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Matthew 4:16 — Word Study

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N1904 λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

BSATheho nationlaos [living in spiritual ignorance] the [one]ho sittingkathēmai inen darknessskotos lightphōs [the presence of God, spiritual illumination] have seen great,megas [intense, extraordinary] andkai to thoseho sittingkathēmai in [the]en landchōra [region, country] andkai in a shadowskia [darkness, gloom] of deaththanatos [separation from God, eternal darkness] a lightphōs [hope, salvation] has dawnedanatellō [arisen, become visible] on them.autos

Word
Listen & take awayMatthew 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 16 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 (autos) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Matthew 4:16quick helps
In a sentenceMatthew quotes Isaiah to show that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of bringing light to those in darkness.
Who is speakingMatthew, recounting the ministry of Jesus.
Where we areIn the early part of Jesus' ministry, as He begins to preach in Galilee.
The hard wordἀνέτειλεν
Take awayJesus is the light that dispels darkness and brings hope.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subject verbκάθημαι 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 4:16

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 Beginning of Jesus' Ministrygenerated

15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

Matthew 4:16 describes how Jesus' arrival fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah, highlighting the transformative impact of His ministry on those who were spiritually lost. The people who had been living in darkness now experienced the light of Christ, symbolizing hope and salvation. This passage emphasizes the significance of Jesus' role in bringing spiritual illumination to the world, especially to those who had been in despair.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 107:10–14Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,
2Isaiah 42:6–7“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
3Isaiah 60:1–3Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
4Micah 7:8Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
5Luke 1:78–79because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 12 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word ἀνέτειλεν, anatellōgenerated

The verb ἀνέτειλεν is an aorist active indicative form of anatellō, meaning 'to rise' or 'to dawn'. It is used here to describe the action of light emerging, signifying a new beginning or revelation.

This word conveys the idea of light breaking forth, which is significant in the context of spiritual awakening and enlightenment. The aorist tense indicates a completed action, emphasizing that the light has definitively come into the world.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In this study, we reference the Berean Standard Bible, which uses has dawned for ἀνέτειλεν. This is echoed in the WEB and MSB translations.

However, the KJV and ASV choose is sprung up, while the NWB and ULB opt for arisen. These variations reflect different nuances in the understanding of how the light has come into the world.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains two main clauses connected by a semicolon. The first clause describes the people in darkness seeing a great light, while the second clause specifies the location of those experiencing this light.

The finite verb in the first clause is εἶδεν, have seen, which governs the subject λαὸς, the people. The second clause features the verb ἀνέτειλεν, has dawned, indicating the action of the light coming forth.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The phrase σκότει is a direct reference to the Septuagint, where it translates the Hebrew word for darkness. This connection emphasizes the continuity between the Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus.

Similarly, φῶς in the context of light is also found in the Septuagint, reinforcing the idea that Jesus embodies the light foretold in the Scriptures.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Matthew 4:16 tells us that the people who were living in darkness have now seen a great light. This light represents hope and salvation, shining on those who were in the shadow of death. Jesus' arrival marks a significant moment of spiritual awakening and illumination.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the people were living in darkness?

It signifies a state of spiritual ignorance or separation from God, where they lacked understanding and guidance.

How does Jesus fulfill the prophecy mentioned?

Jesus is portrayed as the light that fulfills the prophecy, bringing hope and clarity to those who were lost and in despair.

What is the significance of light in this context?

Light symbolizes truth, guidance, and the presence of God, contrasting with the darkness of sin and ignorance.

Why is the phrase 'the shadow of death' used?

It highlights the severity of the situation for those living in spiritual darkness, emphasizing their need for salvation and hope.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I feel I am living in darkness, and how can I seek the light of Christ?
  2. How can I share the light of Jesus with others who may be in spiritual darkness?
  3. What does it mean for me to experience the light of Christ in my daily life?
  4. How can I help others recognize the light that has dawned in Jesus?

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

Early church Fathers referenced this verse to discuss the significance of Jesus as the light of the world and the implications of spiritual darkness.

TertullianAgainst Marcion Book V c. 155–220
Now who was it that said; "Let there be light? " And who was it that said to Christ concerning giving light to the world: "I have set Thee as a light to the Gentiles" -to them, that is,
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →
Origen of AlexandriaFRAGMENT 73 c. 185–253
He spoke of “the shadow of death” and not simply “death.” This is because of the inability of sin utterly to corrupt the soul. Such complete corruption happens to bodies in death. But sin brings forth the shadow of death.
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →
Cyril of AlexandriaFRAGMENT 34.15 c. 376–444
And the “great light” is Christ our Lord and the brightness of the gospel preaching. It is not, in fact, the law, which was likened to a lamp.
Early Church Fathers on Matthew 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Matthew 4:16 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

The people which sat in darkness,.... The inhabitants of Galilee, who sat or "walked", as in Isaiah; that is, continued in spiritual darkness, in ignorance, blindness, error, and infidelity, "saw

Read John Gill on Matthew 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Read Robert Jamieson on Matthew 4 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 14-16. The text in ,2, where the words are, Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. The Jews make a great many objections against the application of this text unto Christ, as indeed they do against the application of all texts cited out of the Old Testament by the evangelists. Christians, believing that the evangelists being…

Read Matthew Poole on Matthew 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. Ver. 16. The people which sat in darkness saw a great light] For the day-spring from on high visited them, the bright Sun of righteousness (which had all Palestine for his zodiac, the twelve tribes for his signs) stayed longest in Zabulon and Nephthalim, Luke 1:2; Malachi 4:2; and (St Jerome observeth) as these two tribes were first carried into captivity, and seemed farthest from heaven, as bordering on the Gentiles, and in many things symbolizing with them, having learned their manners; so redemption was first preached in these countries. Physicians are of most…

Read John Trapp on Matthew 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15-16) The citation is remarkable as the only reference in the New Testament to what seems to us the most wonderful and majestic of all Messianic prophecies; and still more remarkable as dwelling, not on the words so familiar to us, “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given . . . ,” but on the merely local imagery which is a prelude to that great utterance, and on that, in a version which is neither a true rendering of the Hebrew, nor a correct citation from the received Greek version. We have to recognise the fact that the Evangelist did not study prophecy as we study it. Books were scarce, and the publican of Capernaum, though his occupation implied some clerkly knowledge…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Matthew 4 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 16. The people which sat in darkness] This is quoted from Isaiah 9:2, where, instead of sitting, the prophet used the word walked. The evangelist might on purpose change the term, to point out the increased misery of the state of these persons. Sitting in darkness expresses a greater degree of intellectual blindness, than walking in darkness does. In the time of Christ's appearing, the people were in a much worse state than in the time of the prophet, which was nearly 700 years before; as, during all this period, they were growing more ignorant and sinful. The region and shadow of death] These words are amazingly descriptive. A region of death - DEATH'S country, where, in a peculiar…

Read AdamClarke on Matthew 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. the people which sat in darkness] The invasion of Tiglathpileser, whom Ahaz called in to assist him against Rezin and Pekah, fell with great severity on the Northern tribes (2 Kings 15:29). Yet even they are promised a great deliverance [“there shall not hereafter be darkness in the land that was distressed,” Isaiah 9:1], in the first instance, by the destruction of Sennacherib, from temporal distress (cp. Is. chs. 10 and 11 with ch. Matthew 9:1-6); secondly, by the advent of the Messiah, from spiritual darkness.

Read Cambridge on Matthew 4 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

16. The people — That is, the people of the land of Zebulun and Naphthali.Sat in darkness — The prophet says, “Walked in darkness.” Sat in darkness embraces the same idea, but an intenser meaning.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Matthew 4 →

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

the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

the people who sat in darkness saw a great light; to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

NETBNew English Translation2006

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

The people that sat in darkness Saw a great light, And to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The people which sat in darkness Saw a great light, And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, To them did light spring up.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The people who sat in darkness, saw great light; and to them who sat in the region and shades of death, light hath arisen.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The people which sate in darkenes, sawe great light: and to them which sate in the region, and shadowe of death, light is risen vp.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

— the people sitting in darkness has seen a great light, and to those sitting in [the] country and shadow of death, to them has light sprung up.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

the people that is sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in a region and shadow of death — light arose to them.'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

The people that is sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in a region and shadow of death—light arose to them.”

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, upon them has a light arisen.”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The people that sat in darkness, hath seen great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The people living in darkness saw a great light; the light of dawn has shined on those living in the land of the shadow of death.”

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The people who were in the dark saw a great light, and to those in the land of the shade of death did the dawn come up.

Word by word, the decisions they made

χώρᾳchōra land G5561 3 different renderings
regionASV DRA GNV KJV LSV NETB NWB RVA ULB WEB YLT
landBBE BSB FBV MSB
countryDBY
φῶςphōs a light G5457 2 different renderings
lightASV BBE DBY DRA FBV GNV KJV LSV NWB RVA WEB YLT
a lightBSB MSB NETB ULB
ἀνέτειλενanatellō has dawned G393 2 different renderings
has dawnedBSB MSB NETB WEB
arisenNWB ULB

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.

clauseκαὶAndclauseclause · adverbialverbκαταλιπὼνhaving leftnoun phrase · objectτὴν-ΝαζαρὰNazarethadverbialἐλθὼνhaving comeverbκατῴκησενhe dweltprepositional phrase · adverbialεἰςatnoun phraseΚαφαρναοὺμCapernaumnoun phrasenoun phraseτὴνwhichπαραθαλασσίαν[is] on the sea-sideprepositional phraseἐνinnoun phraseὁρίοις[the] regionnoun phraseΖαβουλὼνof ZebulunκαὶandΝεφθαλείμNaphtaliclauseἵναthatclauseverbπληρωθῇit might be fulfillednoun phrase · subjectτὸthatclauseverbῥηθὲνhaving been spokenprepositional phrase · adverbialδιὰbynoun phraseἨσαΐουIsaiahnoun phraseτοῦtheπροφήτουprophetclause · adverbialclauseverbλέγοντοςsayingclausenoun phrasenoun phrasenoun phrasenoun phrasenoun phraseΓῆLandΖαβουλὼνof Zebulunκαὶandnoun phraseγῆlandΝεφθαλείμof Naphtaliadverb phrasenoun phraseὁδὸνwayθαλάσσηςof [the] seaprepositional phraseπέρανbeyondnoun phraseτοῦtheἸορδάνουJordannoun phraseΓαλιλαίαGalileenoun phraseτῶνof theἐθνῶνGentilesclauseclausenoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseTheλαὸςpeoplenoun phrase-clauseverbκαθήμενοςsittingprepositional phrase · adverbialἐνinσκοτίᾳdarknessnoun phrase · objectφῶςa lightμέγαgreatverbεἶδενhave seenκαὶandclausenoun phraseτοῖςto thoseclauseverbκαθημένοιςsittingprepositional phrase · adverbialἐνin [the]noun phrasenoun phraseχώρᾳlandκαὶandσκιᾷshadowθανάτουof deathclausesubjectφῶςa lightverbἀνέτειλενhas dawnedadverbialαὐτοῖςon them

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

populus, qui sedebat in tenebris,/ vidit lucem magnam :/ et sedentibus in regione umbræ mortis,/ lux orta est eis.]

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

ܥܡܐ ܕܝܬܒ ܒܚܫܘܟܐ ܢܘܗܪܐ ܪܒܐ ܚܙܐ ܘܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܝܬܒܝܢ ܒܐܬܪܐ ܘܒܛܠܠܐ ܕܡܘܬܐ ܢܘܗܪܐ ܕܢܚ ܠܗܘܢ

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

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν σκότει φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν φῶς εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν σκότει εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

λαὸς καθήμενος ἐν σκότει εἶδεν μέγα, καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς.¶

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse they differ
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

WordEditions carrying itMissing from
σκότει darknessNA28, NA27, TR, ByzSBL, WH, Treg, Tyn
φῶς lightNA28, NA27, Tyn, SBL, WH, TregTR, Byz

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 4:16TheTheλαόςnationnationλαόςthe [one]the [one]κάθημαιsittingsittingκάθημαιἐνininἐνσκότοςdarknessdarknessσκότοςφῶςlightlightφῶςοἶδαhave seenhave seenοἶδαμέγαςgreat,great,μέγαςκαίandandκαίto thoseto thoseκάθημαιsittingsittingκάθημαιἐνin [the]in [the]ἐνχώραlandlandχώρακαίandandκαίσκιάin a shadowin a shadowσκιάθάνατοςof deathof deathθάνατοςφῶςa lighta lightφῶςἀνατέλλωhas dawnedhas dawnedἀνατέλλωαὐτόςon them.on them.αὐτόςκατάPrep. downPrep. down fromκατάδῆμοςn.m. the pn.m. the peopleδῆμοςεἰςPrep. intoPrep. into, in,εἰςἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκφαίνωv. I shinev. I shine, appφαίνωφημίv. I sayv. I sayφημίθνῄσκωv. I am dyv. I am dying, θνῄσκωἀνάPrep. and,Prep. and, apieἀνάσκιάn.f. a shan.f. a shadow, σκιάὀπτάνομαιv. I appeav. I appear, amὀπτάνομαιὁράωv. I see, v. I see, look ὁράωτόποςn.m. a plan.m. a placeτόποςχάσμαn.n. a gapn.n. a gap, gulχάσμαἀήρn.m. airn.m. airἀήρἑαυτοῦRefl.pr. hRefl.pr. himselἑαυτοῦτελώνιονn.n. a taxn.n. a tax-collτελώνιονθρόνοςn.m. a thrn.m. a throne, θρόνοςσυναγωγήn.f. an asn.f. an assemblσυναγωγή
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 4:16

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.

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
ho The G3588 Article · nominative · 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.

Read the full entry →
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-NSM — Article · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-NSM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Nominative 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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
λαὸςlaos nation G2992 Noun · nominative · singular · masculine
142× 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
A people refers to a group of individuals, like in Matthew 27:25 and Luke 1:21. It can also mean a specific nation or race, as in Acts 4:27. This word is used to describe a large group of people.
Amplified meaning
living in spiritual ignorance
Tyndale gloss
a people
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

λαός (laos) refers to a people or crowd, often distinguished from rulers or leaders. It is used in various contexts, including the assembly of people, the common folk, and specifically the people of Israel in the New Testament, as seen in Matthew 27:25 and Luke 2:10. The term can also denote the Christian community as the people of God, contrasting with non-believers.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

λαός, -οῦ, ὁ,

[in LXX very freq. for עַם, Ge 14:16, al.; occasionally for לְאֹם ( Ge 25:23, al.), etc.;]

a word rarely found in Att. prose;

the people at large (Hom., al.), esp. of people assembled: Mt 27:25, Lk 1:21 3:15 al.; pl. (Hom., al., π.; v. MM, xvi), Ac 4:27.

a people, those of the same race and language (Pind., Æsch., al.: in LXX, Ge 26:11, Ex 9:16, al.): joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Re 5:9 7:9 11:9, al.; pl.,

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

λαός, -ov, ὁ, [(cf. Curtius § 535)]; Sept. more than fifteen hundred times for Dy; rarely for ‘42 and px); [fr. Hom. down]; people; 1. a people, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language: univ. of any people; joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Rev. v. 9; vii. 9; x.11; xi. 9; xiii. 7 [Ree. om.]; xiv. 6; xvii. 15, (see γλῶσσα, 2); πάντες of λαοί, Lk. ii. 31; Ro. xv. 11; esp. of the people of Israel: Mt. iv. 23; xiii. 15; Mk. vii. 6; Lk. ii. 10; Jn. xi. 50 (where it alternates with ἔθνος) ; xviii. 14; Acts iii. 23; Heb. ii. 17; vii. 11, ete.; with Ἰσραήλ added, Acts iv. 10; distinguished fr. τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Acts xxvi. 17, 23; Ro. xv. 10; the plur. λαοὶ Ἰσραήλ [R. V. the peoples of Is.] seems to be used of the tribes of the people (like oD), Gen. xlix. 10; Deut. xxxii. 8; Is. iii. 13, ete.) in Acts iv. 27 (where the plur. was apparently occasioned by Ps. ii. 1 in its…

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

λαός. In the papyri λαοί is the regular term for ‘‘ natives,” “‘fellaheen.” Thus in P Petr II. 4(11)* (B.c. 255-4) we hear of a salt-tax imposed τοῖς ἐκ Κερκεήσιος λαοῖς, where the editor remarks, ‘‘an ancient and poetical form for Jeople found both in the LXX and in Papyri’’: cf. P Lille I. 168 (iii/B.C.) ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀπεργάζονται οἱ λαοὶ Td κέρμα τοῦτο εἰς ἄριστον, ‘since the natives are working off (?) this small tax as well as they can,” P Par 631% (B.c. 164) (=P Petr III. p. 26) τοὺς πλείστους δὲ τῶν ἐν ταῖς κώμαις κατοικούντῶν λαῶν οἵ διὰ τὴν τῶν δεόντων σπάνιν ἐργατεύοντες πορίἵονται τὰ πρὸς τὸ ζῆν, ‘also most of the people inhabiting the villages, who, through lack of necessaries, supply themselves with the means of life by hard labour’? (Mahaffy), z}. 15. τῶν μὲν ταλαιπώρων λαῶν καὶ τῶν μαχίμων Kal τῶν ἄλλων ἀδυνατούντων φείσεσθε, ‘you must spare the miserable populace and the…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

λαός (laos) — a people.

