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Mark 13:36 — Word Study

Depth

N1904μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

BSAlest [lest, for fear that] having comeerchomai [come suddenly] suddenlyexaiphnēs he may findehuriskō [discover, meet] yousu [personally, as individuals] sleeping.katheudō [asleep, in a state of spiritual slumber, to be in a condition of inactivity or indifference]

Word
Listen & take awayMark 13
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 36 is in this chapter.
Greek ↓ Download MP3 Nestle 1904 — the very text on this page — read by Andy Martin in Erasmian pronunciation.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (katheudō) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Mark 13:36quick helps
In a sentenceJesus warns that the master may return unexpectedly, finding His servants unprepared.
Who is speakingJesus, teaching His disciples about vigilance.
Where we areIn a parable about being watchful, as part of the Olivet Discourse.
The hard wordἐξαίφνης
Take awayBe alert, for the return of the master is uncertain.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them › clause subjectἔρχομαι verbἔρχομαι 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 — Mark 13:36

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

Context — The Parable of the Watchful Servantsgenerated

34It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.
35Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning.
36Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.
37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”

Mark 13:36 is part of Jesus' teaching on the end times, where He emphasizes the importance of being vigilant. He uses the analogy of a master who leaves his house and expects his servants to remain alert for his return. This teaching serves as a reminder to His followers to be prepared and attentive, as the exact time of His return is unknown, similar to the messages found in Matthew 24:42 and Luke 12:37.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Mark 14:37–40Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour?
2Proverbs 6:9–11How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
3Proverbs 24:33–34A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
4Song of Solomon 3:1
5Song of Solomon 5:2

The Key Word ἐξαίφνης, exaiphnēsgenerated

The adverb ἐξαίφνης (i.e., *exaiphnēs*) means 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly.' It indicates an event that occurs without warning, emphasizing the need for readiness. This term is used in contexts where abrupt occurrences are highlighted, such as in Luke 2:13.

In this verse, it underscores the surprise of the master's arrival, which is a critical element of the parable. The suddenness of the event serves as a metaphor for the unexpected nature of Jesus' return.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The BSB translates the verse as 'Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.' Other versions, such as the KJV and ASV, use similar phrasing with 'lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.'

Where translations differ is primarily in how they render the Greek words. For ἐλθὼν, translations like the ASV and BBE use 'coming,' while others like the YLT use 'having come suddenly.' For εὕρῃ, most versions opt for 'find,' while the LSV and YLT use 'he may find.' The variations highlight different nuances in the Greek.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main clause is governed by the verb ἐλθὼν, having come, with a conditional phrase leading into it. The structure emphasizes the conditions under which the master may find his servants unprepared.

The sentence is constructed to show a cause-and-effect relationship, where the sudden arrival of the master leads to the potential discovery of the servants sleeping, highlighting the importance of vigilance.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The word ἐξαίφνης does not have a direct equivalent in the Septuagint but is related to concepts of suddenness found in various contexts. It captures the essence of unexpected events, which is a theme in both the Old and New Testaments.

The Greek word καθεύδω corresponds to the Hebrew word for sleep, indicating both literal and metaphorical states of inactivity, which is a common theme in wisdom literature.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Mark 13:36 warns that the master may return unexpectedly and find His servants sleeping. This serves as a reminder for all followers of Jesus to remain alert and prepared for His return.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to be found sleeping?

Being found sleeping symbolizes a lack of vigilance or preparedness, indicating spiritual slumber that can lead to missing important events, such as the return of Christ.

Why does Jesus emphasize suddenness?

Jesus emphasizes suddenness to convey the unpredictability of His return, urging His followers to always be ready and watchful, as they do not know the hour of His coming.

How can I stay spiritually alert?

Staying spiritually alert involves regular prayer, studying Scripture, and engaging in fellowship with other believers to encourage one another in faith.

What should I do if I feel spiritually asleep?

If you feel spiritually asleep, seek to rekindle your relationship with God through prayer, worship, and reflection on His Word, and consider reaching out to fellow believers for support.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I need to be more vigilant and awake spiritually?
  2. How can I encourage others to stay alert in their faith?
  3. What practices can I implement to help me remain spiritually awake?
  4. How does the suddenness of Christ's return impact the way I live my daily life?

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

The Shepherd of Hermas references this verse to illustrate the importance of readiness and vigilance in the Christian life.

Shepherd of HermasShepherd of Hermas, Similitude 9 c. 140
Having spoken these words, he said to me, "Let us go, and after two days let us come and clean these stones, and cast them into the building;
Early Church Fathers on Mark 13 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Mark 13:36 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Lest coming suddenly,.... Unthought of, and unexpected, at an unawares: he find you sleeping; inactive in the exercise of grace, and negligent in the performance of duty; unprepared for his coming, and unfit for service.

Read John Gill on Mark 13 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. See the notes at Luke 12:35-40; Luke 12:42-46.

Read Robert Jamieson on Mark 13 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(36) Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.—As before we traced a kind of echo of the parable of the Talents, so here we recognise something like a fragmentary reminiscence of that of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Mark 13 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 36. He find you sleeping.] A porter asleep exposes the house to be robbed, and well deserves punishment. No wonder that the man is constantly suffering loss who is frequently off his guard. Our Lord shows us in this parable: 1. That himself, ascended to heaven, is the man gone from home. 2. That believers collectively are his family. 3. That his servants are those who are employed in the work of faith and labour of love. 4. That the porter represents the ministers of his Gospel, who should continually watch for the safety and welfare of the whole flock. 5. That every one has his own work - that which belongs to himself and to none other, and for the accomplishment of which he receives…

Read AdamClarke on Mark 13 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

36. lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping] “During the night the ‘captain of the Temple’ made his rounds. On his approach the guards had to rise and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep when on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire—a punishment, as we know, actually awarded.” Edersheim, p. 120.

Read Cambridge on Mark 13 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Find you sleeping - Inattentive to your post, neglecting your duty, and unprepared for his coming.

Read Albert Barnes on Mark 13 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

§ 118. — JESUS THE OF , AND IT FROM THE FINAL , Mark 13:1-37.(See notes on Matthew 24:1 to Matthew 25:30.)

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Mark 13 →

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

Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

lest, coming suddenly, he might find you sleeping.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.

NETBNew English Translation2006

or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

RVARevised Version, American1894

lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Lest coming suddenly, he should find you sleeping.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Least if he come suddenly, he should finde you sleeping.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

lest, having come suddenly, he may find you sleeping;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

lest, having come suddenly, he may find you sleeping;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

You don't want to be caught sleeping if he returns unexpectedly.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

For fear that, coming suddenly, he sees you sleeping.

