθάνωI anticipate, prεἰμίI am, exist
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theκαλόςbeautiful, good,ἐκ

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

Concordanceνόμος · 194× in the New Testament
Romans Galatians Acts John Hebrews James 1 Corinthians Luke Matthew Philippians 1 Timothy Ephesians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament12 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 138 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 The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 3c. AD 40

ἡ δ’ ἀρχή, καθάπερ ἔφην, ἐστὶ θαυμασιωτάτη κοσμοποιίαν περιέχουσα, ὡς καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῦ νόμου τῷ κόσμῳ συνᾴδοντος καὶ τοῦ νομίμου ἀνδρὸς εὐθὺς ὄντος κοσμοπολίτου πρὸς τὸ βούλημα τῆς φύσεως τὰς πράξεις ἀπευθύνοντος, καθ’ ἣν καὶ ὁ σύμπας…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.10c. AD 75–95

Εὗρον τοίνυν, ὅτι Πτολεμαίων μὲν ὁ δεύτερος μάλιστα δὴ βασιλεὺς περὶ παιδείαν καὶ βιβλίων συναγωγὴν σπουδάσας ἐξαιρέτως ἐφιλοτιμήθη τὸν ἡμέτερον νόμον καὶ τὴν κατʼ αὐτὸν διάταξιν τῆς πολιτείας εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν μεταβαλεῖν,

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.6c. AD 100

ταῦτα οὖν κατήργησεν, ἵνα ὁ καινὸς νόμος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἄνευ ζυγοῦ ἀνάγκης ὤν, μὴ ἀνθρωποποίητον ἔχῃ τὴν προσφοράν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 6th c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD
P. Grenf. 1 21Pathyris127 BC

τῶι ἐξ ἐμοῦ ἐξ Σαραπιάδος τῆς Ἐσθλάδου τοῦ Θεωνος ἀστῆς ἧι συνήμην γυναικὶ κατὰ νόμους καὶ κατὰ διαθήκην τὴν κεχρηματισμένην διὰ τοῦ ἐν Διὸς πόλει τῆι μικρᾶι ἀρχείου ἐπὶ

ἔπιπλα καὶ κτήνη καὶ ὅσα ἂν προσεπικτήσωμαι Ταθώτηι Ἁρυώτου Περσίνῃ ᾗ σύνειμι γυναικὶ κατὰ νόμους, πλὴν στρώματος ἑνὸς καὶ κλείνης τορυνευτῆς α Πατ … ει καὶ Πετεσοράθηι τῶν Παχνούβιος

τῶν οἰκετικῶν σωμάτων, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κόχλακος τῆς Ἀραβίας τοῦ δηλουμένου Παθυρίτου νομοῦ μέρους ἡμίσους ἀπὸ ἐδάφους ἀμπελῶνος ἀρουρῶν β ἡμίσους ἢ ὅσαν ἂν ἦι ἐπὶ τὸ

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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