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. John 1:9Ἦν · was
    The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
  2. John 1:10ἦν · He was
    He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
  3. John 1:15ἦν · is He; ἦν · He was
    John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
  4. John 1:18ὢν · is
    No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
  5. John 1:19ἐστὶν · was; εἶ · are
    And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
  6. John 1:20εἰμὶ · am
    He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
  7. John 1:21εἶ · Are; εἰμί · I am; εἶ · Are
    “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
  8. John 1:22εἶ · are you
    So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
  9. John 1:24ἦσαν
    Then the Pharisees who had been sent
  10. John 1:25εἶ · are
    …asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
  11. John 1:27εἰμὶ · am
    He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
  12. John 1:28ἦν · was
    All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
  13. John 1:30ἐστιν · This is; ἦν · He was
    This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’
  14. John 1:33ἐστιν · is
    I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
  15. John 1:34ἐστιν · is
    I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
  16. John 1:39ἦν · It was
    “Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour.
  17. John 1:40Ἦν · was
    Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus.
  18. John 1:41ἐστιν · is
    He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
  19. John 1:42εἶ · are
    Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).
  20. John 1:44ἦν · was
    Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.
  21. John 1:46εἶναι · come
    “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
  22. John 1:47ἔστιν · there is
    When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”
  23. John 1:48ὄντα
    “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
  24. John 1:49εἶ · are; εἶ · are
    “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
  25. John 2:1ἦν · was
    On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
  26. John 2:6Ἦσαν · had been
    Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons.
  27. John 2:9ἐστίν · it was {from}
    …and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
  28. John 2:13ἦν · was
    When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  29. John 2:17ἐστίν · it is
    His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”
  30. John 2:23ἦν · He was
    While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.
  31. John 2:25ἦν · was
    He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.
  32. John 3:1Ἦν · there was
    Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
  33. John 3:2ᾖ · were
    He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
  34. John 3:4ὤν · when he is
    “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”
  35. John 3:6ἐστιν · is; ἐστιν · is
    Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
  36. John 3:8ἐστὶν · it is
    The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
  37. John 3:10εἶ · are
    “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
  38. John 3:19ἐστιν · is; ἦν · were
    And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.
  39. John 3:21ἐστιν · has been
    But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
  40. John 3:23Ἦν · was; ἦν · was
    Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
  41. John 3:24ἦν · been
    (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)