Word by word, the decisions they made

ἐλθὼνerchomai having come G2064 3 different renderings
comingASV BBE DBY DRA KJV NWB RVA WEB
come suddenlyGNV LSV YLT
he comesULB
εὕρῃehuriskō he may find G2147 2 different renderings
findASV BSB DBY DRA KJV MSB NETB NWB RVA ULB WEB
he may findLSV YLT
καθεύδοντας.katheudō sleeping. G2518 3 different renderings
you sleepingASV BBE BSB DBY DRA GNV KJV LSV MSB NWB RVA ULB WEB YLT
asleepNETB
sleepingFBV

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.

clauseοὖνthereforeclauseverbγρηγορεῖτεWatchclauseγὰρforclauseadverbialοὐκnotverbοἴδατεyou knowclauseadverbialπότεwhennoun phrase · subjectthenoun phraseκύριοςmasternoun phraseτῆςof theοἰκίαςhouseverbἔρχεταιcomesadverb phrase · adverbialorὀψὲat eveningorμεσονύκτιονat midnightorἀλεκτοροφωνίαςwhen the rooster crowsorπρωΐmorningclauseμὴlestclauseclause · adverbialverbἐλθὼνhaving comeadverbialἐξαίφνηςsuddenlyverbεὕρῃhe should findclause · objectsubjectὑμᾶςyouverbκαθεύδονταςsleeping

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

ne, cum venerit repente, inveniat vos dormientes.

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

ܕܠܡܐ ܢܐܬܐ ܡܢ ܫܠܝܐ ܘܢܫܟܚܟܘܢ ܟܕ ܕܡܟܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ

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

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

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

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας.

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

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

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

Word by word, across the editions

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


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

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

Mark 13:36μήlestlestμήἔρχομαιhaving comehaving comeἔρχομαιἐξαίφνηςsuddenlysuddenlyἐξαίφνηςεὑρίσκωhe may findhe may findεὑρίσκωσύyouyouσύκαθεύδωsleeping.sleeping.καθεύδωἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκκατάPrep. downPrep. down fromκατάοὐNeg.prt. nNeg.prt. no, noοὐπότεIrg.prt. wIrg.prt. when, πότεφοβέωv. I fear,v. I fear, am tφοβέωταχύςAdv quicklAdv quickly, spταχύςἨλίαςn.m. Elijan.m. ElijahἨλίαςΔαμασκόςn.f. Damasn.f. DamascusΔαμασκόςκρούωv. I knockv. I knockκρούωκαθεύδωv. I sleepv. I sleep, am καθεύδωἀμήνHebr. veriHebr. verily, tἀμήνλοιπόςAdj left, Adj left, left λοιπόςνύξn.f. the nn.f. the night,νύξ
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 Mark 13:36

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

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

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
μὴ lest G3361 Particle · negative
1,060× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Mark as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Not is a word used to show that something is not true or is not happening, like in phrases that say 'lest' or 'God forbid', as seen in various parts of the New Testament.
Amplified meaning
lest, for fear that
Tyndale gloss
not
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

μή () is a Greek negative particle used to express subjective negation, often in conditional or hypothetical contexts. It contrasts with οὐ (ou), which indicates absolute denial. μή can function as an adverb meaning 'not' or as a conjunction meaning 'lest.' It appears in various grammatical constructions, including prohibitions and deliberative questions, and is referenced in verses like Matthew 5:29 and John 3:18.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

μή,

subjective negative particle,

used where the negation depends on a condition or hypothesis, expressed or understood, as distinct from οὐ, which denies absolutely. μή is used where one thinks a thing is not, as distinct from an absolute negation. As a general rule, οὐ negatives the indic., μή the other moods, incl, ptcp. [In LXX for אֵין, אַיִן, אַל.]

As a neg. adv., not;

with ref. to thought or opinion: Jo 3:18, Tit 1:11, II Pe 1:9.

In delib. questions, c. subjc. (M, Pr., 185): Mk 12:14, Ro 3:8.

In conditional and final sentences, after εἰ, ἐάν, ἄν, ἵνα, ὅπως: Mt 10:14,

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

μή, Sept. for Ox, |X, PN, ἃ particle of negation, which differs from οὐ (which is always an adverb) in that ov denies the thing itself (orto speak technically, denies simply, absolutely, categorically, directly, objectively). but μή denies the thought of the thing, or the thing according to the judgment, opinion, will, purpose, preference, of some one (hence, as we say technically, indirectly, hypothetically, subjectively). This distinction holds also of the compounds οὐδείς, μηδείς, οὐκέτι, μηκέτι, ete. But pris either an ad verb of negation, not (Lat. non, ne); or aconjunction, that... not, lest, (Lat. ne); or an interrogative particle, (Lat. num) [i. e. (generally) implying aneg. ans.; in indir. quest. whether nol (suggesting apprehension) ]. Cf. Herm. ad Vig. § 267 p- 802 sqq-; Matthiae § 608; Bitm. Gram. § 148 (cf. Alex. Bttm. N. T. Gr. p. 344 (296) sqq.); Kiihner ii. §§ 512 sq. p.…

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

μή Grenf II. 384 (mid. 1.8.6.) καλῶς οὖ]ν ποιήσις μὴ ἀμελήσ[α]ς α[. . ἀγο]ράσαι. .. , P Oxy I. 3815 (a.p. 49--50) (= Selections, p. 53) τοῦ δὲ Σύρου μὴ βουλομένου ἐνμεῖναι τοῖς κεκριμένοις, “45 Syrus does not wish to abide by what has been decided,” 2d. II. 2755 (A.D. 66) (= Selections, p. 58) ἔγραψα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ μὴ ἰδότος γράμματα, “1 wrote for him seeing that he was unlettered,” BGU I. 22° (a.p. 114) (= Selections, p. 74) TappovOios . . . τὸ παρὸν μὴ ἔχουσα κύριον, ‘ Tarmuthis at present without a guardian,’ and P Grenf II. 779 (iii/iv A.D.) (= Sedections, p. 120) θαυμάζω πάνυ [ὅτι] ἀλόγως ἀπέστητε μὴ ἄραντες [τὸ σ]ῶμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ὑμῶν, “1 wonder exceedingly that you went off so unreasonably, without taking the body of your brother”; cf. P Tor 1. 1¥8-4 (νον 116) εἰ δὲ kal τις θείηι τὸ μὴ ὄν (cf. 1 Cor 1°8)—acc. and inf. follow, P Ryl II. 144°? (Α.Ὁ. 38) ἐπαγαγεῖν αἰτίας τοῦ μὴ ὄντος, ‘‘…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μή (mē) — not.

μή,

Elean μά [ᾱ] [Refs 6th c.BC+]. (Cf. Sanskrit mā´, Armenian mi [from I.-[Refs 5th c.BC+] mē´], negative used in prohibitions):—not, the negative of the will and thought, as οὐ of fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective. (A few examples of μηδέ and μηδείς have been included.)