λᾱός, ὁ,

Ionic dialect ληός [Refs 6th c.BC+] (variant{λαόν}, which is in all Mss. in [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Attic dialect λεώς, which is also used in [Refs 5th c.BC+] and in late Prose, as Foed.Byzantine cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]

1. in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (λαοί) usually means men, i.e. soldiers, both of the whole army and smaller divisions, κριτὸς ἔγρετο λ. Ἀχαιῶν [Refs]; periphrastic, στρατὸς λαῶν[Refs]; mostly including both foot and horse, as [Refs]; but sometimes λαός denotes foot, as opposed to horse, [Refs]; also, a land army, opposed to a fleet, [Refs]; also, the common men, opposed to their leaders, [Refs]; but

2. in [Refs 8th c.BC+], almost always means men or people; as subjects of a prince, e.g. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; λαοὶ ἀγροιῶται country-folk, [Refs]; work-people, [Refs]; of sailors, [Refs…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

λαός

laos

apparently a primary word; a people (in general; thus differing from

1218, which denotes one's own populace):--people.

see GREEK for 1218

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

λαός, οῦ, ὁ

n.m.

a people, the crowd

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

λαός laos 142x

a body of people; a concourse of people, a multitude, Mt. 27:25; Lk. 8:47; the common people, Mt. 26:5; a people, nation, Mt. 2:4; Lk. 2:32; Tit. 2:14; ὁ λαός, the people of Israel, Lk. 2:10

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

λαός λα_ός, οῦ, ionic ληός, attic λεώς: —, the people, both in sg. and pl., i. e.

in the warlike language of Il., the people or men of the army, soldiers; also a land-army, opp. to a fleet; the common men, opp. to their leaders

in the peaceful Od., men, people; so, ναυτικὸς λεώς seafaring folk, Aesch.; ὁ γεωργικὸς λεώς Ar.; ἀκούετε, λεῴ hear o people! the usual way of beginning proclamations at Athens, like our oyez! id. Ar.

in NTest. of Jews, and later of Christians, as opp. to heathens.

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

N-NSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ Sins of Isa 30:1,2

→ Chastised Isa 14:26,27; Jer 5:29; 18:6-10; 25:12-33; Eze 2:3-5; 39:23,24; Da 7:9-12; 9:3-16; Ho 7:12; Joe 1:1-20; Am 9:9; Zep 3:6,8

→ Perish Ps 9:17; Isa 60:12

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%people
people90% · 129×peoples6% · 9×other renderings4% · 5×

143 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
subject30%adverbial26%object24%indirect object11%predicate8%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 142 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
πᾶςall, the whole, πρόςἐν
καίand, even, also, nam
ἔθνοςa race, people, γλῶσσαthe tongue, a laφυλήa tribe, race
οὐNeg
Article theαὐτόςποτέDisj
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἑτοιμάζωI make ready, prὅτιthat, since, bec
ἐγώ
λαόςa people, the crεἰμίI am, exist
λαόςnation142×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theἔθνοςa race, people, γλῶσσαthe tongue, a la
αὐτός
ἀπόἐνπεριπατέωI walk, conduct
οὗτος
καίand, even, also,Article theβρῶμαfood of any kind
Article the
θεόςGod, a godκάθημαιI sit, am seatedχεῖλοςa lip, mouth, sh
ἐγώ
Article theλαόςa people, the crκαίand, 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

Concordanceλαός · 142× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Matthew Hebrews Revelation Romans 1 Peter John 1 Corinthians Mark 2 Corinthians 2 Peter

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament14 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 929 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 Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 2.77c. AD 40

„καὶ ἀπέστειλε κύριος εἰς τὸν λαὸν τοὺς ὄφεις τοὺς θανατοῦντας.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.160c. AD 75–95

μετʼ οὐ πολὺν δὲ χρόνον μεταναστὰς καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς χώρας σὺν τῷ σφετέρῳ λαῷ εἰς τὴν τότε μὲν Χαναναίαν λεγομένην νῦν δὲ Ἰουδαίαν μετῴκησε καὶ οἱ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου πληθύσαντες, περὶ ὧν ἐν ἑτέρῳ λόγῳ διέξειμι τὰ ἱστορούμενα.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 3.6c. AD 100

εἰς τοῦτο οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ μακρόθυμος προβλέψας, ὡς ἐν ἀκεραιοσύνῃ πιστεύσει ὁ λαός, ὃν ἡτοίμασεν ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ αὐτοῦ, προεφανέρωσεν ἡμῖν περὶ πάντων, ἵνα μὴ προσρησσώμεθα ὡς ἐπήλυτοι τῷ ἐκείνων νόμῳ.

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 1st c. BC 2nd c. BC 6th c. AD
PSI 9 1051Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 26

τοῦ Ἀρσινοείτου νομοῦ. ἐδάνεισεν Ἀπύγχις πρεσβύτερος Στοτοήτιος νεωτέρου ὡς ἐτῶν κ οὐλὴ ἀντικνήμιον ἀριστερὸν Λαου … ε … ευς Πέρσῃ τῆς ἐπιγονῆς ὡς ἐτῶν πεντήκοντα οὐλὴ πήχει δεξιῷ καὶ

P.Bon. 35AD 101–AD 200

Σισευ … … … Ἁρπήκου Σις … … Σανσνεῦς … … … Β … λαων Β … … … … … … πεντευ … … … … … ορ

P.PalauRib. 30AD 101–AD 200

παρὰ τοῦ … ειρ … φιλοσόφου … λάῳ ἐξα … … τας ἀρχ … κοντα η … ἄνελθε

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
ho the [one] G3588 Article · nominative · 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-NSM — Article · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-NSM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wun.

See NUMBER.

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
the [one]19783×
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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
καθήμενοςkathēmai sitting G2521 Verb · present · no voice stated · participle · nominative · singular · masculine
91× 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 to sit, used in Matthew 11:16 and many other places to describe people sitting or being seated. It can also mean to remain or reside in a place, and is often used to describe people gathering or meeting together. This word is commonly used in the New Testament to describe various scenes and settings.
Tyndale gloss
to sit
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

κάθημαι (kathemai) means to sit or be seated, and is used in various contexts including physical sitting, residing, or even metaphorically for remaining in a state. It appears in several New Testament verses such as Matthew 9:9 and Revelation 4:3. The word is derived from a combination of roots implying sitting down, and its usage spans both literal and figurative meanings.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κάθ-ημαι,

[in LXX chiefly for ישׁב;]

in cl. pres. and impf. only (prop. pf. and plpf. of καθέζομαι; cf. Bl., § 24), in LXX and NT fut. also, to sit, be seated: Mt 11:16 22:44(LXX), Mk 2:6, Jo 6:3, Ac 2:2, Ja 2:3 (on the vulgar imper. κάθου, v. Kennedy, Sources, 162), Re 4:3, al.; seq. prep. c. acc., ἐπί, Mt 9:9, Mk 2:14, Jo 12:15; παρά, Mt 13:1, Mk 10:46; περί, Mk 3:32, 34; πρός, Read the full entry →

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

κάθ-ημαι, 2 pers. sing. κάθῃ a later form for κάθησαι (Acts xxiii. 3), impv. κάθου for κάθησο [yet ef. Kiihner as below] (cf. Zob. ad Phryn. p. 359; Kriiger $38, 6 sq. i. p. 147; Kiihner § 301 i. p. 671; W. 8.14, 4; [B. 49 (42)]), [subjune. 2 pers. plur. κάθησθε, Lk. xxii. 30 Tr mrg.; but WH txt. καθῆσθε ; see Veitch 5. v.; Kriiger $38, 6, 1 (cf. καθίζω), inf. καθῆσθαι, ptep. καθήμενος; imp ἐκαθήμην; and once the rare [ef. Veitch p. 347] fut. καθήcopa, Lk. xxii. 30 T Tr txt. WH mrg. [so WH in Mt. xix. 28 also; cf. καθίζω, fin.]; (jar); a verb of which only the pres. and impf. are in use in class. Grk. [ef. B. 60 (52) ]; Sept. for 1; 1. to sit down, seat one’s self: foll. by ἐν w. dat. of place [ef. W. § 52, 4, 9], Mk. iv. 1; Lk. xxii. 55 [here T Tr WH pégos]; εἰς, Mk. xiii. 3 [B. § 147,16]; μετά w. gen. of pers., Mt. xxvi. 58; κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, i. 6. be a partner of my power, Mt.…

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

κάθημαι. P Petr III. 42 H (8){31 (mid. iii/B.c.) ἡμέρας k ἐκάθητο, P Par 1811} κάτισον és (1. κάθησον ἕως) ἴδωμεν τί μέλλομεν ποιεῖν, BGU LV. 1141°3(B.c. 14) εὑρίσκῳωι αὐτὸν καθήμενοί(ν), 7b. 10788 (A.D. 39) οὐ γὰρ ἀργὸν δεῖ με καθῆσθαι. With the use of κάθημαι in Ac 23, cf. the curious interview between an Emperor (ἢ Commodus) and a certain Appianus, who has been condemned to death, where, in view of an impending riot, a soldier is represented as saying to the Emperor— κύριε, κάθῃ, “Pwpator γονγύζο[υσ]ι, ‘Lord, while you are sitting in judgement, the Romans are murmuring” (Edd.) (P Oxy I. 33 verso 41-18, late ii/A.D.). For the form κάθου (Mk 1258, Ac 234, from Ps 1104), see Maidhof, p. 300: cf. Menander 7yagm. p. 254, where Kock quotes other three passages from comic poets. With Pe/agia-Legenden, p. 44 καθημένη εἰς βαδιστήν, ‘‘seated on an ass,” Musonius p. 435 καθῆσθαι cis Σινώπην…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κάθημαι (kathēmai) — to sit.

κάθημαι,

Ionic dialect κάτ-, 2nd pers. singular κάθησαι (Ionic dialect κάτ- [NT+5th c.BC+] codices; 3rd.pers. singular κάθηται [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural κατέαται [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κάθουσο [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. singular καθήσθω [Refs 4th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural καθήσθωσαν [Refs]; subjunctive καθῶμαι, κάθῃ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive καθῆσθα; participle καθήμενος: imperfect ἐκαθήμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also without syllable augment καθῆστο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect κατῆστο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect καθήατο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect κατέατο [Refs 5th c.BC+]: the later future καθήσομαι [LXX+NT+5th c.BC+]:—to be seated, sit, αὐτός τε κάθησο καὶ ἄλλους ἵδρυε λαούς [Refs 8th c.BC+]: frequently in participle, πέτρῃ ἔπι προβλῆτι καθήμενος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς κλαῖε κ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κλαῖον δ᾽ ἐν…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

κάθημαι

kathemai

from 2596; and hemai (to sit; akin to the base of 1476); to sit down;

figuratively, to remain, reside:--dwell, sit (by, down).

see GREEK for 2596

see GREEK for 1476

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κάθημαι

v.

I sit, am seated

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κάθημαι kathēmai 91x

to sit, be sitting, Mt. 9:9; Lk. 10:13; to be seated, 1 Cor. 14:30; to be enthroned, Rev. 18:7; to dwell, reside, Mt. 4:16; Lk. 1:79; 21:35

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

κάθημαι to be seated, Hom., etc.

to be seated in court, Ar.; οἱ καθήμενοι the judges, the court, Thuc., etc.

to sit still, sit quiet, Lat. desidere, Hom., Hdt.: in bad sense, to sit or lie idle, Il., etc.

of a besieging army, to sit down or lie before a place, Eur., Thuc.

to lead a sedentary life, Hdt., Aesch., etc.

of people, to be settled, Hdt.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PNP-NSM — Verb · present · no voice stated · participle · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PNP-NSM Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: middle or passive depoNent Mood: Participle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sit'-ing (yashabh, "to sit down or still," daghar, "to brood," "hatch"; kathezomai, "to sit down," anakeimai, "to lie back," "recline"): The favorite position of the Orientals (Mal 3:3; Mt 9:9; 26:55 (compare Mt 5:1; Lu 4:20; 5:3); Mr 14:18; Lu 18:35; Joh 2:14, etc.).

"In Palestine people sit at all kinds of work; the carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting upon the ground or upon the plank he is planing. The washerwoman sits by the tub, and, in a word, no one stands where it is possible to sit.…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Sitting

The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who were engaged in any kind of work. “The carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he is planning. The washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a word, no one stands when it is possible to sit. Shopkeepers always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom (Matt. 9:9) is the exact way to state the case.”, Thomson, Land and Book.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
73%sitting
sitting73% · 66×do sit8% · 7×he was sitting4% · 4×sitting by2% · 2×sits2% · 2×will sit2% · 2×when was sitting2% · 2×other renderings7% · 6×

91 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 13 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
verb98%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 91 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
καίand, even, also,δεξιόςon the right hanλέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also, nam
λίθοςa stoneἐγώὑποστρέφωI turn back, ret
ἐγώ
κύριοςlord, Lord, mast
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of the hu
Article theὁράωI see, look upon
ἐμβαίνωI embark
πλοῖονa ship, vessel
κάθημαιsitting91×
what comes after →
ἐπί
Article theαὐτόςπρόσωπονthe face, counte
ἐκ
δεξιόςon the right han
ἐν
Article theσκοτίαdarknessχώραregion, land, fi
καίand, even, also, nam
πᾶςall, the whole, αὐτόςδιαλογίζομαιI reason, debate
Article the
δύναμιςmight, power, maκατευθύνωI make straight,ἄνθρωποςa man, one of th

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

Concordanceκάθημαι · 91× in the New Testament
Revelation Matthew Luke Mark Acts John James 1 Corinthians Colossians Hebrews
Across the New Testament10 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 75 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
The Shepherd of Hermas Josephus The Didache The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 3.186c. AD 40

17, 11), τοῦτο παριστὰς ὅτι, ὁ νοῦς ἐπειδὰν μὲν ἐξάρῃ αὑτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν θνητῶν καὶ μετεωρισθῇ, ῥώννυται τὸ ὁρῶν τὸν θεόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν Ἰσραήλ, ἐπειδὰν δὲ καθῇ τοὺς ἰδίους τόνους καὶ ἐξασθενήσῃ, αὐτίκα τὸ πάθος ἰσχύσει, ὁ Ἀμαλήκ, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται λαὸς…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 6.226c. AD 75–95

νουμηνία μὲν εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσάν ἐστιν, ἔθος δʼ ἔχω δειπνεῖν σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ καθήμενος·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 12.10c. AD 100

ἐπεὶ οὖν μέλλουσιν λέγειν, ὅτι Χριστὸς υἱὸς Δαυείδ ἐστιν, αὐτὸς προφητεύει Δαυείδ, φοβούμενος καὶ συνίων τὴν πλάνην τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν: Εἷπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου: Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου.

