Keraia
Lexicon

εἰμί

eimito beHow to read Greek
greekNew TestamentVerb2,465 occurrences27 books2,100 verses

Definition

εἰμί,

with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be.

I. As substantive verb.

1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Acts 17:28, John 1:1; 8:58; 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Romans 4:17, 1 Corinthians 1:28.

2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Matthew 24:3, Mark 14:2; 15:42, Luke 21:23, John 4:6, 23; 5:10, al.

3. to be present, be in a place, have come: Matthew 2:13, 15, Mark 1:45; 5:21; 15:40, Luke 1:80; 5:29, John 7:30, al.; before εἰς, Mark 2:1; before ἐκ, (ἐξ), Matthew 1:20; 21:25, Mark 11:30, John 3:31, al.

4. Impers., ἔστι, ἦν, etc.;

(a) there is (Fr. il y a), was, etc.: Matthew 16:28, Luke 16:19, John 3:1; 5:2, Romans 3:10, al.; with dative (of the possessor; Bl., §37, 3), Matthew 16:22, Luke 1:7, John 18:10, Romans 9:2, al.; ἔστιν ὅς, ὅστις (chiefly in pl), Matthew 16:28; 19:2, Mark 9:1, al.;

(b) with inf., = ἔξεστιν (which see), it is possible: Hebrews 9:5, 1 Corinthians 11:20, RV (but see ICC, in l.).

II. As copula uniting subject and predicate.

1. Expressing simply identity or equivalence: Matthew 5:13; 14:15, Luke 1:18, 19, John 1:1; 4:19, Revelation 3:9, al. mult.

2. Explicative, as in parable, figure, type, etc.: Matthew 13:19, 1 Corinthians 9:2; 10:4; 11:25, Galatians 4:24, Revelation 17:15, al.; ταῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, Matthew 27:46, Mark 7:2, Romans 7:18 al.; ὅ ἐστιν, Mark 3:17, Colossians 1:24, Hebrews 7:2, al.; akin to this is the sacramental usage: Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22, 24, Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24 (see ICC on Mk, I Co, ll. with; DB, iii, 148 f.).

3. C. genitive: qual., etc., Mark 5:42, Luke 3:23, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Hebrews 12:11, al.; part., 1 Timothy 1:20, 2 Timothy 1:15; poss., Matthew 5:3, 10, Mark 12:7, Luke 4:7; of service or partisanship, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 1:12, 2 Corinthians 10:7, 2 Timothy 2:19.

4. C. dative (BL, §37, 3): Acts 1:8; 9:15, Romans 4:12, 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14, Revelation 21:7, al.

5. C. ptcp., as a periphrasis for the simple verb (Bl., §62, 1, 2; M, Pr., 225 ff.);

(a) with ptcp. pf. (cl.): Matthew 10:30, Luke 9:32, John 3:24, Acts 21:35, 1 Corinthians 15:19, al;

(b) with ptcp. pr. (esp. in impf., as in Heb. and Aram.; Dalman, Words, 35 f.), Matthew 7:29, Mark 1:22, Luke 4:31; 14:1, Acts 1:10, al. mult., id. for imper. (M, Pr., 180f., 182f.), with ellipsis of εἰμί, Romans 12:9, 10, Hebrews 13:5, al.;

(with) with ptcp. aor. (cl), Luke 23:9.

6. Seq. εἰς (cf. Heb. הָיָה לְ), a vernac. usage (M, Pr., 71): Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, Hebrews 8:10, al.

7. C. adv.: Matthew 19:20, Mark 4:26, Luke 18:11, al.

8. Ellipses;

(a) of the copula (Bl., §30, 3): Matthew 8:29; 24:32, John 21:22, 23, Hebrews 6:4, al.;

(b) of the predicate: ἐγώ εἰμί, Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50, al.; absol. (cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; אֲנִי הוּא), Mark 13:6, John 4:26, al. (cf. ἄπ-, ἔν-, πάρ-, συμ-πάρ-, σύν-ειμι).

Hebrew words it translates

The Hebrew words that the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders as εἰμί:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

2,465 total
  1. Luke 5:16ἦν · frequently
    Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.
  2. Luke 5:17ἦν · was; ἦσαν · were; ἦσαν · had; ἦν · was [present]
    One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.
  3. Luke 5:18ἦν
    Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,
  4. Luke 5:21ἐστιν · is
    But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
  5. Luke 5:23ἐστιν · is
    Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
  6. Luke 5:29ἦν · was there; ἦσαν · were
    Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.
  7. Luke 5:34ἐστιν · is
    Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?
  8. Luke 5:39ἐστιν · is
    And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
  9. Luke 6:3ὄντες
    Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
  10. Luke 6:5ἐστιν · is
    Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
  11. Luke 6:6ἦν · was; ἦν · was
    On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
  12. Luke 6:12ἦν
    In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
  13. Luke 6:20ἐστὶν · is
    Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
  14. Luke 6:22ἐστε · are you
    Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
  15. Luke 6:32ἐστίν · is that
    If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
  16. Luke 6:33ἐστίν · is that
    If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
  17. Luke 6:34ἐστίν · is that
    And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
  18. Luke 6:35ἔσται · will be; ἔσεσθε · you will be; ἐστιν · is
    But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
  19. Luke 6:36ἐστίν · is
    Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
  20. Luke 6:40ἔστιν · is; ἔσται · will be
    A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
  21. Luke 6:43ἐστιν
    No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
  22. Luke 6:47ἐστὶν · he is
    I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them:
  23. Luke 6:48ἐστιν · He is
    He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
  24. Luke 6:49ἐστιν · is
    But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”
  25. Luke 7:2ἦν
    There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die.
  26. Luke 7:4ἐστιν · [This man] is
    They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
  27. Luke 7:6εἰμι · I am
    So Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends with the message: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.
  28. Luke 7:8εἰμι · am
    For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
  29. Luke 7:12ἦν · was; ἦν · was
    As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
  30. Luke 7:19εἶ · Are
    So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
  31. Luke 7:20εἶ · Are
    When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’”
  32. Luke 7:23ἐστιν · is
    Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
  33. Luke 7:25εἰσίν · are found
    Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear elegant clothing and live in luxury are found in palaces.
  34. Luke 7:27ἐστιν · is the one
    This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
  35. Luke 7:28ἐστιν · there is; ἐστιν · is
    I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
  36. Luke 7:31εἰσὶν · are they
    “To what, then, can I compare the men of this generation? What are they like?
  37. Luke 7:32εἰσιν · They are
    They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
  38. Luke 7:37ἦν
    When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
  39. Luke 7:39ἦν · were; ἐστιν · she is
    When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”