__A in INDEPENDENT sentences, used in expressions of will or wish, command, entreaty, warning,

__A.1 with present imperative, 2 person, μή μ᾽ ἐρέθιζε [Refs 8th c.BC+]: rarely with aorist imperative, μὴ.. ἔνθεο τιμῇ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; in Attic dialect, μὴ ψεῦσον, ὦ Ζεῦ, τῆς.. ἐλπίδος [Refs 8th c.BC+]perfect imperative [Refs 8th c.BC+] person when perfect = present, μὴ κεκράγετε [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

μή

me

a primary particle of qualified negation (whereas 3756 expresses an

absolute denial); (adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an

interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas 3756 expects an

affirmative one)) whether:--any but (that), X forbear, + God forbid, +

lack, lest, neither, never, no (X wise in), none, nor, (can-)not,

nothing, that not, un(-taken), without. Often used in compounds in

substantially the same relations. See also 3362, 3363, 3364, 3372,

3373, 3375, 3378.

see GREEK for 3756

see GREEK for 3362

see GREEK for 3363

see GREEK for 3364

see GREEK for 3372

see GREEK for 3373

see GREEK for 3375

see GREEK for 3378

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

μή

Neg.prt.

not, lest

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

μή mē 1x

a negative particle, can function as a conj, not, for the particulars of its usage, especially as distinguished from that of οὐ, consult a grammar; as a conj., lest, that not, Mt. 5:29, 30; 18:10; 24:6; Mk. 13:36; μή, or μήτι, or μήποτε, when prefixed to an interrogative clause, it expresses an intimation either of the reality of the matters respecting which the question is asked, Mt. 12:23; or the contrary, Jn. 4:12

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Particle-N — Particle · negative
particle — a small word colouring the clause; it does not decline.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PRT-N PaRTicle, disjunctive particle Negative

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
71%not
not71% · 772×except9% · 95×unless5% · 58×surely not4% · 41×lest3% · 32×otherwise2% · 23×other renderings4% · 48×other renderings1% · 16×

1,085 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 23 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
adverbial84%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,060 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
καίand, even, also,σύἐγώ
ἵναin order that, so th
αὐτόςσύπροσεύχομαιI pray, pray for
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώαὐτόςεἰμίI am, exist
εἰCond
αὐτόςυἱόςa son, descendenκαίand, even, also,
Article the
καίand, even, also,εἰςδιά
μήlest1060×
what comes after →
Article the
πατήρfather, Father, υἱόςa son, descendenσημεῖονa sign, miracle,
ἔχωI have, hold, posses
καίand, even, also,ποιμήνa shepherdβάθοςdepth, a depth,
εἰμίI am, exist
δίδωμιI offer, giveἐνμετά
τὶς
σύὑστερέωI am lacking, faγεννάωI beget, bring f
φοβέωI fear, am terrified
ἀπόArticle theμόνοςalone, but, only

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

Concordanceμή · 1,060× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew John 1 Corinthians Romans Mark Acts Revelation 2 Corinthians Hebrews 1 Timothy Galatians

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

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

Counted over the 1,321 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.

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
ἐλθὼνerchomai having come G2064 Verb · second aorist · active · participle · nominative · singular · masculine
635× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Mark than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To come or go is the meaning of this word, used in many applications, such as in Matthew 8:9 and Romans 9:9. The KJV translates it in various ways, including come, go, and enter.
Amplified meaning
come suddenly
Tyndale gloss
to come/go
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἔρχομαι (i.e., *erchomai*) means 'to come' or 'to go.' It is used in various contexts, often indicating arrival or return, and can apply to both people and events. The New Testament frequently employs this term, notably in references to the coming of the Messiah (e.g., Mt 11:3). Lexicons note its use with various prepositions to indicate direction or purpose.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἔρχομαι,

[in LXX very freq. for בּוֹא, also for הלךְ ni., אתה, etc., 34 words in all ;]

to come;

of persons, either as arriving or returning from elsewhere: Mt 8:9, Mk 6:31, Lk 7:8, Jo 4:27, Ro 9:9, al.; seq. ἀπό, Mk 5:35 7:1, Jo 3:2, al.; ἐκ, Lk 5:17, Jo 3:31, al.; εἰς, Mk 1:29, al.; διά seq. εἰς, Mk 7:31; ἐν (Cremer, 263 f., but v.s. ἐν), Ro 15:29,

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

ἔρχομαι, impy. ἔρχου. ἔρχεσθε, (for the Attic ἴθι, tre fr. εἶμι); impf. ἠρχόμην (for ἤειν and ya more com. in Attic) ; fut. ἐλεύσομαι; ---- (on these forms cf. [esp. Rutherford, New Phryn. p. 103 sqq.; Veitch 5. v.]; Matthiae § 234; Bttm. Ausf. Spr. ii. 182 sq.; Kriiger § 40 5. v.; Kiihner §343; W.§ 15s. v.; [B. 58 (50)]); pf. ἐλήλυθα; plpf. ἐληλύθειν; 2 aor. ἦλθον and (occasionally by LT Tr WH [together or severally ]—as Mt. vi. 10; [vii. 25, 27; x.13; xiv. 34; xxv. 86; Mk. i. 29; vi. 29; Lk. i. 59; ii. 16; v. 7; Vi. 17; viii. 35; x1. 2; xxiii. 33; xxiv. 1,23]; Jn. [1.39 (40); iii. 26]; iv. 27; [xii. 97; Acts xii. 10; [xiv. 24]; xxviii. 14 sq. etc.) in the Alexandrian form ἦλθα (see ἀπέρχομαι init. for reff.); Sept. for x13, rarely for ANN and 72; [fr. Hom. down] ; I. to come; 1. prop. a. of persons; a. univ. to come from one place into another, and used both of persons arriving,—as in…

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

ἔρχομαι. P Fay 123!5 (c A.D. 100) ἐλήλυθεν γὰρ Τεύφιλος ᾿Ιουδαῖος λέγων [ὅ]τι ἤχθην is γεωργίαν, ‘ Teuphilus the Jew has come saying, ‘I have been pressed in as a cultivator’” (Edd.) will serve as an instance of the ordinary use of this very common verb: the mention of the Jew Teuphilus (or Theophilus) is interesting. A few miscellaneous exx. may be added which illustrate NT constructions or phrases— with Jn 5*% cf. P Lond 427 (B.c. 168) (= I. p. 30, Se/ections, Ῥ. 10) εἰς πᾶν τι ἐληλυθυῖα διὰ τὴν τοῦ σίτου τιμήν, ‘ having come to the last extremity because of the high price of corn,” P Vat A® (B.c. 168) (= Witkowski’, p. 65) τοῦ παιδίου σου els τὰ ἔσχατα ἐληλυθότος, P Flor IL. 212° (A.D. 254) els τοσαύτην ἀτυχίαν ἦλθες. . . ὡς μὴ ἔχειν σε ἀρτά[β]ην μίαν λωτίνου: with Jn 939 cf. P Tor I. 1 ἴ1 39 (B.c. 116) ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ κριτήριον : with Jn 18, cf. the late P Iand I. 21% (vi/vii A.D.)…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἔρχομαι (erchomai) — to come/go.