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. BC 1st c. AD 4th c. AD 2nd c. BC

ἐκθέματι κα … … … … ζεσθαι … τοὺς ἐναντ … … τόποις καθη … τοὺς δὲ ἐνθ … … τόποις ἢ ὅπου δήπου ῥ

P.Fouad 1 37Oxyrhynchos (?)AD 48

ἐκδεδόσθαι μοι τὸν υἱὸν σοῦ Φοῦσκον, οὐδέπω ὄντα τῶν ἐτῶν ἐκδιδάξαι τὴν λινουφικὴν τῶν καθημένων τέχνην πᾶσαν ἐντελῶς, καθὰ καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπίσταμαι, ἐν ἔτεσι δυσί ἀπὸ μηνὸς Γερμανικείου τοῦ

Doc.Eser.Rom. 103AD 63–AD 64

καὶ αὐτὸς ἀντησπάσατο, καὶ τῆι … τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς ἠσπασάμεθα αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἀτρείωι, καθημένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ βήματι. Τοῦσκος εἶπεν ἡμῖν· καὶ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῆι εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
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
The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
σκότειskotos darkness G4655 Noun · dative · singular · neuter
30× 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
Darkness refers to the absence of light, either physical or spiritual, as described in Hebrews 12:18.
Tyndale gloss
darkness
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word σκότος (i.e., *skotos*) means darkness or gloom. It is derived from a base meaning obscurity and is used in various contexts, including literal darkness, moral or spiritual darkness, and even metaphorical uses. The New Testament references include Matthew 27:45 and Acts 2:20, where it conveys themes of judgment and despair.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — σκότος, γνόφος, ζόφος, ἀχλύς from a scan

OF σκότος it needs hardly to speak. It is the largest and most inclusive word of this group; being of very frequent occurrence in the N. T., both in this its Attic form, as also in that of σκοτία, which belongs to the common dialect. It is the exact opposite to das; thus in the profoundly pathetic words of Ajax in Sophocles (4). 394), ἰώ: σκότος ἐμὸν φάος: compare Plato, Rep. vii. 518 a; Job xxii. 11; Luke xii. 3; Acts xxvi. 18. Γνόφος, which is rightly regarded as a later Doric form of δνόφος, occurs only once in the N. T., namely at Heb. xii. 18.and there in connexion with ζόφος : in which same connexion it is found elsewhere (Deut. iv. 11.; Exod. x. 22; Zeph. i. 16). There was evidently a feeling on the part of our early Translators, that an element of tempest was involved in the word, the renderings of it by them being these: ‘mist (Wiclif and Tyndale) ; ‘storm’ (Cranmer); “…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σκότος, -ου, ὁ the more usual cl. form (cf. σ., τό),

darkness: He 12:18, Rec.†

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

σκότος, -ov, ὁ, (cf. σκοτία, init.), fr. Hom. down, darkness: Heb. xii. 18 Ree. [ef. WH. App. p. 158; W. 66 (64); B. 22 (20)]-

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

σκότος, “darkness,” always neut. in LXX and NT, as in Μάυς cf. the magic P Lond 46! (iv/A.p.) (= 1. p. 68) καλῶ... σε Toy κτίσαντα φῶς καὶ σκότος, 20." 6 χωρίσας τὸ φῶς ἀ]πὸ τοῦ σκότους, 120. 121783 (iii/A.p.) (=I. p. 108) ἀπὸ φωτὸς εἰς σκότος ἀπολήγουσα, and the vi/A.pD. Christian letter of condolence P Oxy XVI. 18748 ἀνέγνοσα τὸ σκότος, unfortunately in a broken context.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σκότος (skotos) — darkness.

σκότος, ὁ,

more rarely σκότος, εος, τό (see. entry near the end), darkness, gloom, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to φάος, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ἡμέρα, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. in [Refs 8th c.BC+] always of the darkness of death, mostly in phrase τὸν δὲ σ. ὄσσε κάλυψεν [Refs]; so in Trag. and Comedy texts, σκότῳ θανεῖν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἤδη με περιβάλλει σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σκότον εἶναι τεθνηκότος (i.e. Αἰσχύλου) [Refs 5th c.BC+]

3. of the nether world, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παῖδες ἀρχαίου Σκότου[Refs 5th c.BC+]

4. the darkness of the womb, φυγόντα μητρόθεν σκότον [Refs 4th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σκότος

skotos

from the base of 4639; shadiness, i.e. obscurity (literally or

figuratively):--darkness.

see GREEK for 4639

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σκότος, ους, τό

n.m. & n.n.

darkness

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σκότος skotos 31x

darkness, Mt. 27:45; Acts 2:20; gloom of punishment and misery, Mt. 8:12; 2 Pet. 2:17; met. moral or spiritual darkness, Mt. 4:16; Jn. 3:19; Eph. 5:11; a realm of moral darkness, Eph. 5:8; 6:12

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

σκότος σκότος, ου, darkness, gloom, Od., attic

the darkness of death, Il., Eur.

of blindness, σκότον βλέπειν Soph.; σκότον δεδορκώς Eur.

metaph., σκότῳ κρύπτειν, like Hor.'s nocte premere, to hide in darkness, Soph.; so, διὰ σκότους ἐστί it is dark and uncertain, Xen.; κατὰ σκότον, ὑπὸ σκότου Soph., etc.

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

N-DSN Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Darkness

The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness “which may be felt.” It covered “all the land of Egypt,” so that “they saw not one another.” It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. 23).

When Jesus hung upon the cross (Matt. 27:45; Luke 23:44), from the “sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

On Mount Sinai, Moses (Ex. 20:21) “drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” This was the “thick cloud upon the mount” in which Jehovah was when he spake unto Moses there. The Lord dwelt in the cloud upon the mercy-seat (1 Kings…

is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory. (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12) The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land," (Matthew 27:45) attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead, (Job 10:21,22) and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light. (

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6 Ps 107:10 Isa 8:22 9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10 Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt,

→ Over the face of the earth Ge 1:2; Job 38:9; Jer 4:23

→ Called NIGHT Ge 1:5

→ God creates Isa 45:7

→ Miraculous

In Egypt Ex 10:21,22; Ps 105:28

At Mount Sinai Ex 20:21; Heb 12:18

At the crucifixion Mt 27:45; Mr 15:33

→ FIGURATIVE

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
97%darkness
darkness97% · 30×darkness?3% · 1×

31 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 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
adverbial40%predicate27%subject23%object10%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 30 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
εἰςἐξουσίαpower, authorityζόφοςdarkness, murkin
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, exist
σύ
ἐν
καίand, even, also, nam
ἕκτοςsixthἀχλύςa mist, dimness
ἐκ
λέγωI say, speakArticle the
σκότοςdarkness30×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
σκιάa shadow, thick Article theπεριάγωI lead about, go
Article the
ἐξώτεροςoutmost, outer
γίνομαιI come into being, a
ἐπί
εἰμίI am, exist
Article the
εἰς
φῶςlight, a source αἰώνan age, a cycle

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

Concordanceσκότος · 30× in the New Testament
Matthew Luke Acts Ephesians 1 Thessalonians 2 Corinthians Romans 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 2 Peter Colossians
Across the New Testament15 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 72 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 Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 29c. AD 40

ὧν τὸ μὲν ἐπεφήμισε σκότος, ἐπειδὴ μέλας ὁ ἀὴρ τῇ φύσει, τὴν δ’ ἄβυσσον, πολύβυθον γὰρ τό γε κενὸν καὶ ἀχανές·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.27c. AD 75–95

ταύτης δʼ ὑπʼ ὄψιν οὐκ ἐρχομένης, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ μὲν κρυπτομένης σκότει, πνεύματος δʼ αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιθέοντος, γενέσθαι φῶς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεός.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 5.4c. AD 100

τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι δικαίως ἀπολεῖται ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἔχων ὁδοῦ δικαιοσύνης γνῶσιν ἑαυτὸν εἰς ὁδὸν σκότους ἀποσυνέχει.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 6th c. AD
PSI 10 1162OxyrhynchosAD 201–AD 300

πρὸς θεοῦ τοῦ χωρίσαντος γῆν ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ καὶ φῶς ἐκ σκότους καὶ ἡμέραν ἐγ νυκτὸς καὶ κόσμον ἐκ συγχύσεως καὶ ζωὴν ἀπὸ θανάτου καὶ γένεσιν

P.Oxy. 16 1874OxyrhynchosAD 501–AD 700

πε … … τὰ τριάντα πέντε φορτία εἰς πλῆρες … καὶ πάλιν ἀνέγνωσα τὸ σκότος τὸ εκ … παιδία καὶ πολὺ ἐλυπήθην καὶ οσε … ἐλπίδα σοι εἰσεμφέρειν, λοιπὰ

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
φῶςphōs light G5457 Noun · accusative · singular · neuter
72× 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
Light refers to any kind of luminousness, natural or artificial, and is used in the Bible to describe the light of the sun or a lamp. In Matthew 17:2 and John 11:9-10, it describes Jesus shining like the sun.
Amplified meaning
the presence of God, spiritual illumination
Tyndale gloss
light
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

φῶς (i.e., *phos*) means 'light' and can refer to both natural and artificial sources. It is used in various contexts, including physical light from the sun or lamps, as well as metaphorical light representing divine truth or spiritual illumination. The New Testament employs it to describe God's presence, the glory of Christ, and the moral clarity of believers. Notably, it appears in verses like Matthew 17:2 and 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — φῶς, φέγγος, φωστήρ, λύχνος, λαμπάς from a scan

Ati these words are rendered, some occasionally, some always, in our Version, by ‘light’; thus, dos at Matt. iv. 16; Rom. xiii. 12, and often; φέγγος at Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; Luke xi. 33 (it does not occur again) ; φωστήρ at Phil. ii. 15 ; Rev. xxi. 11 (where only it occurs) ; λύχνος at Matt. vi. 22; John v. 35; 2 Pet.i. 19, and elsewhere; though this often by ‘ candle’ (Matt. v. 15; Rev. Xxli. 5); and λαμπὰς at Acts xx. 8, though elsewhere rendered ‘lamp’ (Matt. xxv. 1; Rev. vill. 10), and ‘ torch’ (John xviii. 3). The old grammarians distinguish between φῶς and φέγγος (which are but different forms of one and the same word), that φῶς is the light of the sun or of the day, φέγγος the light or lustre of the moon. The Attic writers, to whom this distinction must belong, if to any, themselves only imperfectly observe it. Thus, in Sophocles φέγγος is three or four times ascribed…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

φῶς (Att.. contr. from φάος; < φάω), gen., φωτός, τό,

[in LXX chiefly for אוֹר ;]

light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία): Mt 17:2, 5, Jo 11:9, 10, II Co 4:6; ἡλίου, Re 22:5; of a lamp, Lk 8:16 11:33, Jo 5:35, Re 18:23; of a supernatural heavenly light, Ac 9:3 12:7 22:6, 9, 11 26:13; hence, ἄγγελος φωτός, II Co 11:14; ὁ κλήρος τ. ἁγίων ἐν τ. φ., Col 1:12; of the divine glory, Re 21:24; by meton., of that which gives light: of fire, Read the full entry →

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

φῶς, φωτός. τό, (contr. fr. φάος, fr. φάω to shine), fr. Hom. (who [as well as Pind.] uses the form φάος) down, Hebr. 18, light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία) ; 1. prop. a. univ.: ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, 3 Co. iv. 6 (Gen. i. 3); λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς, Mt. xvii. 2; νεφέλη φωτός [Grsb. txt.] i. e. consisting of light, i. q. φωτεινή in RLT Tr WH, Mt. xvii. 5; τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, of the sun, Jn. xi. 9; τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, the light (i.e. illumining power) is not in him, consequently he does not see or distinguish the things about him, Jn. xi. 10; the light emitted bya lamp, Lk. viii. 16; [xi.33L Tr txt. WH]. a heavenly light, such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth: hence ἄγγελος φωτός, 2 Co. xi. 14, and illumines the place where they appear, Acts xii. 7; a light of this kind shone around Paul when he was converted to Christ, Acts xxii. 6, [9], 11[W. 371 (848)]; with…

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

φῶς. For ‘‘light” opposed to “" darkness,” see P Leid Wi. 4 (ii/iii a.p.) (=I1. p. 101) φωτὸς καὶ σκότους. In the imprecatory curse Sy// 891 (= ὃ 1240)" the prayer is uttered that the victim shall enjoy μηδὲ οἴκου, μὴ φωτός, μὴ χρήσεως, μηδὲ κτήσεως. The plur. is applied to ‘‘ windowlights” in P Lond 1179°* (ii/A.p.) (=III. p. 146) φῶτα θυρίδων, and to “‘torches,” as in Ac 167%, in BGU III. 909} (A.D. 359) ἐπελθόντες. . . TH ἡμετέρᾳ οἰκίᾳ καὶ φῶτα ἐπενεγκ[όν]τες ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὴν ἐκ θεματίου. Cf. 20. IV. 120 110 (A.D. 2) where φωτί takes the place οἵ πυρί or φλογί - εὕρωμεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σαράπειδος θεοῦ μεγίστου ὑφημένας (1 ὑφημμένας) φωτί. This last passage may illustrate Mk 1454 θερμαινόμενος πρὸς τὸ φῶς, where we should translate with the AV ‘‘warmed himself at the ». see C. H. Turner Comm. ad ἢ. in Gore’s New Commentary. The subst. is applied metaph. to those who impart light…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

φῶς (phōs) — light.

φῶς,

contraction for φάος, light (which see). φῴς, ἡ, plural φῷδες, contraction from φωΐς (which see).

Strong's Greek Dictionary

φῶς

phos

from an obsolete phao (to shine or make manifest, especially by rays;

compare 5316, 5346); luminousness (in the widest application, natural

or artificial, abstract or concrete, literal or figurative):--fire,

light.

see GREEK for 5316

see GREEK for 5346

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

φῶς, φωτός, τό

n.n.

light, a source of light

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

φῶς phōs 73x

light, Mt. 17:2; 2 Cor. 4:6; daylight, broad day, Mt. 10:27; Lk. 12:3; radiance, blaze of light, Mt. 4:16; Acts 9:3; 12:7; an instrument or means of light, a light, Mt. 6:23; Acts 16:29; a fire, Mk. 14:54; Lk. 22:56; from the Hebrew, the light of God’s presence, 2 Cor. 11:14; Read the full entry →

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-ASN — Noun · accusative · singular · neuter
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-ASN Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lit ('or, ma'or; phos; many other words):

1. Origin of Light

2. A Comprehensive Term

(1) Natural Light

(2) Artificial Light

(3) Miraculous Light

(4) Mental, Moral, Spiritual Light

3. An Attribute of Holiness

(1) God

(2) Christ

(3) Christians

(4) The Church

4. Symbolism

5. Expressive Terms

1. Origin of Light:

The creation of light was the initial step in the creation of life. "Let there be light" (Ge 1:3) was the first word of God spoken after His creative Spirit "moved" upon the primary material out of which He created the heavens and the earth, and which lay, until the utterance of that word, in the chaos of darkness and desolation. Something akin, possibly, to the all-pervasive electro-magnetic activity of the aurora borealis penetrated the chaotic night of the world. The ultimate focusing of light (on the 4th day of creation,

Light

The offspring of the divine command (Gen. 1:3). “All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light” (1 Kings 11:36; Isa. 58:8; Esther 8:16; Ps. 97:11). Light came also naturally to typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps. 119:105; Isa. 8:20; Matt. 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One of the most wonderful, cheering, and useful of all the works of God; called into being on the first of the six days of creation, by his voice: "Let there be light;" and there was light. No object better illustrates whatever is pure, glorious, spiritual, joyful, and beneficent. Hence the beauty and force of the expressions, "God is light," 1Jo 1:5, and "the Father of lights," Jas 1:17; Christ is the "Sun of righteousness," and "the light of the world," Joh 1:9 8:12. So also the word of God is "a light," Ps 119:105; truth and Christians are lights, Joh 3:19 12:36; prosperity is "light," Es 8:16; and heaven is full of…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Created Ge 1:3-5; Isa 45:7; 2Co 4:6

→ Miraculous Mt 17:2; Ac 9:3

→ FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLICAL 1Ki 11:36; Ps 27:1; 119:105,130; Pr 6:23; Ec 2:13; Isa 8:20; 49:6; 58:8; 60:19,20; Mt 4:16; 5:14,16; Lu 2:32; 11:34; 16:8;

Across the New Testament15 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 102 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 Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 29c. AD 40

εἶθ’ ὕδατος ἀσώματον οὐσίαν καὶ πνεύματος καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἑβδόμου φωτός, ὃ πάλιν ἀσώματον ἦν καὶ νοητὸν ἡλίου παράδειγμα καὶ πάντων ὅσα φωσφόρα ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμελλε συνίστασθαι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.27c. AD 75–95

ταύτης δʼ ὑπʼ ὄψιν οὐκ ἐρχομένης, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ μὲν κρυπτομένης σκότει, πνεύματος δʼ αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιθέοντος, γενέσθαι φῶς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεός.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 3.4c. AD 100

τότε ῥαγήσεται πρώϊμον τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτιά σου ταχέως ἀνατελεῖ, καὶ προπορεύσεται ἔμπροσθέν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ περιστελεῖ σε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD 5th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Fay. 213 descr.Euhemeria (Arsinoites)3 BC

Ἀπολλώνιος Ὥρῳ καὶ … φωτι γεωργοῖς χαίρειν· ἀπέχω παρʼ ὑμῶν τὰ ἐκφόρια τοῦ ὀγδόου καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους ἀφʼ ὧν

BGU 4 1201Busiris (Herakleopolites)AD 2

λειτουργίας καὶ θυσίας τῶν θεῶν εὕρομεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σαράπειδος θεοῦ μεγίστου ὑφημμένας φωτί. καὶ ἡμῶν ἀνακραξάντων εἰς τὴν κώμην πρὸς βοήθειαν κατεπήδησεν ὁ γυμνασίαρχος τῆς κώμης καὶ

P.Mil.Vogl. 2 99Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 119

ἣν ἐξεν … ρ … αὐτῶν α … … … ὧν κεκλήρωνται θύρας καὶ φῶτα θυρίδων τρία , τὸν δὲ Ὧρον Τεσενούφεως ἑαυτῶι ἀνοίγειν … υ κεκλη

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
εἶδεν have seen G1492
320× 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
This verb means to see or perceive, used in the Bible to describe spiritual awareness or insight. In Matthew 25:13 and John 10:4, it refers to recognizing God's presence or will. The verb is often used to encourage believers to seek spiritual understanding and discernment.
Tyndale gloss
to perceive: see
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word οἶδα (i.e., *oida*) is derived from the root of εἶδον (i.e., *eidon*), meaning 'to see' or 'to perceive.' It primarily conveys the idea of knowing or having knowledge, often used in contexts where one has seen or understood something. The New Testament employs it in various constructions, indicating knowledge of things, people, or concepts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

οἶδα, (from same root as εἶδον, q.v.),

[in LXX chiefly for ידע;]

pf. with pres. meaning (plpf. as impf.; on irregular tense-forms, v. App.),

to have seen or perceived, hence, to know, have knowledge of: c. acc. rei, Mt 25:13, Mk 10:19, Jo 10:4, Ro 7:7, al.; c. acc. pers., Mt 26:72, Jo 1:31, Ac 3:16, al.; τ. θεόν, I Th 4:5, Tit 1:16, al.; c. acc. et inf., Lk 4:41, al.; seq. ὅτι, Mt 9:6,

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

οἶδα καὶ τὰς προστιμή[σεις τῶν] ὀθονίων ἕως τοῦ ν (ἔτους), ““ἀπᾷ they remit to the overseers of the temples and the chief priests and priests the arrears on account of both the tax for overseers and the values of woven cloths up to the soth year”’ (Edd.): see the editors’ note ad 7. and P Rey L}xxxvii-cvii with the note on p. 175, also OG/ZS go! (Rosetta stone— B.C. 196) τῶν τ᾽ εἰς TO βασιλικὸν συντελουμένων ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς βυσσίνων ὀθονίων ἀπέλυσεν τὰ δύο μέρη, {0.25 τὰς τιμὰς τῶν μὴ συντετελεσμένων εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν βυσσίνων ὀθ[ονίων. On the manufacture of ὀθόνιον (Suid. λεπτὸν ὕφασμα) see Otto Préester i. p. 300f., and cf. the Zeno letter PSI VI. 599 (iii/B.c.), where mention is made of 3 slaves and 1 woman as engaged on the manufacture of each ὀθόνιον. The word ὀθονιοπώλης,, ‘“a linen-seller,”’ is restored by Wilcken in P Leid 13 (B.c. 99) (=I. p. 52); for ὀθονιακός, ‘a…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εἴδω (eidō) — to perceive: understand.

