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 3:26ἦν · was
    So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
  2. John 3:27ᾖ · is
    John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
  3. John 3:28εἰμὶ · am; εἰμὶ · am
    You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
  4. John 3:29ἐστίν
    The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
  5. John 3:31ἐστίν · is; ὢν · is; ἐστιν · belongs; ἐστίν · is
    The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
  6. John 3:33ἐστιν · is
    Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
  7. John 4:6ἦν · was; ἦν · It was
    Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
  8. John 4:9ὢν · You are; οὔσης
    “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
  9. John 4:10ἐστιν · is
    Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
  10. John 4:11ἐστὶν · is
    “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water?
  11. John 4:12εἶ · Are
    Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”
  12. John 4:18ἔστιν · is
    In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”
  13. John 4:19εἶ · are
    “Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.
  14. John 4:20ἐστὶν · is
    Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
  15. John 4:22ἐστίν · is
    You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
  16. John 4:23ἐστιν · come
    But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.
  17. John 4:26εἰμι · am [He]
    Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
  18. John 4:29ἐστιν · be
    “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
  19. John 4:34ἐστιν · is
    Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
  20. John 4:35ἐστιν · There are; εἰσιν · they are
    Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.
  21. John 4:37ἐστὶν · is; ἐστὶν
    For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.
  22. John 4:42ἐστιν · is
    They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”
  23. John 4:46ἦν · there was
    So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
  24. John 5:1ἦν · there was
    Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
  25. John 5:2Ἔστιν · there is
    Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.
  26. John 5:5Ἦν
    One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
  27. John 5:9Ἦν · this happened
    Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
  28. John 5:10ἐστιν · This is
    …so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”
  29. John 5:12ἐστιν · is
    “Who is this man who told you to pick it up and walk?” they asked.
  30. John 5:13ἐστιν · it was; ὄντος · was
    But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was there.
  31. John 5:15ἐστιν · it was
    And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
  32. John 5:25ἐστιν · has
    Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
  33. John 5:27ἐστίν · He is
    And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
  34. John 5:30ἐστίν · is
    I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
  35. John 5:31ἔστιν · is
    If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.
  36. John 5:32ἐστὶν · There is; ἐστιν · is
    There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.
  37. John 5:35ἦν · was
    John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.
  38. John 5:39εἰσιν · are
    You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
  39. John 5:45ἔστιν · is
    Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope.
  40. John 6:4Ἦν · was
    Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.