ἔρχομαι

[Refs 8th c.BC+]: imperfect ἠρχόμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently in later Prose, [LXX+NT+2nd c.AD+]; in Attic dialect rare even in compounds, ἐπ-ηρχόμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]future ἐλεύσομαι, [Refs 8th c.BC+], Ionic dialect, Trag. [Refs 5th c.BC+], in Attic dialect Prose only in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist, Epic dialect and Lyric poetry ἤλῠθον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; but ἦλθον is more frequently even in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect infinitive ἐλθέμεναι, -έμεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+] unaugmented unless ἐξ-ελύθη [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Doric dialect ἦνθον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; participle ἐνθών [Refs 6th c.BC+]; subjunctive ἔνθῃ [Refs]; Laconian dialect ἔλσῃ, ἔλσοιμι, ἐλσών, [NT+5th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural ἤλθοσαν [LXX+2nd c.BC+]; ἤλυθα [Refs 4th c.AD+]perfect ἐλήλῠθα (not in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; syncopated. plural ἐλήλῠμεν, -υτε, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἔρχομαι

erchomai

middle voice of a primary verb

(used only in the present and imperfect tenses, the others being

supplied by a kindred (middle voice)

eleuthomai el-yoo'-thom-ahee, or (active)

eltho el'-tho,

which do not otherwise occur)

to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and

figuratively):--accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go,

grow, X light, X next, pass, resort, be set.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἔρχομαι

v.

I come, go

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἔρχομαι erchomai 632x

to come, to go, to pass. By the combination of this verb with other terms, a variety of meaning results, which, however, is due, not to a change of meaning in the verb, but to the adjuncts. Ὁ ἐρχόμενος, He who is coming, the expected Messiah, Mt. 11:3

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἔρχομαι to come or go, Hom., etc.

to come or go back, return, Od.; in full, αὖτις, ἄψ, πάλιν ἐλθεῖν id. Od.

c. acc. cogn., ὁδόν or κέλευθον ἐλθεῖν to go a journey, Hom., Aesch.; ἀγγελίην ἐλθεῖν to go a message, Il.

c. gen. loci, πεδίοιο ἐλθεῖν over or across the plain, id. Il.

c. part. fut., to denote the object, ἔρχομαι οἰσόμενος I go to fetch, id. Il.; μαρτυρήσων ἦλθον Aesch., etc.:—like an auxiliary Verb, ἔρχομαι λέξων I am going to tell, I intend to say (as in French je vais dire), Hdt.

the aor. part. ἐλθών is often added to another Verb, κάθηρον ἐλθών come and cleanse, Il., etc.

Post-Homeric phrases:

εἰς λόγους ἔρχεσθαί τινι to come to speech with, Hdt., Soph.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-2AAP-NSM — Verb · second aorist · active · participle · nominative · singular · masculine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-2AAP-NSM Part of Speech: Verb Tense: second Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Participle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kum: The translation of many Hebrew and Greek words. In the phrase "The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him" (Jud 14:6,19; 15:14; 1Sa 10:10; 11:6; 16:13), the word is tsaleah; Jud 14:6; 15:14 "came mightily," which is the uniform translation of the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Jud 13:25 "to move," i.e. to disturb or stir up). In Jud 6:34; 1Ch 12:18; 2Ch 24:20, it is labhesh, "to clothe"; the Revised Version, margin "The Spirit .... clothed itself with Gideon" and .... "with Zechariah,"…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
14%coming
coming14% · 92×having come13% · 81×came11% · 73×come9% · 55×comes7% · 44×they came3% · 22×he came3% · 18×he comes2% · 16×other renderings38% · 241×

642 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 91 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
verb92%adverbial7%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 635 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, existβροχήa heavy rain
Article the
εὐλογέωI blessεἰμίI am, existκαίand, even, also,
ὅτιthat, since, because
αὐτόςἀκούωI hear, listenνομίζωI think, suppose
αὐτός
μαθητήςa learner, disciλέγωI say, speakἐπί
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theὅτανwhen, whensoeverὅτεwhen
ἔρχομαιhaving come635×
what comes after →
πρός
αὐτόςσύἐγώ
Article the
ὥραan hour, seasonἸησοῦςJesusκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
εἰς
Article theτόποςa placeΚαφαρναούμProp
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theὁράωI see, look uponἔρχομαιI come, go
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theεἰςἡμέραa day

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

Concordanceἔρχομαι · 635× in the New Testament
John Matthew Luke Mark Acts Revelation 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Romans Galatians Hebrews 1 John

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament24 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 423 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 Didache
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 27c. AD 40

καὶ γὰρ εὔλογον τῷ ὄντι πρῶτον αὐτὸν εἰς γένεσιν ἐλθεῖν, ἄριστόν τε ὄντα τῶν γεγονότων κἀκ τοῦ καθαρωτάτου τῆς οὐσίας παγέντα, διότι θεῶν ἐμφανῶν τε καὶ αἰσθητῶν ἔμελλεν οἶκος ἔσεσθαι ἱερώτατος.

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 5.9c. AD 100

ὅτε δὲ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀποστόλους τοὺς μέλλοντας κηρύσσειν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ ἐξελέξατο, ὄντας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀνομωτέρους, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς, τότε ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν θεοῦ.

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 6th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Cair. Zen. 3 59469276 BC–227 BC

καὶ ἵνʼ ἀεὶ διδῶσιν οἱ ἐκεῖθεν ποιά τινα· τὴν δὲ τιμὴν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἂν ἔλθῃς δώσουσι. καί, εἰ δυνατόν, Ἕρμωνα πρόδομα λαβεῖν ἄχρι τῶν Λαμέδοντος.

P.Lond. 7 2009Philadelphia (Arsinoites)247 BC

καὶ ἐν τῶι β ἔτει … τῆι ζ εἰς τὴν η ἦλθεν μετά μεθυόντων … τινων καὶ ἔκρουσεν τὴν θύραν κελεύων ἄνοιξον ἵνα πίωμεν. ἐμοῦ δὲ

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Πηλουσίωι θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ Ψενανοῦπιν καὶ … … ελθεῖν ἐπὶ προ … ους καὶ γραψάτωσαν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσπούδασας διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν παρακλήσεις

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
ἐξαίφνηςexaiphnēs suddenly G1810 Adverb
5× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Mark than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This adverb means suddenly or unexpectedly, like in Mark 13:36 and Luke 2:13. It describes an event happening without warning. The KJV Bible translates it as 'suddenly'.
Tyndale gloss
suddenly
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἐξαίφνης (exaiphnes) is an adverb meaning 'suddenly' or 'unexpectedly.' It is derived from a combination of the prefix ἐξ and the base of ἄφνω. This term appears in several New Testament verses, including Mark 13:36 and Acts 9:3, indicating moments of abrupt occurrence.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐξ-αίφνης (WH, ἐξέφνης, exc. Ac 22:6; v. App., p. 151, and cf. M, Pr., 35), adv.