εἴδω,

no active present in use, ὁράω being used:—middle, see.below [Refs 4th c.BC+]: aorist 2 εἶδον always in sense of see (so in present and aorist 1 middle, to be seen, i.e. seem): but perfect οἶδα, in present sense, know. (With ἔ-ϝιδον, compare (ϝ) είδομαι, (ϝ) εῖδος, Latin videre; with (ϝ) οῖδα, cf. Sanskrit véda, Gothic wait, O[Refs 5th c.BC+] wát 'know'.)

__A aorist 2 εἶδον (late εἶδα [Refs 5th c.AD+]aorist to ὁράω, Epic dialect ἴδον, iterative ἴδεσκε [Refs 8th c.BC+], late Aeolic dialect εὔιδον [Refs]; imperative ἴδε (in Attic dialect written as adverb ἰδέ, behold! Hdn.Gr.2.23), ἴδετ; subjunctive ἴδω, Epic dialect ἴδωμι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; optative ἴδοιμ; infinitive ἰδεῖν, Epic dialect ἰδέει; participle ἰδών: hence, future ἰδησῶ [Refs 3rd c.BC+] —middle, aorist 2 εἰδόμην, Epic dialect…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

οἶδα οιδα ὁράω

eido

a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being

borrowed from the equivalent 3700 and 3708; properly, to see

(literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense

only) to know:--be aware, behold, X can (+ not tell), consider, (have)

know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand,

wish, wot. Compare 3700.

see GREEK for 3700

see GREEK for 3708

see GREEK for 3700

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

οἶδα

v.

I know, remember

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Into Englishhow translators actually render it
28%having seen
having seen28% · 105×i saw12% · 45×see9% · 33×he saw7% · 26×saw5% · 19×they saw3% · 13×knew3% · 12×do see3% · 10×other renderings31% · 118×

381 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 50 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 320 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
οὐNeg
σύὅτιthat, since, becκαίand, even, also,
καίand, even, also, nam
ἀκούωI hear, listenἐγώοἶδαI know, remember
ἐγώ
ἀπόλλυμιI destroy, lose,ὅςοὔτεNeg
μήNeg
πλανάωI lead astray, dArticle theἨλίαςElijah
σύ
κύριοςlord, Lord, mastφοβέωI fear, am terriπᾶςall, the whole,
οἶδαhave seen320×
what comes after →
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theἀληθήςunconcealed, truπᾶςall, the whole,
Article the
ἸησοῦςJesusγραφήa writing, passaἄνθρωποςa man, one of th
γάρfor
ὅτιthat, since, becArticle theπότεIrg
τίςIrg
αἰτέωI ask, request, ἀποκρίνομαιI answer, replyποιέωI do, make
αὐτός
Article theἀλλάbut, exceptκαίand, 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

Concordanceοἶδα · 320× in the New Testament
John 1 Corinthians Matthew Luke Mark Acts 2 Corinthians Romans 1 John 1 Thessalonians Revelation Philippians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 60 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 41c. AD 40

τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι πρῶτον μέν ἐστι σπορὰ καὶ φυτεία, δεύτερον δὲ τῶν σπαρέντων καὶ φυτευθέντων αὔξησις, ἡ μὲν εἰς τὸ κάτω ῥίζας ἀποτείνουσα οἱονεὶ θεμελίους, ἡ δ’ εἰς τὸ ἄνω πρὸς ὕψος αἰρομένων καὶ στελεχουμένων;

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.285c. AD 75–95

Προϊὼν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας χρόνῳ παρῆν εἰς τὴν Χαρράν, καὶ ποιμένας ἐν τοῖς προαστείοις καταλαβὼν καὶ παῖδας ἐφήβους καὶ παρθένους ὑπέρ τινος ἱδρυμένους φρέατος συνδιέτριβεν αὐτοῖς χρῄζων ποτοῦ εἴς τε λόγους αὐτοῖς ἀφικνούμενος ἀνέκρινεν αὐτούς,…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 9.9c. AD 100

οἶδεν ὁ τὴν ἔμφυτον δωρεὰν τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν.

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 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Grenf. 2 17Thebais137 BC

Πόρτιτος τῶν προκειμένων πάντων. ἔγραψεν Δρύτων Παμφίλου ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ φάσκειν αὐτοὺς μὴ εἰδέναι γράμματα. ἔτους λδ Τῦβι θ.

P.Adl. 4Ptolemais (Oberägypten)110 BC

δίκης. ἔγραψεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ψεμμίνιος Διονύσιος Ἀρχεδήμου Βερενικεὺς ἀξιωθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι γράμματα. ἔτους η Τῦβι κδ.

Chrest.Wilck. 12Pathyris89 BC

εἰς Μέμφιν, Ἱέρακα δὲ προκεχειρίσθαι μετὰ δυνάμεων μυρίων ἐπὶ καταστολὴν τῆς Θηβαίδος. ὅπως οὖν εἰδότες εὐθαρσεῖς ὑπάρχητε ἐκρίναμεν σημῆναι. ἔρρωσθε ἔτους λ Φαῶφι ιθ

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
μέγα,megas great, G3173 Adjective · accusative · singular · neuter
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
intense, extraordinary
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-ASN — Adjective · accusative · singular · neuter
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

A-ASN Part of Speech: Adjective Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

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
μέγαςgreat,243×
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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
καὶkai and G2532 Conjunction
8,978× 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
And or also, a connecting word used to join ideas or words, like in Matthew 2:18 and Hebrews 1:1.
Tyndale gloss
and
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

καί (kai) is a conjunction meaning 'and,' used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. It serves various functions, including copulative and adjunctive uses, and can express cumulative ideas like 'also' or 'even.' The New Testament frequently employs it to link terms and sentences, as seen in verses like Matthew 2:18 and John 10:3. Abbott-Smith notes its use in both simple and complex structures, while Thayer emphasizes its role as the most common particle in the New Testament.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

καί,

conj.,

and.

Copulative.

Connecting single words;

in general: Mt 2:18 16:1, Mk 2:15, Lk 8:15, He 1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mt 23:23, Lk 14:21, Ro 7:12 9:4, al.;

connecting numerals (WM, § 37, 4): Jo 2:20, Ac 13:20;

joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mt 8:33 26:59, Mk 16:17,

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

καί, a conj., and; the most freq. by far of all the particles in the N. T. [On its uses see W. § 53, 3sqq.; B. 361 (310) sqq., and ef. Ellicott on Phil. iv. 12; on the difference between it and τέ see 8. v. τέ ad init. ] I. It serves as a copulative i.e. to connect (Lat. et, atque, Germ. und) ; 1. it connects single words or terms: a. univ., as of Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι, Mt. xvi. 1; ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, he who is God and Father (see θεός, 3); ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ, Lk. viii. 15; πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, ΗΘ}. 1. 1; it is repeated before single terms, to each of which its own force and weight is thus given: ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ai διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, Ro. ix. 4 ; ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή, Ro. vii. 12; add, Mt. xxiii. 23; Lk. xiv. 21; Jn. xvi. 8; Acts xv. 20, 29; xxi. 25; Heb. ix. 10; Rey. v. 12; xviii. 12 sq.; ef. W. 519 sq. (484). b. it…

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

και. In LAE p. 129 ff. Deissmann discusses the thoroughly popular character of the Johannine style with its short paratactic sentences, introduced by kal. . . καί. To illustrate this, he cites amongst other exx. a Dream from the Serapeum, P Par 51 (B.C. 160) (= Selections, p. 18 ff. : see especially the amended readings in Archiv vi. p. 204), which runs—** ὦμ[ην] βατί -- δ)ίζειν pe [ἀπ]ὸ λειβὸς ἕως ἀ[ πηλι]ώτου, καὶ ἀναπίπτομαι ἐπ᾿ ἄχυρον" καὶ [ἄν]θρωπ[ος9] ἀπὸ λιβός μου, ἐχόμενός μου’ ἀναπίπτει καὶ αὐτός, καὶ ὥσπερ κεκλειμμ[évot] μου ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, καὶ ἐξαί[φνης] ἀνύγω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς pov, καὶ ὁρῶ kTA., “ I dreamed that I was going from West to East, and I lie down upon chaff. And there | αὐτὸ (deleted in the original) Σεμφθεῖ. | ἐκ καινῆς ἐν Σομολ(ῶ)…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

καί (kai) — and.

καί,

conjunction, copulative, joining words and sentences,

__A and; also adverb, even, also, just, frequently expressing emphatic assertion or assent, corresponding as positive to the negative οὐ (μή) or οὐδέ (μηδέ). copulative, and,

__A.I joining words or sentences to those preceding, ἦ, καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπ᾽ ὀφρύσινεῦσε Κρονίων [Refs 8th c.BC+]: repeated with two or more Nouns, αἱ δὲ ἔλαφοι κ. δορκάδες κ. οἱ ἄγριοι οἶες κ. οἱ ὄνοι οἱ ἄγριοι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; joining only the last pair, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ ὄχλος πλείων κ. πλείων ἐπέρρει more and more, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to add epithets after πολύς, πολλὰ κ. ἐσθλά [Refs 8th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

καί

kai

apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also

a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in

connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and,

also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when,

yet.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

καί

Cj.

and, even, also, namely

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

καί kai 9x

(1) and, Mt. 2:2, 3, 11; 4:22; (2) καί ... καί, both ... and; (3) as a cumulative particle, also, too, Mt. 5:39; Jn. 8:19; 1 Cor. 11:6; (4) emphatic, even, also, Mt. 10:30; 1 Cor. 2:10; in NT adversative, but, Mt. 11:19; also introductory of the apodosis of a sentence, Gal. 3:28; Jas. 2:4

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
89%and
and89% · 8448×also8% · 714×other renderings2% · 191×other renderings1% · 124×

9,477 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 42 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
adverbial16%subject13%object10%predicate3%verb2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 8,978 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
αὐτός
ἐνἐπίπρός
σύ
χάριςgrace, favor, kiπρόςπατήρfather, Father,
ἐγώ
πατήρfather, Father, πρόςθεόςGod, a god
εἰμίI am, exist
αὐτόςArticle theἐγώ
θεόςGod, a god
Article theθέλημαwill, wish, desiδέbut, on the othe
καίand8978×
what comes after →
Article the
ἀδελφόςa brotherπατήρfather, Father, μήτηρa mother
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςArticle theπρός
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existμήNegδύναμαιI am powerful, a
ὁράωI see, look upon, ex
Article theαὐτόςἀνήρa male human bei
ἐν
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

Concordanceκαί · 8,978× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Revelation Acts Mark John 1 Corinthians Romans Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

3 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 Ignatius of Antioch
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

ἡ 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 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 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 καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

1 ἔτους ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
τοῖςho to those G3588 Article · dative · plural · 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-DPM — Article · dative · plural · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-DPM Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Dative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

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
to those19783×
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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
καθημένοιςkathēmai sitting G2521 Verb · present · no voice stated · participle · dative · plural · masculine
91× 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 to sit, used in Matthew 11:16 and many other places to describe people sitting or being seated. It can also mean to remain or reside in a place, and is often used to describe people gathering or meeting together. This word is commonly used in the New Testament to describe various scenes and settings.
Tyndale gloss
to sit
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

κάθημαι (kathemai) means to sit or be seated, and is used in various contexts including physical sitting, residing, or even metaphorically for remaining in a state. It appears in several New Testament verses such as Matthew 9:9 and Revelation 4:3. The word is derived from a combination of roots implying sitting down, and its usage spans both literal and figurative meanings.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κάθ-ημαι,

[in LXX chiefly for ישׁב;]

in cl. pres. and impf. only (prop. pf. and plpf. of καθέζομαι; cf. Bl., § 24), in LXX and NT fut. also, to sit, be seated: Mt 11:16 22:44(LXX), Mk 2:6, Jo 6:3, Ac 2:2, Ja 2:3 (on the vulgar imper. κάθου, v. Kennedy, Sources, 162), Re 4:3, al.; seq. prep. c. acc., ἐπί, Mt 9:9, Mk 2:14, Jo 12:15; παρά, Mt 13:1, Mk 10:46; περί, Mk 3:32, 34; πρός, Read the full entry →

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

κάθ-ημαι, 2 pers. sing. κάθῃ a later form for κάθησαι (Acts xxiii. 3), impv. κάθου for κάθησο [yet ef. Kiihner as below] (cf. Zob. ad Phryn. p. 359; Kriiger $38, 6 sq. i. p. 147; Kiihner § 301 i. p. 671; W. 8.14, 4; [B. 49 (42)]), [subjune. 2 pers. plur. κάθησθε, Lk. xxii. 30 Tr mrg.; but WH txt. καθῆσθε ; see Veitch 5. v.; Kriiger $38, 6, 1 (cf. καθίζω), inf. καθῆσθαι, ptep. καθήμενος; imp ἐκαθήμην; and once the rare [ef. Veitch p. 347] fut. καθήcopa, Lk. xxii. 30 T Tr txt. WH mrg. [so WH in Mt. xix. 28 also; cf. καθίζω, fin.]; (jar); a verb of which only the pres. and impf. are in use in class. Grk. [ef. B. 60 (52) ]; Sept. for 1; 1. to sit down, seat one’s self: foll. by ἐν w. dat. of place [ef. W. § 52, 4, 9], Mk. iv. 1; Lk. xxii. 55 [here T Tr WH pégos]; εἰς, Mk. xiii. 3 [B. § 147,16]; μετά w. gen. of pers., Mt. xxvi. 58; κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, i. 6. be a partner of my power, Mt.…

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

κάθημαι. P Petr III. 42 H (8){31 (mid. iii/B.c.) ἡμέρας k ἐκάθητο, P Par 1811} κάτισον és (1. κάθησον ἕως) ἴδωμεν τί μέλλομεν ποιεῖν, BGU LV. 1141°3(B.c. 14) εὑρίσκῳωι αὐτὸν καθήμενοί(ν), 7b. 10788 (A.D. 39) οὐ γὰρ ἀργὸν δεῖ με καθῆσθαι. With the use of κάθημαι in Ac 23, cf. the curious interview between an Emperor (ἢ Commodus) and a certain Appianus, who has been condemned to death, where, in view of an impending riot, a soldier is represented as saying to the Emperor— κύριε, κάθῃ, “Pwpator γονγύζο[υσ]ι, ‘Lord, while you are sitting in judgement, the Romans are murmuring” (Edd.) (P Oxy I. 33 verso 41-18, late ii/A.D.). For the form κάθου (Mk 1258, Ac 234, from Ps 1104), see Maidhof, p. 300: cf. Menander 7yagm. p. 254, where Kock quotes other three passages from comic poets. With Pe/agia-Legenden, p. 44 καθημένη εἰς βαδιστήν, ‘‘seated on an ass,” Musonius p. 435 καθῆσθαι cis Σινώπην…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κάθημαι (kathēmai) — to sit.

