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 22:56ἦν · was
    A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.
  2. Luke 22:58εἶ · are; εἰμί · I am
    A short time later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”
  3. Luke 22:59ἦν · was; ἐστιν · he too is
    About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a Galilean.”
  4. Luke 22:64ἐστιν
    They blindfolded Him and kept demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”
  5. Luke 22:67εἶ · are
    “If You are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe.
  6. Luke 22:69ἔσται · will be
    But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
  7. Luke 22:70εἶ · Are; εἰμι · am
    So they all asked, “Are You then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”
  8. Luke 23:2εἶναι · to be
    And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
  9. Luke 23:3εἶ · Are
    So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
  10. Luke 23:6ἐστιν · was
    When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
  11. Luke 23:7ἐστὶν · [Jesus] was; ὄντα · was
    And learning that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time.
  12. Luke 23:8ἦν · he was
    When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle.
  13. Luke 23:12ὄντες · they had been
    That day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this time they had been enemies.
  14. Luke 23:15ἐστὶν · has
    Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.
  15. Luke 23:19ἦν
    (Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
  16. Luke 23:35ἐστιν · is
    The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
  17. Luke 23:37εἶ · are
    “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!”
  18. Luke 23:38Ἦν · was [posted]
    Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
  19. Luke 23:39εἶ
    One of the criminals who hung there heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save Yourself and us!”
  20. Luke 23:40εἶ · you are
    But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgment?
  21. Luke 23:43ἔσῃ · you will be
    And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
  22. Luke 23:44ἦν · It was now
    It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.
  23. Luke 23:47ἦν · was
    When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
  24. Luke 23:51ἦν
    …who had not consented to their decision or action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea and was waiting for the kingdom of God.
  25. Luke 23:53ἦν · had yet
    Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid.
  26. Luke 23:54ἦν · It was
    It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was beginning.
  27. Luke 23:55ἦσαν
    The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was placed.
  28. Luke 24:6ἔστιν · He is; ὢν · while He was
    He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
  29. Luke 24:10ἦσαν · It was
    It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.
  30. Luke 24:13ἦσαν · were
    That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
  31. Luke 24:21ἐστιν · was
    But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day since these things took place.
  32. Luke 24:29ἐστὶν · it is
    But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.
  33. Luke 24:32ἦν · Were
    They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
  34. Luke 24:38ἐστέ · are you
    “Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
  35. Luke 24:39εἰμι · It is
    Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see—for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
  36. Luke 24:44ὢν · while I was
    Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
  37. Luke 24:48ἐστε · are
    You are witnesses of these things.
  38. Luke 24:53ἦσαν
    …praising God continually in the temple.
  39. John 1:1ἦν · was; ἦν · was; ἦν · was
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  40. John 1:2ἦν · was
    He was with God in the beginning.
  41. John 1:4ἦν · was; ἦν · was
    In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
  42. John 1:8ἦν · was
    He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.