(< ἄφνω),

[in LXX chiefly for פִתְאׄם ;]

suddenly Mk 13:36, Lk 2:13 9:39, Ac 9:3 22:6.†

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

ἐξαίφνης [WH ἐξέφνης (exc. in Acts xxii. 6), see their App. p. 151], adv., (αἴφνης, ἄφνω, ἄφνως suddenly), of a sudden, suddenly, unexpectedly: Mk. xiii. 36; Lk. li. 13; ix. 39; Actsix. 3; xxii.6. (Hom. et al.; Sept.)

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

ἐξαίφνης. For the form ἐξαίφνης, which is read by WH only in Ac 22° (cf. No/es,? p. 158), see P Par 518 (B.c. 160) (= Selections, p. 19) καὶ ἐξαίφνης) ἀνύγω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς pov, and PSI III. 184° (a.p. 292) περὶ ἕκτην ὥραν ἐξαίφνης καύματος ἐνόντος πῦρ κτλ. The very fragmentary letter P Giss I. 86 (ii/A.D.) shows ὅτι ἐξέφνης ἀπέστιλας : so P Flor II. 1757 (A.D. 255). In Cagnat III. 11454 we have ἐξεφάνης On the ease with which at and € would be interchanged by the scribes, see Proleg. p. 35. MGr ἔξαφνα, ἄξαφνα, ξάφνω, with ξαφνίζω, ““ frighten,” “surprise.” 3 / € ξανίστημι

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐξαίφνης (exaiphnēs) — suddenly.

ἐξαίφν-ης,

adverb on a sudden, [Refs 8th c.BC+]participle, ψυχὴν θεωρεῖν ἐ. ἀποθανόντος ἑκάστου the moment that he is dead, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀκούσαντι ἐ. at first hearing, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; but τὸ ἐ. the instantaneous, that which is between motion and rest, and not in the time-series, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but, ={τὸ ἐν ἀναισθήτῳ χρόνῳ διὰ μικρότητα ἐκστάν}, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐξαίφνης

exaiphnes

from 1537 and the base of 160; of a sudden (unexpectedly):--suddenly.

Compare 1819.

see GREEK for 1537

see GREEK for 160

see GREEK for 1819

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐξαίφνης

Adv

suddenly, unexpectedly

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐξαίφνης exaiphnēs 5x

suddenly, unexpectedly, Mk. 13:36; Lk. 2:13; 9:39; Acts 9:3; 22:6*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐξαίφνης e)c-ai/fnhsadverbἄφνω adv. on a sudden, Il., attic; ἐξ. ἀποθανόντος, the moment he is dead, Plat.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adverb
adverb — it qualifies the verb, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

ADV ADVerb or adverb and particle combined

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
100%suddenly
suddenly100% · 5×

5 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 1 different way. 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
adverbial100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 5 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
αὐτός
ἔρχομαιI come, go
μήNeg
ΔαμασκόςDamascus
Article the
μεσημβρίαthe South
περί
ἐξαίφνηςsuddenly
what comes after →
εὑρίσκωI find
σύ
γίνομαιI come into being, a
σύν
κράζωI cry aloud, shriek
καίand, even, also,
τέDisj
αὐτός
ἐκ
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

Concordanceἐξαίφνης · 5× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Mark
Across the New Testament3 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 8 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 113c. AD 40

εὐρεῖς γὰρ ἔστιν ὅτε κόλποι θαλάττης ὑποσυρείσης ἀμπώτεσι βαθὺς ἐξαίφνης αἰγιαλός εἰσι καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀναχυθείσης πελάγη βαθύτατα οὐ βραχείαις ὁλκάσιν ἀλλὰ μυριοφόροις ναυσὶν ἐμπλεόμενα·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 7.218c. AD 75–95

συμβαλόντων δὲ τῶν ἡμετέρων οἱ μὲν ἐκείνου πρὸς μικρὸν ὑποχωρήσουσιν, αὐτοὶ δὲ θαρσήσαντες ὡς τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτοῖς ἐγγὺς ὄντος ἀντιστήσονται, καὶ μεταξὺ τούτων μαχομένων ὁ πατὴρ ἐπιφανεὶς ἐξαίφνης τοῖς μὲν εὐψυχίαν πρὸς τοὺς κινδύνους παρασκευάσει…

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 23.5c. AD 96

ἐπ’ ἀληθείας ταχὺ καὶ ἐξαίφνης τελειωθήσεται τὸ βούλημα αὐτοῦ, συνεπιμαρτυρούσης καὶ τῆς γραφῆς, ὅτι ταχὺ ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ, καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἥξει ὁ κύριος εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος, ὃν ὑμεῖς προσδοκᾶτε.

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 2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 5th c. AD
P.Giss. 1 86Apollonopolites HeptakomiasAD 113–AD 120

λίαν ἐλυπήθην ἐπὶ τῶι Παρθενίωι ὅτι ἐξαίφνης ἀπέστειλας … ἄρτον

P.Flor. 2 175Theadelphia (Arsinoites)AD 253

ἐπιτήδειον εὕρετε ἡμῖν πηχῶν δέκα ἢ καὶ πλείονος χωροῦντα εἰς κτῆμα Πτολεμαίδος Ὅρμου ἐπεὶ ἐξαίφνης κατέαγεν ὁ τῶν ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ ἤτω ἐπιτήδειος. ἐὰν μέντοι ἀγοραστὸς ἦν δηλοῖ ἀπὸ τίνος

P.Oxy. 46 3292OxyrhynchosAD 259–AD 264

τῇ γενομένῃ καταδρομῇ τῶν ἐπελθόντων Λιβύων Γωνιωτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ιθ τοῦ ὄντος μηνὸς Παῦνι ἐξαίφνης ὑπὸ τὸν ὄρθρον … ομενοι

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
εὕρῃehuriskō he may find G2147 Verb · second aorist · active · subjunctive · third person · singular
176× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Mark as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To find or discover something, like in Matthew 7:7-8, where Jesus teaches that those who seek will find. This word is about searching and finding, whether it's a physical object or a spiritual truth.
Amplified meaning
discover, meet
Tyndale gloss
to find/meet
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word εὑρίσκω (i.e., *heuriskō*) means 'to find' and can refer to both literal and figurative discoveries. It encompasses a range of meanings from locating something after a search to acquiring knowledge or understanding. In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, such as finding people or truths (e.g., Matthew 7:7). The entries do not show significant disagreement.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