κάθημαι,

Ionic dialect κάτ-, 2nd pers. singular κάθησαι (Ionic dialect κάτ- [NT+5th c.BC+] codices; 3rd.pers. singular κάθηται [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural κατέαται [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κάθουσο [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. singular καθήσθω [Refs 4th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural καθήσθωσαν [Refs]; subjunctive καθῶμαι, κάθῃ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive καθῆσθα; participle καθήμενος: imperfect ἐκαθήμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also without syllable augment καθῆστο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect κατῆστο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect καθήατο [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect κατέατο [Refs 5th c.BC+]: the later future καθήσομαι [LXX+NT+5th c.BC+]:—to be seated, sit, αὐτός τε κάθησο καὶ ἄλλους ἵδρυε λαούς [Refs 8th c.BC+]: frequently in participle, πέτρῃ ἔπι προβλῆτι καθήμενος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπ᾽ ἀκτῆς κλαῖε κ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κλαῖον δ᾽ ἐν…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

κάθημαι

kathemai

from 2596; and hemai (to sit; akin to the base of 1476); to sit down;

figuratively, to remain, reside:--dwell, sit (by, down).

see GREEK for 2596

see GREEK for 1476

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κάθημαι

v.

I sit, am seated

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κάθημαι kathēmai 91x

to sit, be sitting, Mt. 9:9; Lk. 10:13; to be seated, 1 Cor. 14:30; to be enthroned, Rev. 18:7; to dwell, reside, Mt. 4:16; Lk. 1:79; 21:35

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

κάθημαι to be seated, Hom., etc.

to be seated in court, Ar.; οἱ καθήμενοι the judges, the court, Thuc., etc.

to sit still, sit quiet, Lat. desidere, Hom., Hdt.: in bad sense, to sit or lie idle, Il., etc.

of a besieging army, to sit down or lie before a place, Eur., Thuc.

to lead a sedentary life, Hdt., Aesch., etc.

of people, to be settled, Hdt.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PNP-DPM — Verb · present · no voice stated · participle · dative · plural · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PNP-DPM Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: middle or passive depoNent Mood: Participle Case: Dative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sit'-ing (yashabh, "to sit down or still," daghar, "to brood," "hatch"; kathezomai, "to sit down," anakeimai, "to lie back," "recline"): The favorite position of the Orientals (Mal 3:3; Mt 9:9; 26:55 (compare Mt 5:1; Lu 4:20; 5:3); Mr 14:18; Lu 18:35; Joh 2:14, etc.).

"In Palestine people sit at all kinds of work; the carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting upon the ground or upon the plank he is planing. The washerwoman sits by the tub, and, in a word, no one stands where it is possible to sit.…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Sitting

The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who were engaged in any kind of work. “The carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he is planning. The washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a word, no one stands when it is possible to sit. Shopkeepers always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom (Matt. 9:9) is the exact way to state the case.”, Thomson, Land and Book.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
73%sitting
sitting73% · 66×do sit8% · 7×he was sitting4% · 4×sitting by2% · 2×sits2% · 2×will sit2% · 2×when was sitting2% · 2×other renderings7% · 6×

91 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 13 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
verb98%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 91 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
καίand, even, also,δεξιόςon the right hanλέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also, nam
λίθοςa stoneἐγώὑποστρέφωI turn back, ret
ἐγώ
κύριοςlord, Lord, mast
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of the hu
Article theὁράωI see, look upon
ἐμβαίνωI embark
πλοῖονa ship, vessel
κάθημαιsitting91×
what comes after →
ἐπί
Article theαὐτόςπρόσωπονthe face, counte
ἐκ
δεξιόςon the right han
ἐν
Article theσκοτίαdarknessχώραregion, land, fi
καίand, even, also, nam
πᾶςall, the whole, αὐτόςδιαλογίζομαιI reason, debate
Article the
δύναμιςmight, power, maκατευθύνωI make straight,ἄνθρωποςa man, one of th

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

Concordanceκάθημαι · 91× in the New Testament
Revelation Matthew Luke Mark Acts John James 1 Corinthians Colossians Hebrews
Across the New Testament10 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 75 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
The Shepherd of Hermas Josephus The Didache The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 3.186c. AD 40

17, 11), τοῦτο παριστὰς ὅτι, ὁ νοῦς ἐπειδὰν μὲν ἐξάρῃ αὑτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν θνητῶν καὶ μετεωρισθῇ, ῥώννυται τὸ ὁρῶν τὸν θεόν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν Ἰσραήλ, ἐπειδὰν δὲ καθῇ τοὺς ἰδίους τόνους καὶ ἐξασθενήσῃ, αὐτίκα τὸ πάθος ἰσχύσει, ὁ Ἀμαλήκ, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται λαὸς…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 6.226c. AD 75–95

νουμηνία μὲν εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσάν ἐστιν, ἔθος δʼ ἔχω δειπνεῖν σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ καθήμενος·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 12.10c. AD 100

ἐπεὶ οὖν μέλλουσιν λέγειν, ὅτι Χριστὸς υἱὸς Δαυείδ ἐστιν, αὐτὸς προφητεύει Δαυείδ, φοβούμενος καὶ συνίων τὴν πλάνην τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν: Εἷπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου: Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου.

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. BC 1st c. AD 4th c. AD 2nd c. BC

ἐκθέματι κα … … … … ζεσθαι … τοὺς ἐναντ … … τόποις καθη … τοὺς δὲ ἐνθ … … τόποις ἢ ὅπου δήπου ῥ

P.Fouad 1 37Oxyrhynchos (?)AD 48

ἐκδεδόσθαι μοι τὸν υἱὸν σοῦ Φοῦσκον, οὐδέπω ὄντα τῶν ἐτῶν ἐκδιδάξαι τὴν λινουφικὴν τῶν καθημένων τέχνην πᾶσαν ἐντελῶς, καθὰ καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπίσταμαι, ἐν ἔτεσι δυσί ἀπὸ μηνὸς Γερμανικείου τοῦ

Doc.Eser.Rom. 103AD 63–AD 64

καὶ αὐτὸς ἀντησπάσατο, καὶ τῆι … τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς ἠσπασάμεθα αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἀτρείωι, καθημένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ βήματι. Τοῦσκος εἶπεν ἡμῖν· καὶ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῆι εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
ἐνen in [the] 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
The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
χώρᾳchōra land G5561 Noun · dative · singular · feminine
28× 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 a region or country, used in Matthew 12:2 to describe a place where Jesus and his disciples were walking.
Amplified meaning
region, country
Tyndale gloss
country
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

χώρα refers to a space or region, often translated as land, country, or territory. It can denote both rural areas as opposed to urban settings and specific regions within a country, such as Galatia or Judea. The New Testament uses it in contexts like Matthew 12:2 and Luke 2:8. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to lie open,' indicating an expanse that can include its inhabitants.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

χώρα, -ας, ἡ

[in LXX for אֶרֶץ, מְדִינָה, etc. ;]

most freq. in cl., a space, place.

land, i.e.

a land, country, region: Mt 12:2, Mk 5:10 6:55, Lk 2:8 15:13-15 19:12, Jo 11:54, Ac 13:49 27:27; χ. Γαλατική, Ac 16:6 18:23; Τραχωνίτιδος, Lk 3:1; τ. Ἰουδαίας, Ac 26:20; τ. Ἰουδαίων, Ac 10:39; pl., τῆς Ἰουδαίας κ. Σαμαρείας, Ac 8:1; Γεργεσηνῶν (Γερασηνῶν, Γαδαρηνῶν)

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

χώρα, -as, 7, (XAQ [ef. Curtius $179], to lie open, be ready to receive), fr. Hom. down, Sept. for p38, 77°72 ‘a province’; 1. prop. the space lying between two 2. a region or country; i.e. a tract of land: ἡ x. ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου, Jn. xi. 54; [in an elliptical phrase, ἡ ἀστραπὴ (ἡ) ἀστράπτουσα ἐκ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰς τὴν ὑπ᾽ οὐρανὸν λάμπει, ΔΑ. ρατὲ. .. part, Lk. xvii. 24 (cf. W.§ 64, 5) ; on the ellipsis of χώρα in other phrases (ἐξ ἐναντίας, ἐν δεξιᾷ, ete.), see W. 1. c.; B. 82 (72)]; land as opp. to the sea, Acts xxvii. 27; land as inhabited, @ province or country, Mk. v. 10; [vi. 55 L mrg. T Tr WH]; Lk. xv. 13-15; xix. 12; Acts xiii. 49; with a gen. of the name of the region added: Τραχωνίτιδος, Lk. iii. 1; τῆς Ιουδαίας, Acts xxvi. 20; [(or an equiv. adj.) ] Γαλατική, Acts xvi. 6; xviii. 235 τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Acts x. 39; plur. τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Σαμαρείας, [A. V. regions}, Acts vill. 1…

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

χώρα. For this word in its widest sense of the ‘terrestrial region,” cf. P Leid ("3 (B.c. 181-143) (=I. p. 42) κυριείαν τῶν [ὑ]Ἱπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν χωρῶϊν. In P Cairo Zen III. 594514 (iii/B.c.) it refers to exemption from compulsory labour κατὰ τὴν χώραν, ‘throughout the country” or “district,” and for a similar geographical sense we may refer to P Oxy IV. 7098 (c. A.D. 50) τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τῆς κάτωι χώρας v[opods] εἰς ᾿Αλεξανδρείαν, with reference to the Delta, and zd. X. 12748 (iii/A.D.) βασιλικῇ ypappareta ᾿Αλεξανδρέων χώρας, “ basilico-grammateus of the territory of the Alexandrians.” Note also the comp. in P Oxy VI. 936° (iii/A.D.) TO προσκύνημά cov ποιῶ παρὰ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις θεοῖς, ‘I perform the act of worship on your behalf to the gods of the country” (Edd.), a son to his father. The thought of the ‘‘country” as opposed to the town (cf. Lk 2124, Jn 435, Jas 54) is seen in P Tebt II.…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

χώρα (chōra) — country.

χώρα,

Ionic dialect χώρη, ἡ, ={χῶρος}, space or room in which a thing is, defined as partly occupied space, distinguished from κενόν and τόπος, [Refs 5th c.BC+] = country[Refs 8th c.BC+]; χώραν τινὶ καταλιπεῖν leave room for it, [Refs 1st c.AD+]

2. generally, place, spot, στρέψεσθ᾽ ἐκ χώρης ὅθι.. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; χώραν ἐκ χώρας μεταβάλλειν move from place to place, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; field in a ceiling, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἡ πρώτη χ. the first field (on the chest of Cypselus), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; socket or cavity of a joint, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the eye, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; as euphemism for the genital organs, [Refs]

3. the position, proper place of a person or thing, ἐνὶ χώρῃ ἕζεται [Refs 8th c.BC+]: especially a soldier's post, Ἄρης οὐκ ἔνι χώρα is not…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

χώρα

chora

feminine of a derivative of the base of 5490 through the idea of empty

expanse; room, i.e. a space of territory (more or less extensive;

often including its inhabitants):--coast, county, fields, ground,

land, region. Compare 5117.

see GREEK for 5117

see GREEK for 5490

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

χώρα, ας, ἡ

n.f.

region, land, fields

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

χώρα chōra 28x

space, room; a country, region, tract, province, Mk. 5:10; Lk. 2:8; a district, territory, suburbs, Mt. 8:28; meton. the inhabitants of a country, region, etc., Mk. 1:5; Acts 12:20; the country, as opposed to the city or town, Lk. 21:21; a field, farm, Lk. 12:16; Jn. 4:35

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

χώρα χώρα, ionic χώρη, ἡ, = χῶρος the space in which a thing is, Lat. locus, οὐδέ τι πολλὴ χώρη μεσσηγύς Il.; ὀλίγῃ ἐνὶ χώρῃ id. Il.

generally, a place, Hom.

one's place, position, ἐν χώρῃ ἕζεσθαι Il.; esp. a soldier's post, χώραν λείπειν Thuc.; χώραν λαβεῖν to find one's place, ἕως ἂν χώραν λάβῃ τὰ πράγματα till they are brought into position, into order, Xen.

metaph. one's place in life, station, place, position, Ἄρης δ᾽ οὐκ ἐνὶ χώρᾳ the spirit of war is not there, Aesch.; ἐν ἀνδραπόδων or μισθοφόρων χώρᾳ εἶναι to be in the position of slaves or mercenaries, Xen.; ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ χώρᾳ εἶναι to be in no esteem, nullo loco haberi, id. Xen.:—also, κατὰ χώραν (χώρην) εἶναι, ἔχειν to be in one's place, to keep a thing in its place, Hdt., Ar.; κατὰ χ. μένειν to stand…

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

N-DSF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

((1) 'erets;

(2) 'adhamah;

(3) sadheh,

"a piece of land";

(4) ge, "earth";

(5) agros, "field";

(6) chora, "region";

(7) chorion, diminutive of chora;

(8) xeros, "dry land";

(9) 'ezrach, "native" the King James Version "born in the land," "born among you," the Revised Version (British and American) "home-born" (Le 19:34; 14:16; Nu 15:30); "like a green tree in its native soil" (Ps 37:35)):

'Erets occurs hundreds of times and is used in much the same way as 'adhamah, which also occurs often: e.g. "land of Egypt," 'erets mitsrayim (Ge 13:10), and 'adhmath mitsrayim (Ge 47:20). The other words occur less often, and are used in the…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Appeared on the third creative day Ge 1:9

→ Original title to, from God Ge 13:14-17; 15:7; Ex 23:31; Le 25:23

→ Bought and sold Ge 23:3-18; 33:19; Ac 4:34; 5:1-8

→ Sale and redemption of, laws concerning Le 25:15,16,23-33; 27:17-24; Nu 36:4; Jer 32:7-16,25,44; Eze 46:18

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
54%region
region54% · 15×country21% · 6×land7% · 2×fields7% · 2×regions4% · 1×ground4% · 1×countries4% · 1×other renderings0% · 0×

28 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
adverbial64%subject18%indirect object7%object7%predicate4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 28 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
εἰςὅλοςall, the whole, ἐν
εἰς
ἀποδημέωI go into anotheπορεύομαιI travel, journe
Γαλατικόςbelonging to the pro
καίand, even, also,Article the
ἐν
κάθημαιI sit, am seated
ἸουδαίαJudea
Article the
χώραland28×
what comes after →
Article the
Γερασηνόςfrom GeraseneἸουδαίαJudeaΓαδαρηνόςGadarene, belong
καίand, even, also, nam
σκιάa shadow, thick Article theΛυσανίαςLysanias
ἐκεῖνος
καίand, even, also,
μακρόςlong, distant
καίand, even, also,λαμβάνωI receive, take
αὐτός

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

Concordanceχώρα · 28× in the New Testament
Luke Acts Mark John Matthew James
Across the New Testament6 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 104 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 Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 20c. AD 40

καθάπερ οὖν ἡ ἐν τῷ ἀρχιτεκτονικῷ προδιατυπωθεῖσα πόλις χώραν ἐκτὸς οὐκ εἶχεν, ἀλλ’ ἐνεσφράγιστο τῇ τοῦ τεχνίτου ψυχῇ, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον οὐδ’ ὁ ἐκ τῶν ἰδεῶν κόσμος ἄλλον ἂν ἔχοι τόπον ἢ τὸν θεῖον λόγον τὸν ταῦτα διακοσμήσαντα·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.119c. AD 75–95

περὶ δὲ τοῦ πεδίου τοῦ λεγομένου Σεναὰρ ἐν τῇ Βαβυλωνίᾳ χώρᾳ μνημονεύει Ἑστιαῖος λέγων οὕτως·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 7.8c. AD 100

καὶ ὅταν γένηται οὕτως, ἄγει ὁ βαστάζων τὸν τράγον εἰς τὴν ἔρημον καὶ ἀφαιρεῖ τὸ ἔριον καὶ ἐπιτίθησιν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ φρύγανον τὸ λεγόμενον ῥαχήλ, οὗ καὶ τοὺς βλαστοὺς εἰώθαμεν τρώγειν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ εὑρίσκοντες: οὕτω μόνης τῆς ῥαχοῦς οἱ καρποὶ γλυκεῖς εἰσιν.