εὑρίσκω,

[in LXX chiefly for מצא, also for נשׂג hi., etc. ;]

to find, with or without previous search: absol., opp. to ζητέω, Mt 7:7, 8 Lk 11:9, 10; c. acc., Mt 2:8, Mk 1:37, Ac 13:22, II Ti 1:17, al.; pass., οὐχ εὑ., of disappearance, He 11:5, Re 16:20, al.; γῆ κ. τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα εὑρεθήσεται (for conjectures as to the meaning of this reading, v. Mayor, ICC, in l.), II Pe 3:10, WH, R, mg. Metaph.…

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

εὑρίσκω ; impf. εὕρισκον (Mk. xiv. 55 [RG ΤΊ; Lk. xix. 48 [RG‘I’]; Acts vii. 11 [exe. Tr WH]) and more rarely ηὕρισκον (cf. Kiihner § 343, i. 825 sq. [esp. Veitch s. v. fin. ] and reff. under evdoxéw) ; fut. εὑρήσω; pf. εὕρηκα; 1 aor. εὕρησα (which aor., unknown to the earlier Grks., occurs in Aesop. f. 131 [f. 41 ed. Furia, p. 333 ed. Cor.]; Maneth. 5, 137 and in Byzant. writ.; cf. Lob. ad Phryn. p. 721; W. 86 (82); [cf. B. 36 (31)]), Rev. xviii. 14 Ree. ; 2 aor. εὗρον, 1 pers. plur. in Alex. form | WH. App. Ρ. 164; B. 39 (34); W. § 13,1 (see ἀπέρχομαι) | εὕραμεν, Lk. xxiii. 2 T Tr WH, 3 pers. plur. εὗραν, Lk. viii. 35 Tr WH; Acts v. 10 Tr (in Sept. often εὕροσαν) ; Pass., pres. εὑρίσκομαι ; impf. 3 pers. sing. εὑρίσκετο, Heb. xi. 5 RG, ηὑρίσκετο 1, Τ Tr WH, (cf. Bleek and Delitzsch ad loe. [Veitch u. 5.7); 1 aor. εὑρέθην ; fut. εὑρεθήσομαι ; 2 aor. mid. εὑρόμην and later εὑράμην (Heb.…

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

εὑρίσκω. P Hib I. 485 (B.c. 255) οὐ γὰρ εὑρίσκω ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις, “for I cannot find the entry in the books” (Edd.), P Tebt I. 58° (B.c. 111) εὑρήκαμεν δὲ τὸν ἐπιδεδωκότα τὸ ὑπόμνηίμα), P Oxy IIT. 53218 (ii/A.D.) καὶ γὰρ ἐν Iladpe τότε σε εὗρον, P Iand 81 (ii/A.D.) ἐὰν τὸ χυτρί]ον εὕρωι (for form cf. Mayser Gr. p. 134 f.), διαπέμψ[ομαι διὰ το]ῦ ὀνολάτου dpep(pve[s: cf. for the passive P Rein 111} (B.c. 111) διὰ τὸ τοῦτον ἐκπεπτωκέναι Kal μὴ εὑρίσκεσθαι, ‘because this man has left the country and is not to be found,” P Oxy IV. 743% (B.C. 2) καὶ εὑρέθη μήτε εἰληφὼς μήτε δεδωκώ(ς), “it was discovered that he had neither received nor paid anything,” and P Giss I. 47* (Hadrian) λείαν ἄξια εὑρῆσθαι. For a weaker sense, as in Mt 2737 a/., see P Tebt II. 3305 (ii/A.D.) παραγενομένου εἰς τὴν κώμην εὗρον τὴν οἰκίαν μου σεσυλημένην, P Gen I. 54%! (iv/A.D.) ἀπελθόντων ἡμῶν ἐκεῖσαι εὑρήκαμεν τὸν…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

εὑρίσκω (ehuriskō) — to find/meet.

εὑρίσκω,

imperfect ηὕρισκον or εὕρ- [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future εὑρήσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 2 εὗρον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural εὕροσαν [LXX+1st c.AD+]; Epic dialect infinitive εὑρέμεναι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: later aorist 1 εὕρησα [Refs 4th c.AD+]; εὗρα variant in [NT+2nd c.AD+]: perfect εὕρηκα [Refs 5th c.BC+], perfect imperative 2nd pers. singular εὕρηκε [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, future εὑρήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 2 εὑρόμην [Refs 8th c.BC+]: aorist 1 εὑράμην [NT+8th c.BC+]:—passive, future εὑρεθήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 1 ηὑρέθην or εὑρέθην [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.: perfect ηὕρημαι or εὕρ- [Refs 8th c.BC+] has only aorist active and middle, except ἔθ᾽ εὑρίσκω (variant{ἐφευρίσκω}) [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the augment is seldom found in Papyri, ηὕρισκεν [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; never in those of [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—find, εὗρεν δ᾽…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

εὑρίσκω

heurisko

heuro hyoo'-ro, which

(together with another cognate form)

heureo hyoo-reh'-o is used for it in all the tenses

except the present and imperfect

to find (literally or figuratively):--find, get, obtain, perceive,

see.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

εὑρίσκω

v.

I find

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

εὑρίσκω heuriskō 176x

to find, to meet with; Mt. 18:28; 20:6; to find out, to detect, discover, Lk. 23:2, 4, 14; to acquire, obtain, win, gain, Lk. 1:30; 9:12; to find mentally, to comprehend, recognize, Acts 17:27; Rom. 7:21; to find by experience, observe, gather, Rom. 7:18; to devise as feasible, Lk. 5:19; 19:48

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

εὑρίσκω to find, Hom., etc.:—c. part. to find that, Hdt.; and in Pass., ἢν εὑρεθῆις δίκαιος ὤν Soph.

c. inf., εὕρισκε πρῆγμά οἱ εἶναι found that the thing for him was, Hdt.

to find out, discover, Hom., etc.; cf. εὕρημα II:—so in Mid. to find out for oneself, Od.

to devise, invent, Aesch., etc.:—Mid., τὰ δ᾽ ἔργα τοὺς λόγους εὑρίσκεται deeds make themselves words, i. e. speak for themselves, Soph.

to find, get, gain, procure, Pind., Soph., etc.:—Mid. to get for oneself, bring on oneself, κακὸν εὕρετο Od.; αὐτὸς εὑρόμην πόνους Aesch.