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

πληρώσωσιν καὶ τῇ προσηκούσῃ αὐτοῖς γεωργίαι προσκαρτερήσωσιν. εἰδὼς μέντοι ὅτι ἐνίων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας ἡ πόλις ἡμῶν ἔχει χρείαν βούλομαι πάντας τοὺς εὔλογον δοκοῦντας ἔχειν τοῦ ἐνθάδε ἐπιμένειν

βασιλικοῦ γραμματέως Ἀρσινοίτου Ἡρακλείδου μερίδος καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στρατηγοῦ Θεοδώρου αἱρεθέντων εἰς χώραν, F. Preisigke, Wörterbuch II, 765 αὐτοῦ τῇ κ τοῦ ὄντος μηνὸς Μεχεὶρ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος

P.Cair. Isid. 68Karanis (Arsinoites)AD 309–AD 310

ἐν ἀπόρῳ τυγχανόντων ὀνομάτων. οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν σκεπάσαντες Παήσιον ὃν ἡ χώρα ἐκάλεσεν εἰς ἀπαίτησιν ἀχύρου πάλιν ἐμὲ πειρῶνται τοῦ βαλεῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ Παησίου ἴσως ἀργυρολογήσαντες

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
καὶkai and G2532 Conjunction
8,978× 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
And or also, a connecting word used to join ideas or words, like in Matthew 2:18 and Hebrews 1:1.
Tyndale gloss
and
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

καί (kai) is a conjunction meaning 'and,' used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. It serves various functions, including copulative and adjunctive uses, and can express cumulative ideas like 'also' or 'even.' The New Testament frequently employs it to link terms and sentences, as seen in verses like Matthew 2:18 and John 10:3. Abbott-Smith notes its use in both simple and complex structures, while Thayer emphasizes its role as the most common particle in the New Testament.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

καί,

conj.,

and.

Copulative.

Connecting single words;

in general: Mt 2:18 16:1, Mk 2:15, Lk 8:15, He 1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mt 23:23, Lk 14:21, Ro 7:12 9:4, al.;

connecting numerals (WM, § 37, 4): Jo 2:20, Ac 13:20;

joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mt 8:33 26:59, Mk 16:17,

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

καί, a conj., and; the most freq. by far of all the particles in the N. T. [On its uses see W. § 53, 3sqq.; B. 361 (310) sqq., and ef. Ellicott on Phil. iv. 12; on the difference between it and τέ see 8. v. τέ ad init. ] I. It serves as a copulative i.e. to connect (Lat. et, atque, Germ. und) ; 1. it connects single words or terms: a. univ., as of Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι, Mt. xvi. 1; ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, he who is God and Father (see θεός, 3); ἐν καρδίᾳ καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ, Lk. viii. 15; πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, ΗΘ}. 1. 1; it is repeated before single terms, to each of which its own force and weight is thus given: ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ai διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, Ro. ix. 4 ; ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή, Ro. vii. 12; add, Mt. xxiii. 23; Lk. xiv. 21; Jn. xvi. 8; Acts xv. 20, 29; xxi. 25; Heb. ix. 10; Rey. v. 12; xviii. 12 sq.; ef. W. 519 sq. (484). b. it…

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

και. In LAE p. 129 ff. Deissmann discusses the thoroughly popular character of the Johannine style with its short paratactic sentences, introduced by kal. . . καί. To illustrate this, he cites amongst other exx. a Dream from the Serapeum, P Par 51 (B.C. 160) (= Selections, p. 18 ff. : see especially the amended readings in Archiv vi. p. 204), which runs—** ὦμ[ην] βατί -- δ)ίζειν pe [ἀπ]ὸ λειβὸς ἕως ἀ[ πηλι]ώτου, καὶ ἀναπίπτομαι ἐπ᾿ ἄχυρον" καὶ [ἄν]θρωπ[ος9] ἀπὸ λιβός μου, ἐχόμενός μου’ ἀναπίπτει καὶ αὐτός, καὶ ὥσπερ κεκλειμμ[évot] μου ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, καὶ ἐξαί[φνης] ἀνύγω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς pov, καὶ ὁρῶ kTA., “ I dreamed that I was going from West to East, and I lie down upon chaff. And there | αὐτὸ (deleted in the original) Σεμφθεῖ. | ἐκ καινῆς ἐν Σομολ(ῶ)…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

καί (kai) — and.

καί,

conjunction, copulative, joining words and sentences,

__A and; also adverb, even, also, just, frequently expressing emphatic assertion or assent, corresponding as positive to the negative οὐ (μή) or οὐδέ (μηδέ). copulative, and,

__A.I joining words or sentences to those preceding, ἦ, καὶ κυανέῃσιν ἐπ᾽ ὀφρύσινεῦσε Κρονίων [Refs 8th c.BC+]: repeated with two or more Nouns, αἱ δὲ ἔλαφοι κ. δορκάδες κ. οἱ ἄγριοι οἶες κ. οἱ ὄνοι οἱ ἄγριοι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; joining only the last pair, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ ὄχλος πλείων κ. πλείων ἐπέρρει more and more, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to add epithets after πολύς, πολλὰ κ. ἐσθλά [Refs 8th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

καί

kai

apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also

a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in

connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and,

also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when,

yet.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

καί

Cj.

and, even, also, namely

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

καί kai 9x

(1) and, Mt. 2:2, 3, 11; 4:22; (2) καί ... καί, both ... and; (3) as a cumulative particle, also, too, Mt. 5:39; Jn. 8:19; 1 Cor. 11:6; (4) emphatic, even, also, Mt. 10:30; 1 Cor. 2:10; in NT adversative, but, Mt. 11:19; also introductory of the apodosis of a sentence, Gal. 3:28; Jas. 2:4

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
89%and
and89% · 8448×also8% · 714×other renderings2% · 191×other renderings1% · 124×

9,477 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 42 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
adverbial16%subject13%object10%predicate3%verb2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 8,978 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
αὐτός
ἐνἐπίπρός
σύ
χάριςgrace, favor, kiπρόςπατήρfather, Father,
ἐγώ
πατήρfather, Father, πρόςθεόςGod, a god
εἰμίI am, exist
αὐτόςArticle theἐγώ
θεόςGod, a god
Article theθέλημαwill, wish, desiδέbut, on the othe
καίand8978×
what comes after →
Article the
ἀδελφόςa brotherπατήρfather, Father, μήτηρa mother
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςArticle theπρός
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existμήNegδύναμαιI am powerful, a
ὁράωI see, look upon, ex
Article theαὐτόςἀνήρa male human bei
ἐν
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

Concordanceκαί · 8,978× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew Revelation Acts Mark John 1 Corinthians Romans Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

3 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 Ignatius of Antioch
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

ἡ 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 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 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 καὶ κανηφόρου τῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

1 ἔτους ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

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

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
σκιᾷskia in a shadow G4639 Noun · dative · singular · feminine
7× 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 shadow is used to describe both literal shade and figurative darkness, such as the shadow of death or error, as seen in Matthew 4:16 and Mark 4:32.
Amplified meaning
darkness, gloom
Tyndale gloss
shadow
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

σκιά (skia) means shadow or shade, both literally and metaphorically, indicating darkness or outlines cast by objects. It appears in various contexts, including the New Testament, where it is used to describe the 'shadow of death' (Mt 4:16, Lk 1:79) and contrasts with reality in passages like Col 2:17 and Heb 8:5. The word has a range of meanings from physical shade to metaphorical implications of ignorance and mortality.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σκιά, -ᾶς, ἡ

[in LXX chiefly for צֵל, IV Ki 20:9 ff., Ps 56 (57):1, al.; but σ. and σ. θανάτου are also used for צַלְמָוֶת, Jb 3:5, Ps 22 (23):4, Is 9:2 (1) (v. ICC, in l.), al. ;]

shadow, shade, caused by interception of light: Mk 4:32, Ac 5:15; metaph., σ. θανάτου, of ignorance and error, Mt 4:16, Lk 1:79 (LXX).

a shadow, the image or outline cast by an object: fig., ὑπόδειγμα καὶ σ., He 8:5; opp. to σῶμα, Col 2:17; opp. to…

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

σκιά, -as, ἡ, [(see σκηνή, init.)], fr. Hom. down, Sept. for 5x ; a. prop. shadow, i. 6. shade caused by the interception of the light: Mk. iv. 32 (cf. Ezek. xvii. 23) ; Acts v.15; σκιὰ θανάτου, shadow of death (like umbra mortis, Ovid. metam. 5, 191, and umbra Erebi, Verg. Aen. 4, 26; 6, 404), ‘the densest darkness’ (because from of old Hades had been regarded as enveloped in thick darkness), trop. the thick darkness of error [i. e. spiritual death; see θάνατος, 17: Mt. iv. 16; Lk. i. 79, (fr. Is. ix. 1, where minx). b. a shadow, i. e. an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object : opp. to σῶμα, the thing itself, Col. ii. 17 ; hence i. q. a sketch, outline, adumbration, Heb. viii. 5; opp. to εἰκών, the ‘express’ likeness, the very image, Heb. x. 1 (as in Cic. de off. 3,17, 69 nos veri juris solidam et expresssam effigiem nullam tenemus, wmbra et imaginibus…

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

σκιά, “shade,” is used of the shadow on a sun-dial in Prezsighke 3583 (iii/B.c.) μεθίσταται τὸ ἄκρον τῆς σκιᾶς ἐν ἡμέραις τριάκοντα. Other exx. of the word are P Oxy VIII. 108848 (medical receipt—early i/A.D.) ἐν τῆι σκιᾷ Enpavas, ‘dry in the shade,” and OG/S 201% (vi/A.D.) οὐκ ἀφῶ αὐτοὺς καθεσθῆναι els THY σκιάν, εἰ μὴ (-- ἀλλὰ) ὑπὸ ἡλίου ἔξω. In BGU IV. ττ413} (B.c. 13) Schubart thinks that σκιά is perhaps used in the sense of an ‘‘umbrella,” but Olsson (Papyrusbriefe, p. 52) prefers the meaning ‘‘a variegated border,” as in Sy// 653 (=% 736)2%24 (B.c. 92): cf. also P Oxy VI. 921? (iii/A.D.) σινδόνια σκιωτά, ““ cambrics with variegated borders”’ rather than ‘‘ with shaded stripes,” and the editors’ suggestion ad /. that σικιωτεν in P Tebt II. 4131! is perhaps for σκιωτόν. With Heb 10! cf. Pretstgke 344 Διόδωρος σκιὰν ᾿Αντιφίλου émo(yno[ev, and Vett. Val. p. 248%? with reference to a…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σκιά (skia) — shadow.

σκῐά, ᾶς,

Ionic dialect σκῐή, ῆς, ἡ, shadow, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; σκιὰ ἀντίστοιχος ὥς like the shadow that is one's double, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. reflection, image (in a bowl of oil), [Refs 8th c.BC+]

3. shade of one dead, phantom, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κατθανὼν δὲ πᾶς ἀνὴρ γῆ καὶ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, of one worn to a shadow, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; κακωθεὶς δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἄλλ᾽ εἰμ᾽ ἢ σ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]: frequently in proverbs of man's mortal estate, σκιᾶς ὄναρ ἄνθρωπος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁρῶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν εἴδωλα.. ἢ κούφην σ. [Refs]; of human affairs, εὐτυχοῦντα μὲν σκιᾷ τις ἂν πρέψειεν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἢ καπνοῦ σ. [Refs]; of worthless things, τἄλλ᾽ ἐγὼ καπνοῦ σκιᾶς οὐκ ἂν πριαίμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; περὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς [μάχεσθαι] [Refs 5th c.BC+] wrote a Comedy texts entitled Ὄνου σκι; ἡ ἐν Δελφοῖς σ. that phantom…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σκιά

skia

apparently a primary word; "shade" or a shadow (literally or

figuratively (darkness of error or an adumbration)):-- shadow.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σκιά, ᾶς, ἡ

n.f.

a shadow, thick darkness, an outline

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σκιά skia 7x

a shade, shadow, Mk. 4:32; Acts 5:15; met. a shadow, a foreshadowing, a vague outline, in distinction from ἡ εἰκών, the perfect image or delineation, and τὸ σῶμα, the reality, Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1; gloom; σκιὰ θανάτου, death shade, the thickest darkness, Mt. 4:16; Lk. 1:79*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

σκιά σκια, ᾶς, ionic σκιή, ῆς, ἡ,

a shadow, Od.; σκιὰ ἀντίστοιχος ὥς like the shadow that is one's double, Eur.

the shade of one who is dead, a phantom, Od., Trag.; so of one worn to a shadow, Aesch.:—in proverbs of man's mortal estate, σκιᾶς ὄναρ ἄνθρωπος Pind.; εἴδωλον σκιᾶς Aesch., etc.

the shade of trees, etc., πετραίη σκιή the shade of a rock, Hes.; ἐν σκιῇ id. Hes.; ὑπὸ σκιῇ Hdt.; ὑπὸ σκιᾶς Eur.; σκιὰν Σειρίου κυνός shade from it's heat, Aesch.

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

N-DSF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Shadow

Used in Col. 2:17; Heb. 8:5; 10:1 to denote the typical relation of the Jewish to the Christian dispensation.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Sometimes denotes intense darkness and gloom, Ps 23:4, and sometimes a cool retreat, Isa 33:2, or perfect protection, Ps 17:8 Isa 49:2 Da 4:12.

The long shadows cast by the declining sun are alluded to in Job 7:2 Jer 6:4. The swift, never ceasing motion of a shadow is an emblem of human life, 1Ch 29:15 Ps 102:11.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
86%shadow
shadow86% · 6×a shadow14% · 1×

7 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 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%object29%subject14%predicate14%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 7 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
χώραregion, land, fiσκότοςdarknessὑπόδειγμαa figure, copy,
Article the
ὑπόκἄνCond
εἰμίI am, exist
ὅς
σκιάin a shadow
what comes after →
θάνατοςdeath
φῶςlight, a source κάθημαιI sit, am seated
αὐτός
Article the
ἐπισκιάζωI overshadow, envelo
τὶς
Article the
μέλλωI am about to
λατρεύωI serve, worship
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

Concordanceσκιά · 7× in the New Testament
Hebrews Acts Colossians Luke Matthew Mark
Across the New Testament6 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 27 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 AlexandriaAllegorical Interpretation of Genesis 3.96c. AD 40

σκιὰ θεοῦ δὲ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ᾧ καθάπερ ὀργάνῳ προσχρησάμενος ἐκοσμοποίει.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 5.238c. AD 75–95

δεῖ μέντοι συνιζάνειν αὐτὰ ὑπὸ τὴν σκιάν, εἰ δʼ ὄλεθρον ἐπʼ αὐτῇ φρονοῖεν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνόντος πυρὸς διαφθαρεῖεν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
1st c. BC
BGU 4 1141Alexandria15 BC–14 BC

καὶ μὴ δεδωκέναι σοί, πρὸς ὃ ἔδειξέ σοι ὑπόδειγμα διὰ τὸ τὸν κρύπτοντα τὴν σκιὰν γέροντα ἐρωτηθέντα ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ εἰρηκέναι ἠλλάχθαι αὐτὴν … … με δι … εἰρηκέναι αὐτῷ·

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
θανάτουthanatos of death G2288 Noun · genitive · singular · masculine
120× 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
This word means death, whether it's physical or spiritual. It's used in many places, like John 11:13 and Romans 8:38, to describe the end of life or separation from God. It's the opposite of life.
Amplified meaning
separation from God, eternal darkness
Tyndale gloss
death
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

θάνατος (thanatos) means 'death' and can refer to both natural and violent forms of death. It encompasses physical death, spiritual death, and even metaphorical uses, such as the death of Christ. The New Testament uses it in various contexts, including imminent danger and eternal death. Notably, it is contrasted with ζωή (zoe), meaning 'life'.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

θάνατος, -ου, ὁ (θνήσκω),

[in LXX chiefly for מָוֶת ,מוּת, sometimes דֶּבֶר;]

death;

of the death of the body, whether natural or violent: Jo 11:13, Phl 2:27, He 7:23, al; opp. to ζωή, Ro 8:38, Phl 1:20; of the death of Christ, Ro 5:10, Phl 3:10, He 2:9; ῥυέσθαι (σώζειν) ἐκ θ., II Co 1:10, He 5:7; περίλυπος ἕως θανάτου, Mt 26:38, Mk 14:34; μέχρι (ἄχρι) θ., Phl 2:8, Re 2:10; πληγὴ…

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

θάνατος, -ov, 6, (θανεῖν); Sept. for ny) and ny, also for 727 pestilence [W. 29 note]; (one of the nouns often anarthrous, ef. W. § 19, 1s. v.; [B. § 124, 8¢.]; Grimm, Com. on Sap. p. 59); death; 1. prop. the death of the body, i. e. that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul from the body by which the life on earth is ended: Jn. xi. 4, [13]; Acts ii. 24 [Trmrg. ἅδου] (on this see ddiv); Phil. ii. 27,30; Heb. vii. 23; ix. 15 sq.; Rev. ix. 6; xviii. 8; opp. to ζωή, Ro. viii. 38; 1 Co. iii. 22; 2Co.i. 9; Phil. i. 20; with the implied idea of future misery in the state beyond, 1 Co. xv. 21; 2 Tim. i. 10; Heb. ii. 14 sq.; 1. q. the power of death, 2 Co. iv. 12. Since the nether world, the abode of the dead, was conceived of as being very dark, χώρα καὶ σκιὰ θανάτου (ayy) is equiv. to the region of thickest darkness, i. e. figuratively, a region enveloped in the darkness of…

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

θάνατος. For this common noun we may cite such passages as P Petr IIT. 36 (2)? τ]ὸν θάνατον ὑποκείμενον [ἐν] τῆι φυλακῆι διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν, P Tebt I. 5% (B.c. 118) τοὺς δὲ παρὰ ταῦτα ποιοῦντας θαν[άτωι ζ]ημιοῦσθαι, P Oxy III. 4727 (c. Α.Ὁ. 130) ἄλλοι πολλοὶ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ζῆν προκρείναντες, 12. 11. 2370}. 36 (A.D. 186) ἡ δὲ κτῆσις μετὰ θάνατον τοῖς τέκνοις κεκράτηται, “but the right of ownership after their death has been settled upon the children” (Edd.). The wellknown inscr. at the entrance of the inner court of the Temple at Jerusalem, threatening all who were not Jews with the penalty of death for entering, ends—és 8’ ἂν ληφθῇ, ἑαυτῶι αἴτιος ἔσται διὰ τὸ ἐξακολουθεῖν θάνατον (OG/S 5087, i/A.D.). In a Latin papyrus containing military accounts, | P Fay rosiii 24 (c. a.p. 180), opposite the name Turbon a letter @ has been inserted, implying, according to the editors, that he has died.…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

θάνατος (thanatos) — death.