of merchandise, to find a purchaser, to fetch, earn, πολλὸν χρυσίον εὑροῦσα having fetched a large sum, Hdt.; ἀποδίδοται τοῦ εὑρόντος sells for what it will fetch, Xen.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-2AAS-3S — Verb · second aorist · active · subjunctive · third person · singular
second aorist active subjunctive — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-2AAS-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: second Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Subjunctive Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
14%found
found14% · 25×having found12% · 21×they found8% · 14×he found6% · 10×will find6% · 10×you will find5% · 9×finds4% · 7×finding3% · 6×other renderings42% · 75×

177 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 56 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
verb96%linking verb2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 176 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
ζητέωI seek, search fἔρχομαιI come, goἀπόλλυμιI destroy, lose,
οὐNeg
καίand, even, also,τόποςa placeδέbut, on the othe
μήNeg
καίand, even, also,οὐNegArticle the
αὐτός
κύριοςlord, Lord, mastσυνέρχομαιI come or go witστόμαthe mouth, speec
ὅς
ἀγρόςa field, the couπᾶςall, the whole, ἕωςuntil, as far as
εὑρίσκωhe may find176×
what comes after →
αὐτός
καθεύδωI sleep, am sleeκαίand, even, also,ἐν
Article the
σῶμαbody, fleshψυχήthe soul, life, παιδίονa little child,
ἐν
αὐτόςArticle theγαστήρthe womb, stomac
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theὅπουwhere, whitherἄρχωI begin
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theεἷςoneἐκεῖthere, yonder, t

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

Concordanceεὑρίσκω · 176× in the New Testament
Luke Acts Matthew John Revelation Mark 2 Corinthians Hebrews Romans 1 Corinthians 1 Peter 2 Peter

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament16 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 253 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 79c. AD 40

ἅμα τῇ πρώτῃ γενέσει τὰς εἰς τὸ ζῆν παρασκευὰς ἁπάσας εὗρεν ἄνθρωπος, εἰς διδασκαλίαν τῶν ἔπειτα, μόνον οὐκ ἄντικρυς βοώσης τῆς φύσεως, ὅτι μιμούμενοι τὸν ἀρχηγέτην τοῦ γένους ἀπόνως καὶ ἀταλαιπώρως ἐν ἀφθονωτάτῃ τῶν ἀναγκαίων εὐπορίᾳ διάξουσιν.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.10c. AD 75–95

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

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 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
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Cair. Zen. 4 59598247 BC–246 BC

r … Ζήνωνι χαίρειν. περὶ ὧν μοι ἐνετείλω περί τε τοῦ γαυνάκου καὶ οὐχ εὑρήκαμεν, οὐδὲ γνάφαλλα ὡσαύτως. χαλκοῦς οὔ φησι ὁ δεῖνα λαβεῖν εἰς τὸ φόρετρον τοῦ ὀρόβου.

P.Cair. Zen. 3 59354Philadelphia (Arsinoites)245 BC

καθότι ἔγραψας, ἀπεστάλκαμεν κομίζοντα Ζωίλον ἐρίφους δεδαρμένους β, ὄρτυγας λδ, περιστεριδεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἠδυνάσθημεν εὑρεῖν παρευρέσει ἡιτινιοῦν. περὶ τῶν σχαδόνων εἴπαμεν Νέστωι. ἀπέσταλκεν οὖν τῆι κϛ, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφη.

r Δημοκράτης Ζήνωνι χαίρειν. τὰ σκήνεια τῆς σκηνῆς εὕρηκα βεβρωμένα, ἑωράκην δὲ ἐν τοῖς Δημέου καὶ παρʼ Ἑλένωι ἰτέινα ὀρθὰ καὶ ἐπιτήδεια. καλῶς

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
ὑμᾶςsu you G4771 Personal pronoun · second person · accusative · plural
2,892× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Mark as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'you' and is used to address someone directly, like in John 1:30 and Matthew 26:64. It's a way to emphasize or contrast the person being spoken to. The KJV Bible translates it as 'thou'.
Amplified meaning
personally, as individuals
Tyndale gloss
you
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

σύ,

pron. of 2nd pers.,

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

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

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

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σύ (su) — you.

σύ [ῠ],

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

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

σύ

su

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

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

see GREEK for 4675

see GREEK for 4571

see GREEK for 4671

see GREEK for 5209

see GREEK for 5210

see GREEK for 5213

see GREEK for 5216

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σύ, σοῦ, σοί, σέ

Pers.pr.

you

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σύ sy 2x

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-2AP — Personal pronoun · second person · accusative · plural
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-2AP Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: second Case: Accusative Number: Plural

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

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

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

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

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
λέγωI say, speak
ἀμήνHebrδέbut, on the otheἐγώ
καίand, even, also, nam
ἐγώοὕτωthus, so, in thiμήNeg
ἐν
Article theεἰμίI am, existγίνομαιI come into bein
πρός
ἔρχομαιI come, goἐγώπέμπωI send
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakπαρακαλέωI summon, entreaθέλωI will, wish, de
σύyou2892×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godἐνἁμαρτίαa sin
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theεἰρήνηpeace, peace of οὐNeg
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐν
ἐν
Article theποῖοςIrgΧριστόςanointed, the Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.101c. AD 75–95

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

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

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

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

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

P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

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

P.Grenf. 1 41Thebais3 BC

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

lest having come suddenly he may find you sleeping.
καθεύδοντας.katheudō sleeping. G2518 Verb · present · active · participle · accusative · plural · masculine
22× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Mark than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To sleep or fall asleep is what this word means, used in stories like Jesus sleeping in the boat in Matthew 8:24 and Mark 4:27.
Amplified meaning
asleep, in a state of spiritual slumber, to be in a condition of inactivity or indifference
Tyndale gloss
to sleep
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word καθεύδω (*katheudo*) means 'to sleep' and can refer to both literal and metaphorical states of sleep. It appears in various contexts in the New Testament, including references to physical sleep (e.g., Matthew 8:24) and spiritual sloth (e.g., Ephesians 5:14). The term is also used metaphorically to denote death (1 Thessalonians 5:10). It is synonymous with κοιμάω.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

καθεύδω,

[in LXX chiefly for שׁכב, Ge 28:13, Ps 87 (88):5, al.; also for יָשֵׁן, Ca 5:2, Da LXX TH 12:2, al.; for ישׁב, I Ki 19:9;]

to sleep: Mt 8:24 9:24 13:25 25:5 26:40, 43, 45, Mk 4:27, 38 5:39 14:37, 40, 41, Lk 8:52 22:46, I Th 5:7.