θάνᾰτος [θᾰ], ὁ,

(θνῄσκω) death, whether natural or violent, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τῶν ὑπαλευάμενος θάνατον the death threatened by them, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θάνατόνδε to death, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θανάτου τέλος, μοῖρα, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; θανάτου πέρι καὶ ζωᾶς for life and death, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πόλεώς ἐστι θ., ἀνάστατον γενέσθαι it is its death, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; γῆρας ζῶν θ. [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; θάνατον ἀποθνῄσκειν, τελευτᾶν, [Refs 1st c.BC+]

2. in Law, death-penalty, θάνατον καταγνῶναί τινος to pass sentence of death on one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θανάτου δίκῃ κρίνεσθαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς.. ἀγωνίσασθαι περὶ θ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; θ. τῆς ζημίας ἐπικειμένης the penalty is death…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

θάνατος

thanatos

from 2348; (properly, an adjective used as a noun) death (literally or

figuratively):--X deadly, (be...) death.

see GREEK for 2348

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

θάνατος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

death

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

θάνατος thanatos 120x

death, the extinction of life, whether naturally, Lk. 2:26; Mk. 9:1; or violently, Mt. 10:21; 15:4; imminent danger of death, 2 Cor. 4:11, 12; 11:23; in NT spiritual death, as opposed to ζωή in its spiritual sense, in respect of a forfeiture of salvation, Jn. 8:51; Rom. 6:16

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

θάνατος θάνα^τος, ὁ, θνήσκω death, Hom., etc.; θ. τινος the death threatened by him, Od.; θάνατόνδε to death, Il., etc.

in attic, θάνατον καταγιγνώσκειν τινός to pass sentence of death on one, Thuc.; θανάτου κρίνεσθαι to be tried for one's life, id. Thuc.:—ellipt., τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ κεκοσμημένος (sc. στολήν) Hdt.; δῆσαί τινα τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτου (sc. δέσιν) id. Hdt.; τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐπιτρέψαι περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν πλὴν θανάτου for any penalty short of death, Thuc.

pl. θάνατοι, kinds of death, Od.; or the deaths of several persons or even of one person, Trag.

as prop. n., Θάνατος Death, twin-brother of Sleep, Il.

= νεκρός, Anth.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-GSM — Noun · genitive · singular · masculine
genitive — of, from, belonging to.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-GSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Genitive Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(maweth; thanatos):

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND FIGURATIVE VIEW

The word "Death" is used in the sense of

(1) the process of dying (Ge 21:16);

(2) the period of decease (Ge 27:7);

(3) as a possible synonym for poison (2Ki 4:40);

(4) as descriptive of person in danger of perishing (Jud 15:18; "in deaths oft" 2Co 11:23). In this sense the shadow of death is a familiar expression in Job, the Psalms and the Prophets;

(5) death is personified in 1Co 15:55 and Re 20:14. Deliverance from this catastrophe is called the "issues from…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Death

May be simply defined as the termination of life. It is represented under a variety of aspects in Scripture: (1.) “The dust shall return to the earth as it was” (Eccl. 12:7).

(2.) “Thou takest away their breath, they die” (Ps. 104:29).

(3.) It is the dissolution of “our earthly house of this tabernacle” (2 Cor. 5:1); the “putting off this tabernacle” (2 Pet. 1:13, 14).

(4.) Being “unclothed” (2 Cor. 5:3, 4).

(5.) “Falling on sleep” (Ps. 76:5; Jer. 51:39;

Is taken in Scripture, first, for the separation of body and soul, the first death, Ge 25:11; secondly, for alienation from God, and exposure to his wrath, 1Jo 3:14, etc.; thirdly, for the second death, that of eternal damnation. Death was the penalty affixed to Adam’s transgression, Ge 2:17 3:19; and all his posterity are transgressors, and share the curse inflicted upon him. CHRIST is "our life." All believers share his life, spiritually and eternally; and though sin and bodily is taken away, and in the resurrection the last enemy shall be trampled under foot, Ro 5:12-21 1Co 15:1-58.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Miscellaneous Subjects

Called GIVING UP THE GHOST Ge 25:8; 35:29; La 1:19; Ac 5:10

KING OF TERRORS Job 18:14

A CHANGE Job 14:14

GOING TO THY FATHERS Ge 15:15; 25:8; 35:29

PUTTING OFF THIS TABERNACLE 2Pe 1:14

REQUIRING THE SOUL Lu 12:20

GOING THE WAY WHENCE THERE IS NO RETURN Job 16:22

BEING GATHERED TO OUR PEOPLE Ge 49:33

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
94%death
death94% · 113×other renderings4% · 5×other renderings2% · 2×

120 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
adverbial45%subject23%object22%predicate8%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 120 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
διάκαίand, even, also,ἐκ
εἰς
ἀδελφόςa brotherαὐτόςκαίand, even, also,
γεύομαιI taste, experience
μήNegπᾶςall, the whole,
πρός
μήNegεἰμίI am, existἁμαρτίαa sin
ἄξιοςworthy, worthy of, d
οὐδείςno one, none, noδέbut, on the otheκαίand, even, also,
θάνατοςof death120×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theπατήρfather, Father, οὐNeg
Article the
δεύτερος& Advδέbut, on the otheυἱόςa son, descenden
αὐτός
ἐκεῖνοςβαπτίζωI dip, submerge,ἀλλάbut, except
εἰς
Article theνῖκοςvictoryθάνατοςdeath
εἰμίI am, exist
πράσσωI do, fare, requοὐNegἁμαρτίαa sin

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

Concordanceθάνατος · 120× in the New Testament
Romans Revelation Hebrews 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Acts John Luke Matthew 1 John Mark Philippians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament15 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 160 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 104c. AD 40

τὴν δεκάτην δ’ εἴ τις τελέσας κατὰ μέτρον ἵκοιτο, οὐκ ἂν ἄωρος ἐὼν μοῖραν ἔχοι θανάτου.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.168c. AD 75–95

Ὡς δʼ ἀφικομένων τῶν παίδων Ἰάκωβος τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἰώσηπον ἔμαθεν, ὅτι μὴ μόνον εἴη τὸν θάνατον διαπεφευγὼς ἐφʼ ᾧ πενθῶν διῆγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῇ μετὰ λαμπρᾶς εὐδαιμονίας βασιλεῖ συνδιέπων τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὴν ἅπασαν σχεδὸν ἐγκεχειρισμένος αὐτῆς ἐπιμέλειαν,

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 5.6c. AD 100

οἱ προφῆται, ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ ἔχοντες τὴν χάριν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἐπροφήτευσαν: αὐτὸς δέ, ἵνα καταργήσῃ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν δείξῃ, ὅτι ὲν σαρκὶ ἕδει αὐτὸν φανερωθῆναι, ὑπέμεινεν,

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 2nd c. AD 6th c. AD 7th c. AD
P.Tebt. 2 304Tebtynis (ArsinoitesAD 168

ἐποίησαν ὡς ἐκ τούτου τῷ ζῆν κινδυνεύειν. ὅθεν, κύριε, εὐλαβῶς ἔχων τὸν περὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ κινδυνον ἐπιδίδωμικαὶ ἀξιῶ κελεῦσαι ἀχθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σὲ πρὸς τὸ τὸ ἀκόλουθον γείνεσθαι

P.Diog. 11Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoites)AD 213

μεσιτείας μου γεναμένης καὶ διέταξα τῷ υἱῷ μου Ἰσιδώρῳ πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας μου τοῦ θανάτου εἴ τί μοι ὑπάρχει ἀγρῶν τε καὶ οἰκοπέδων καὶ χρυσία καὶ ἱμάτια καὶ

P.Diog. 12Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoites)AD 213

μεσιτείας μου γενομένης καὶ διέταξα τῷ υἱῷ μου Ἰσιδώρῳ πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας μου τοῦ θανάτου εἴ τί μοι ὑπάρχει ἀγρῶν τε καὶ οἰκοπέδων καὶ χρυσία καὶ ἱμάτια καὶ

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
φῶςphōs a light G5457 Noun · nominative · singular · neuter
72× 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
Light refers to any kind of luminousness, natural or artificial, and is used in the Bible to describe the light of the sun or a lamp. In Matthew 17:2 and John 11:9-10, it describes Jesus shining like the sun.
Amplified meaning
hope, salvation
Tyndale gloss
light
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

φῶς (i.e., *phos*) means 'light' and can refer to both natural and artificial sources. It is used in various contexts, including physical light from the sun or lamps, as well as metaphorical light representing divine truth or spiritual illumination. The New Testament employs it to describe God's presence, the glory of Christ, and the moral clarity of believers. Notably, it appears in verses like Matthew 17:2 and 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — φῶς, φέγγος, φωστήρ, λύχνος, λαμπάς from a scan

Ati these words are rendered, some occasionally, some always, in our Version, by ‘light’; thus, dos at Matt. iv. 16; Rom. xiii. 12, and often; φέγγος at Matt. xxiv. 29; Mark xiii. 24; Luke xi. 33 (it does not occur again) ; φωστήρ at Phil. ii. 15 ; Rev. xxi. 11 (where only it occurs) ; λύχνος at Matt. vi. 22; John v. 35; 2 Pet.i. 19, and elsewhere; though this often by ‘ candle’ (Matt. v. 15; Rev. Xxli. 5); and λαμπὰς at Acts xx. 8, though elsewhere rendered ‘lamp’ (Matt. xxv. 1; Rev. vill. 10), and ‘ torch’ (John xviii. 3). The old grammarians distinguish between φῶς and φέγγος (which are but different forms of one and the same word), that φῶς is the light of the sun or of the day, φέγγος the light or lustre of the moon. The Attic writers, to whom this distinction must belong, if to any, themselves only imperfectly observe it. Thus, in Sophocles φέγγος is three or four times ascribed…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

φῶς (Att.. contr. from φάος; < φάω), gen., φωτός, τό,

[in LXX chiefly for אוֹר ;]

light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία): Mt 17:2, 5, Jo 11:9, 10, II Co 4:6; ἡλίου, Re 22:5; of a lamp, Lk 8:16 11:33, Jo 5:35, Re 18:23; of a supernatural heavenly light, Ac 9:3 12:7 22:6, 9, 11 26:13; hence, ἄγγελος φωτός, II Co 11:14; ὁ κλήρος τ. ἁγίων ἐν τ. φ., Col 1:12; of the divine glory, Re 21:24; by meton., of that which gives light: of fire, Read the full entry →

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

φῶς, φωτός. τό, (contr. fr. φάος, fr. φάω to shine), fr. Hom. (who [as well as Pind.] uses the form φάος) down, Hebr. 18, light (opp. to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία) ; 1. prop. a. univ.: ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, 3 Co. iv. 6 (Gen. i. 3); λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς, Mt. xvii. 2; νεφέλη φωτός [Grsb. txt.] i. e. consisting of light, i. q. φωτεινή in RLT Tr WH, Mt. xvii. 5; τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, of the sun, Jn. xi. 9; τὸ φῶς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, the light (i.e. illumining power) is not in him, consequently he does not see or distinguish the things about him, Jn. xi. 10; the light emitted bya lamp, Lk. viii. 16; [xi.33L Tr txt. WH]. a heavenly light, such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth: hence ἄγγελος φωτός, 2 Co. xi. 14, and illumines the place where they appear, Acts xii. 7; a light of this kind shone around Paul when he was converted to Christ, Acts xxii. 6, [9], 11[W. 371 (848)]; with…

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

φῶς. For ‘‘light” opposed to “" darkness,” see P Leid Wi. 4 (ii/iii a.p.) (=I1. p. 101) φωτὸς καὶ σκότους. In the imprecatory curse Sy// 891 (= ὃ 1240)" the prayer is uttered that the victim shall enjoy μηδὲ οἴκου, μὴ φωτός, μὴ χρήσεως, μηδὲ κτήσεως. The plur. is applied to ‘‘ windowlights” in P Lond 1179°* (ii/A.p.) (=III. p. 146) φῶτα θυρίδων, and to “‘torches,” as in Ac 167%, in BGU III. 909} (A.D. 359) ἐπελθόντες. . . TH ἡμετέρᾳ οἰκίᾳ καὶ φῶτα ἐπενεγκ[όν]τες ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὴν ἐκ θεματίου. Cf. 20. IV. 120 110 (A.D. 2) where φωτί takes the place οἵ πυρί or φλογί - εὕρωμεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σαράπειδος θεοῦ μεγίστου ὑφημένας (1 ὑφημμένας) φωτί. This last passage may illustrate Mk 1454 θερμαινόμενος πρὸς τὸ φῶς, where we should translate with the AV ‘‘warmed himself at the ». see C. H. Turner Comm. ad ἢ. in Gore’s New Commentary. The subst. is applied metaph. to those who impart light…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

φῶς (phōs) — light.

φῶς,

contraction for φάος, light (which see). φῴς, ἡ, plural φῷδες, contraction from φωΐς (which see).

Strong's Greek Dictionary

φῶς

phos

from an obsolete phao (to shine or make manifest, especially by rays;

compare 5316, 5346); luminousness (in the widest application, natural

or artificial, abstract or concrete, literal or figurative):--fire,

light.

see GREEK for 5316

see GREEK for 5346

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

φῶς, φωτός, τό

n.n.

light, a source of light

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

φῶς phōs 73x

light, Mt. 17:2; 2 Cor. 4:6; daylight, broad day, Mt. 10:27; Lk. 12:3; radiance, blaze of light, Mt. 4:16; Acts 9:3; 12:7; an instrument or means of light, a light, Mt. 6:23; Acts 16:29; a fire, Mk. 14:54; Lk. 22:56; from the Hebrew, the light of God’s presence, 2 Cor. 11:14; Read the full entry →

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

N-NSN Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lit ('or, ma'or; phos; many other words):

1. Origin of Light

2. A Comprehensive Term

(1) Natural Light

(2) Artificial Light

(3) Miraculous Light

(4) Mental, Moral, Spiritual Light

3. An Attribute of Holiness

(1) God

(2) Christ

(3) Christians

(4) The Church

4. Symbolism

5. Expressive Terms

1. Origin of Light:

The creation of light was the initial step in the creation of life. "Let there be light" (Ge 1:3) was the first word of God spoken after His creative Spirit "moved" upon the primary material out of which He created the heavens and the earth, and which lay, until the utterance of that word, in the chaos of darkness and desolation. Something akin, possibly, to the all-pervasive electro-magnetic activity of the aurora borealis penetrated the chaotic night of the world. The ultimate focusing of light (on the 4th day of creation,

Light

The offspring of the divine command (Gen. 1:3). “All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light” (1 Kings 11:36; Isa. 58:8; Esther 8:16; Ps. 97:11). Light came also naturally to typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps. 119:105; Isa. 8:20; Matt. 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One of the most wonderful, cheering, and useful of all the works of God; called into being on the first of the six days of creation, by his voice: "Let there be light;" and there was light. No object better illustrates whatever is pure, glorious, spiritual, joyful, and beneficent. Hence the beauty and force of the expressions, "God is light," 1Jo 1:5, and "the Father of lights," Jas 1:17; Christ is the "Sun of righteousness," and "the light of the world," Joh 1:9 8:12. So also the word of God is "a light," Ps 119:105; truth and Christians are lights, Joh 3:19 12:36; prosperity is "light," Es 8:16; and heaven is full of…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Created Ge 1:3-5; Isa 45:7; 2Co 4:6

→ Miraculous Mt 17:2; Ac 9:3

→ FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLICAL 1Ki 11:36; Ps 27:1; 119:105,130; Pr 6:23; Ec 2:13; Isa 8:20; 49:6; 58:8; 60:19,20; Mt 4:16; 5:14,16; Lu 2:32; 11:34; 16:8;