Metaph.,

of death (as Ps 87 (88):5, Da LXX TH 12:2): I Th 5:10 (cf. Mt 9:24, Mk 5:39, Lk 8:52, and v.…

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

καθ-εύδω ; impf. 3 pers. plur. ἐκάθευδον ; fr. Hom. down; Sept. mostly for 13¥ ; 1. to fall asieep, to drop off to sleep: Mt. xxv. 5. 2. to sleep ; a. prop.: Mt. viii. 24 ; ix. 24 [on this and its paral. ef. B. D. Am. ed. p. 1198*]; xiii. 25; xxvi.40,43,45; Mk. iv. 27, 38; v.39; xiii. 86; xiv. 37, 40sq.; Lk. viii.52; xxii. 46; 1 Th. v. Zs b. euphemistically, to be dead: 1 Th.v.10; (Ps. Ixxxvii. (Ixxxviii.) 6; Dan. xii. 2). c. metaph. to yield to sloth and sin, and be indifferent to one’s salvation: Eph. v. 14; 1 ΤῊ. ν. 6.

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

καθεύδω. BGU IV. 114157 (B.c. 14) οὐδὲ γὰρ καθεύδωι ἔσωι ἵνα εἰδῶι, PSI 1. 9417 (ii/A.p.) καθεύδει τῇ νυκτί. In the rules regulating visitors to a sacred shrine, Sy// 589** (iv/B.C.), it is provided—ey δὲ tot κοιμητηρίοι καθεύδειν χωρὶς μὲν Tos ἄνδρας, χωρὶς δὲ τὰς γυναῖκας, The compound ἐγκαθεύδω occurs several times in the same document. Epict. ii. 20. 10 βαλὼν κάθευδε καὶ τὰ τοῦ σκώληκος ποίει, ‘lie down and sleep and play the part of the worm.” On the irregular construction in Mk 4?’ see Pro/eg. p. 185 f.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

καθεύδω (katheudō) — to sleep.

καθεύδω,

so also in Ionic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]imperfect καθεῦδον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐκάθευδον [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future καθευδήσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]aorist ἐκαθεύδησα (not in Attic dialect), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; infinitive καθευδῆσαι [Refs]:— lie down to sleep, sleep, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; opposed to ἀγρυπνέω, ἐγρήγορα, [Refs 6th c.BC+]; νυκτὸς κ. to sleep by night, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τὰς νύκτας to sleep all one's nights, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; μαλακῶς, σκληρῶς κ., [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of male and female, ἵνα τώ γε καθεύδετον ἐν φιλότητι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: generally, pass the night, τὴν βουλὴν εἰς ἀκρόπολιν ἰέναι κἀκεῖ κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. ἐπὶ ξύλου roost, of a fowl, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐκ τοῦ καθεύδοντος from a sleeping state, [Refs 5th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

καθεύδω

katheudo

from 2596 and heudo (to sleep); to lie down to rest, i.e. (by

implication) to fall asleep (literally or figuratively):--(be

a-)sleep.

see GREEK for 2596

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

καθεύδω

v.

I sleep, am sleeping

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

καθεύδω katheudō 22x

to sleep, be fast asleep, Mt. 8:24; 9:24; met. to sleep in spiritual sloth, Eph. 5:14; 1 Thess. 5:6; to sleep the sleep of death, to die, 1 Thess. 5:10

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

καθεύδω ionic κατ-εύδω imperf. καθεῦδον attic also καθηῦδον and ἐκάθευδον fut. καθευδήσω to lie down to sleep, sleep, Hom., etc.:— ἐκ τοῦ καθεύδοντος (part. neut.) from a sleeping state, Plat.

metaph. to lie asleep, lie idle, Aesch., etc.:—also of things, to sleep, lie still, be at rest, ἐλπίδες καθεύδουσιν Eur.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAP-APM — Verb · present · active · participle · accusative · plural · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked plural masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAP-APM Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Participle Case: Accusative Number: Plural Gender: Masculine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
45%sleeping
sleeping45% · 10×sleep14% · 3×sleeps14% · 3×we may sleep5% · 1×we shall sleep5% · 1×he may sleep5% · 1×you asleep?5% · 1×you sleeping5% · 1×other renderings5% · 1×

22 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 22 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
εὑρίσκωI findλέγωI say, speak
ἀλλάbut, except
ἀποθνῄσκωI am dying, am aκοράσιονa girl, little g
Article the
δέbut, on the otheἐγείρωI wake, arouse,
καίand, even, also, nam
πᾶςall, the whole,
δέbut, on the other ha
αὐτός
καθεύδωsleeping.22×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
λέγωI say, speakἐγείρωI wake, arouse, καταγελάωI laugh at, ridi
Article the
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of thλοιπόςleft, left behin
εἰμίI am, exist
γάρfor
λοιπόςleft, left behind, t
καίand, even, also,
οὐNeg
ἰσχύωI am strong, abl

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

Concordanceκαθεύδω · 22× in the New Testament
Mark Matthew 1 Thessalonians Luke Ephesians
Across the New Testament5 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 11 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
Philo of AlexandriaOn Dreams 1.3c. AD 40

ἡ γῆ, ἐφ’ ἧς σὺ καθεύδεις, σοὶ δώσω αὐτὴν καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, καὶ ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς γῆς, καὶ πλατυνθήσεται ἐπὶ θάλασσαν καὶ λίβα καὶ βορρᾶν καὶ ἀνατολάς· καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 11.35c. AD 75–95

καὶ τῷ λόγον ἐροῦντι περὶ ὧν αὐτὸς ἀνακρίνειν μέλλει τὸν ἀληθέστερον καὶ συνετώτερον, τούτῳ γέρας δώσειν ὑπισχνεῖται νικητήριον πορφύραν ἐνδύσασθαι καὶ ἐν ἐκπώμασιν χρυσοῖς πίνειν καὶ ἐπὶ χρυσίου καθεύδειν καὶ ἅρμα χρυσοχάλινον καὶ κίδαριν βύσσινον…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. BC 2nd c. BC 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD
BGU 4 1141Alexandria15 BC–14 BC

καχεκτεύεται, εἴ τι μὲν ὁ σύνδουλος αὐτὸν δυνήσεται συστῆσαι ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι, οὐδὲ γὰρ καθεύδω ἔσω ἵνα εἰδῶ. ἡμέρας δὲ ἐν αἷς ἀναβαίνω, εὑρίσκω αὐτὸν καθήμενον καὶ πεινιζόμενον κρόκην,

O.Krok. 2 225KrokodiloAD 98–AD 117

τῇ κυρίᾳ Ἀθηνᾷ. γινώσκειν θέλω ἀφ’ ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ σοῦ οὔδε νυκτὸς οὔδε ἡμέρας καθεύδω … του

O.Claud. 1 174Mons ClaudianusAD 101–AD 125

ἔγραψα ὑμῖν διʼ ἑτέρου ὀστρακίου ὅπως πέμψατέ μοι τὸ ὑπαγκώνιον τὸ μικρὸν ἐπεὶ πάσχω καθεύδων καὶ οὐκ ἐπέμψατε. πέμψατε οὖν αὐτὸ καὶ τὸ μελάνιον καὶ κολλυρίδια β καὶ ἐκ

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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