Across the New Testament15 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 102 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 Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 29c. AD 40

εἶθ’ ὕδατος ἀσώματον οὐσίαν καὶ πνεύματος καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἑβδόμου φωτός, ὃ πάλιν ἀσώματον ἦν καὶ νοητὸν ἡλίου παράδειγμα καὶ πάντων ὅσα φωσφόρα ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμελλε συνίστασθαι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.27c. AD 75–95

ταύτης δʼ ὑπʼ ὄψιν οὐκ ἐρχομένης, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ μὲν κρυπτομένης σκότει, πνεύματος δʼ αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιθέοντος, γενέσθαι φῶς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεός.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 3.4c. AD 100

τότε ῥαγήσεται πρώϊμον τὸ φῶς σου, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτιά σου ταχέως ἀνατελεῖ, καὶ προπορεύσεται ἔμπροσθέν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ περιστελεῖ σε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD 5th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Fay. 213 descr.Euhemeria (Arsinoites)3 BC

Ἀπολλώνιος Ὥρῳ καὶ … φωτι γεωργοῖς χαίρειν· ἀπέχω παρʼ ὑμῶν τὰ ἐκφόρια τοῦ ὀγδόου καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους ἀφʼ ὧν

BGU 4 1201Busiris (Herakleopolites)AD 2

λειτουργίας καὶ θυσίας τῶν θεῶν εὕρομεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σαράπειδος θεοῦ μεγίστου ὑφημμένας φωτί. καὶ ἡμῶν ἀνακραξάντων εἰς τὴν κώμην πρὸς βοήθειαν κατεπήδησεν ὁ γυμνασίαρχος τῆς κώμης καὶ

P.Mil.Vogl. 2 99Tebtynis (Arsinoites)AD 119

ἣν ἐξεν … ρ … αὐτῶν α … … … ὧν κεκλήρωνται θύρας καὶ φῶτα θυρίδων τρία , τὸν δὲ Ὧρον Τεσενούφεως ἑαυτῶι ἀνοίγειν … υ κεκλη

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
ἀνέτειλενanatellō has dawned G393 Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
9× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Matthew than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To rise means to get up or cause something to come up, like the sun in Matthew 4:16 or a cloud in Luke 12:54. It can also mean to spring up or be up. In the Bible, it is used to describe natural events and spiritual growth.
Amplified meaning
arisen, become visible
Tyndale gloss
to rise
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἀνατέλλω (i.e., *anatellō*) means to cause to rise or to rise itself, often used in contexts like the sun or light. It appears in the New Testament in verses such as Matthew 5:45 and 4:16, referring to the rising of the sun or light. The word can also imply growth or emergence, as in the birth of plants or events.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἀνα-τέλλω,

[in LXX for צמח, פּרח, זרח, etc.;]

trans., to cause to rise: Mt 5:45.

Intrans., to rise: φῶς, Mt 4:16 (= Is 9:1); ὁ ἥλιος, Mt 13:6, Mk 4:6 16:2, Ja 1:11; νεφέλη, Lk 12:54; φωσφόρος, II Pe 1:19; ὁ Κύριος, prob. with ref. to metaph. of sun or star, He 7:14 (cf. ἐξ-ανατέλλω).†

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

ἀνα-τέλλω; 1 aor. ἀνέτειλα; pf. ἀνατέταλκα:; a. trans. to cause to rise: τὸν ἥλιον, Mt. v. 45, (of the earth bringing forth plants, Gen. iii, 18; of a river producing something, Hom. Il. 5, 777). b. intrans. to rise, arise: light, Mt. iv. 16, (Is. lviii. 10); the sun, Mt. xiii. 6; Mk. iv.6; xvi. 2; Jas. i. 11; the clouds, Lk. xii. 54; φωσφόpos, 2 Pet.i.19. trop. to rise from, be descended from, Heb. vii. 14. The earlier Greeks commonly used avaτέλλειν of the sun and moon, and ἐπιτέλλειν of the stars; but Aelian., Paus., Stob. and other later writ. neglect this distinction; see Lob. ad Phryn. p. 124 sq. (Comp. : ἐξιαινατέλλω.] ἢ

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

ἀνατέλλω. Michel 466" (iii/B.c.) ἅμα τῶι ἡλίωι [ἀν]ατέλλοντι, “at daybreak.” It is curious that the astrologer Vettius Valens has no instance of the verb, though he uses its derivatives freely. It survives in MGr. The cpd ἐπανατέλλω occurs in some would-be verse on the wall of a sepulchral vault at Ramleh, age of the Antonines: Prersigke 2134— ᾿Αστὴρ οὐράνιος ὁ ἐπὶ ἀστέρι ἐπανατέλλων ἐσπάσθη.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἀνατέλλω (anatellō) — to rise.

ἀνατέλλω,

poetry ἀντ-, aorist ἀνέτειλα: perfect participle ἀνατεταλκός[Refs 2nd c.BC+]:—make to rise up, τοῖσιν δ᾽ (i.e. ἵπποις) ἀμβροσίην ἀνέτειλενέμεσθυ[LXX+8th c.BC+]; ὕδωρ ἀ. make water gush forth, [NT+5th c.BC+]passive, φλὸξ ἀνατελλομένα a flame mounting up, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. bring forth, give birth to ἄντειλας Διόνυσον[Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. intransitive, rise, appear above the horizon, of any heavenly body, as sun and moon, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also of constellations, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; distinct from ἐπιτέλλω (which see), [Refs 1st c.BC+]; compare ἀνατολή.

II. b ={ἐπιτέλλω}, of the Pleiades, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἀνατέλλω

anatello

from 303 and the base of 5056; to (cause to) arise:--(a-, make to)

rise, at the rising of, spring (up), be up.

see GREEK for 303

see GREEK for 5056

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἀνατέλλω

v.

I make to rise, I rise, shine

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἀνατέλλω anatellō 9x

to cause to rise, Mt. 5:45; intrans. to rise, as the sun, stars, etc., Mt. 4:16; to spring by birth, Heb. 7:14

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἀνατέλλω to make to rise up or to grow up, Il.:—Pass., φλὸξ ἀνατελλομένη a flame mounting up, Pind.

to give birth to, bring to light, id. Pind.: of events, Soph.

intr. to rise, of the sun and moon, Hdt., Soph., etc.

of a river, to take its rise, Hdt.

to grow, of hair, Aesch.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-AAI-3S — Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
aorist active indicative — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-AAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
11%has sprung
has sprung11% · 1×has risen11% · 1×may have arisen11% · 1×has dawned11% · 1×he makes rise11% · 1×having risen11% · 1×rose11% · 1×when was arising11% · 1×other renderings11% · 1×

9 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 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 9 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
φῶςlight, a source of l
θάνατοςdeath
αὐτός
ἥλιοςthe sun, sunligh
δέbut, on the other ha
ἥλιοςthe sun, sunligh
ὅτεwhen
καίand, even, also,
μνῆμαa tomb, monument
Article the
ἀνατέλλωhas dawned
what comes after →
Article the
ἥλιοςthe sun, sunlighκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
ἐπί
πονηρόςevil, bad, wickeδυσμήa setting of the
αὐτός
καυματίζωI burn, scorch
καίand, even, also,
γάρfor
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

Concordanceἀνατέλλω · 9× in the New Testament
Matthew Mark 2 Peter Hebrews James Luke
Across the New Testament6 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 39 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 Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 57c. AD 40

καὶ τοῦ μὲν ἀνατείλαντος αἱ φαντασίαι τῶν τοσούτων ἀστέρων οὐκ ἀμαυροῦνται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφανίζονται τῇ τοῦ φέγγους ἀναχύσει, καταδύντος δὲ τὰς ἰδίας ἄρχονται διαφαίνειν ἀθρόοι ποιότητας.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.5c. AD 100

ὁμοίως περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγει Δανιήλ: Καὶ εἶδον τὸ τέταρτον θηρίον τὸ πονηρὸν καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ χαλεπώτερον παρὰ πάντα τὰ θηρία τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀνέτειλεν δέκα κέρατα, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μικρὸν κέρας παραφυάδιον, καὶ ὡς ἐταπείνωσεν ὑφ̓ ἓν τρία…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 20.4c. AD 96

γῆ κυοφοροῦσα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἰδίοις καιροῖς τὴν πανπληθῆ ἀνθρώποις τε καὶ θηρσὶν καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐπ’ αὐτῆς ζώοις ἀνατέλλει τροφήν, μὴ διχοστατοῦσα μηδὲ ἀλλοιοῦσά τι τῶν δεδογματισμένων ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ.

The nation the [one] sitting in darkness light have seen great, and to those sitting in [the] land and in a shadow of death a light has dawned on them.
αὐτοῖς.¶autos on them. G846 Personal pronoun · dative · plural · masculine
5,550× 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 pronoun refers to a person or thing, like 'he', 'she', or 'it'. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a person or thing, like in John 2:25 where it says 'he himself knew'.
Tyndale gloss
it/s/he
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

αὐτός is a pronoun meaning 'self' or 'the same,' used to emphasize distinction or opposition. It can function as a reflexive pronoun and appears frequently in the New Testament, often in contexts that highlight contrast or identity, such as in Luke 5:37 and John 2:25. The entries indicate that it can also be used in various grammatical constructions, including with articles to denote sameness.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

αὐτός, -ή, -ό,

determinative pron., in late Gk. much more freq. than in cl. (WM, 178 f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399).

Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., v. infr., iii);

self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Lk 5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jo 2:25; αὐ. ὑμεῖς, Jo 3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Ro 15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jo 2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ’ αὐτοῦ, Mk 2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mk 6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mt 3:4, Mk 6:17, Jo 16:27, I Th 3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes…

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

αὐτός, -7, -d, pron. (“derived from the particle αὖ with the added force of a demonstrative pronoun. In itself it signifies nothing more than again, applied to what has either been previously mentioned or, when the whole discourse is looked at, must necessarily be .upplied.” Klotz ad Devar. ii. p. 219; [see Vaniéek p. 268]). It is used by the bibl. writ. both of the O. T. and of the N. T. far more frequently than the other pronouns; and in this very frequent and almost inordinate use of it, they deviate greatly from prof. auth.; cf. B. § 127, 9. [On classic usage ef. Hermann, Opusce. i. 308 sqq., of which dissertation a summary is given in his edition of Viger pp- 732-736.] I. self, as used (in all persons, genders, numbers) to distinguish a person or thing from or contrast it with another, or to give him (it) emphatic prominence. ik When used to express Opposition or Distinction, it is…

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

αὐτός. The weakening of the old distinction between αὐτὸς 6 and ὁ αὐτός, especially in Luke, is noted in Proleg. p. 91, and paralleled from Hellenistic. We may add (cf. Linleitung p. 145f.) Sy// 8071 (ii/A.D.) αὐταῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις, where Dittenberger remarks ‘‘expectaveris ταῖς αὐταῖς," OG/S 383! (Antiochus of Commagene, i/8.c.) τὴν αὐτήν τε κρίσιν, for which Ditt. desiderates ταύτην τὴν κρίσιν, P Iib I. 30° (B.c. 265) αὐτὸς Ὧρος “the said H.,’’ P Lille I. 238 (B.C, 221) οὗ μ[ισ]θωτὴς Ἡρώδ[ης] ὁ αὐτός “ce méme L.,”’ P Oxy VI. 892% (A.D. 338) τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως, 26. VIII. 1105 (A.D. 254) τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀμφοδογραμματέως “the said a.’’: all these seem to be practically identical, with αὐτός differing little from ἐκεῖνος. The combination αὐτὸ τοῦτο may be illustrated by P Grenf I. 114 (literary, ii/B.c.) “ for this reason ” (Ed.) as in 2 Pet 1°, P Ryl 11. 77°9 (a.p. 192) καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα ἀσφαλίσομαι…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

αὐτός (autos) — it/s/he.

αὐτός

(Cretan dialect ἀϝτός [Refs] (also αὐτόν[Refs], reflexive pronoun, self:—in oblique cases used for the personal pronoun, him, her, it:—with Article, ὁ αὐτός, ἡ αὐτή, τὸ αὐτό (also ταὐτόν), etc., the very one, the same.

I. self, myself, thyself, etc., accusative to the person of the Verb: frequently joined with ἐγώ, σύ, etc. (see. below 10),

I.1. one's true self, the soul, not the body, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; reversely, body, not soul, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; oneself, as opposed to others who are less prominent, as king to subject, [Refs]; man to wife and children, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; warrior to horses, [Refs 8th c.BC+], or to weapons, [Refs]; shepherd to herd, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; seamen to ships, [Refs]: generally, whole to parts,[Refs 5th c.BC+]: absolutely, the Master, as in the [Refs 4th c.BC+]…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

αὐτός

autos

from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea

of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used

(alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the

proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one,

the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy-

)self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at,

- by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man),

those, together, very, which. Compare 848.

see GREEK for 109

see GREEK for 1438

see GREEK for 848

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

αὐτός, αὐτή, αὐτό

Pers.pr.

he, she, it, they, them, same

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

αὐτός autos 5x

self, very; alone, Mk. 6:31; 2 Cor. 12:13; of one’s self, of one’s own motion, Jn. 16:27; used also in the oblique cases independently as a personal pron. of the third person; ὁ αὐτός, the same; unchangeable, Heb. 1:12; κατὰ τὸ αὐτό, at the same time, together, Acts 14:1; ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, in one and the same place, Mt. 22:34; at the same time, together, Acts 3:1

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

αὐτός self, Lat. ipse:— in the oblique cases simply for the personal Pron., him, her, it:— with the Artic. ὁ αὐτός, ἡ αὐτή, τὸ αὐτό (or ταὐτόν), etc., the very one, the same.

self, myself, thyself, etc., acc. to the person of the Verb., Hom., etc.:

oneself, one's true self, the soul, not the body, Od.; or opp. to others, as king to subjects, parent to children, man to wife, etc., Hom.; hence absol. for the master, τίς οὗτος;—Αὐτός, i. e. Socrates, Ar.; similarly in neut. αὐτὸ δείξει the result will shew, Eur.

of oneself, of one's own accord, Lat. sponte, Hom., Soph.

by oneself, alone, αὐτός περ ἐών although alone, Il.; αὐτοί ἐσμεν we are by ourselves, i. e. among friends, Ar.

in Plat., τὸ δίκαιον αὐτό right in itself, the idea of right, etc.; cf. αὐτοάνθρωπος.

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

P-DPM Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Case: Dative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
52%him
him52% · 3025×them25% · 1488×it6% · 323×her4% · 250×other renderings10% · 587×other renderings3% · 188×

5,861 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 92 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
object33%adverbial28%indirect object19%subject18%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 5,561 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
καίand, even, also,δέbut, on the otheἸησοῦςJesus
πρός
λέγωI say, speakἔρχομαιI come, goδέbut, on the othe
ἐν
Article theαὐτόςεὑρίσκωI find
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakοὗτοςὁράωI see, look upon
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςσύθεόςGod, a god
αὐτόςon them.5550×
what comes after →
Article the
ἸησοῦςJesusμαθητήςa learner, disciθεόςGod, a god
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theλέγωI say, speakαὐτός
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςτίςIrgκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
ἐν
Article theαὐτόςὅς
εἰς
Article theδικαιοσύνηjustice, justnesἹεροσόλυμαJerusalem

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

Concordanceαὐτός · 5,550× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew John Mark Acts Revelation Romans Hebrews 1 John 1 Corinthians Ephesians 2 Corinthians

19 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
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

περὶ τοῦ γένους Ἀδάμου καὶ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δέκα γενεῶν τῶν μέχρι τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.4c. AD 100

πεπεισμένος οὖν τοῦτο καὶ συνειδὼς ἐμαυτῷ, ὅτι ἐν ὑμῖν λαλήσας πολλὰ ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι ἐμοὶ συνώδευσεν ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης κύριος, καὶ πάντως ἀναγκάζομαι κἀγὼ εἰς τοῦτο, ἀγαπᾶν ὑμᾶς ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι μεγάλη πίστις καὶ ἀγάπη ἐγκατοικεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐπ’…

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 1st c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

Πακοίβιος ἱερεὺς Σούχου καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ὡς ἐτῶν μ εὐμεγέθης μελίχρως μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ μερίδα γῆς σιτοφόρου ἐν τῷ περὶ Παθῦρειν πεδίωι σφραγίδων τεσσάρων , ἣν καὶ αὐτὸς

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

1 ἔτους 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

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

ὡς ἐτῶν νε μέσος ἢ ἐλάσσων μελίχρως μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν ὑπόσκνιφος, καὶ Πετεαρσοῆρις Σχώτου τῶν αὐτῶν ἱερέων ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος ἢ ἐλασσων μελίχρως μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν ὑπόσκνιφος, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπάρχοντος

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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