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 6:9Ἔστιν · is; ἐστιν
    “Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”
  2. John 6:10ἦν · there was
    “Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
  3. John 6:14ἐστιν · is
    When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
  4. John 6:20εἰμι · It is
    But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
  5. John 6:22ἦν · had been
    The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone away alone.
  6. John 6:24ἔστιν · were
    So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him.
  7. John 6:29ἐστιν · is
    Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
  8. John 6:31ἐστιν · it is
    Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
  9. John 6:33ἐστιν · is
    For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
  10. John 6:35εἰμι · am
    Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
  11. John 6:39ἐστιν · is
    And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
  12. John 6:40ἐστιν · is
    For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  13. John 6:41εἰμι · am
    At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
  14. John 6:42ἐστιν · Is
    They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
  15. John 6:45ἔστιν · It is; ἔσονται · they will all be
    It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—
  16. John 6:46ὢν · is
    …not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.
  17. John 6:48εἰμι · am
    I am the bread of life.
  18. John 6:50ἐστιν · is
    This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
  19. John 6:51εἰμι · am; ἐστιν · is
    I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”
  20. John 6:55ἐστιν · is; ἐστιν · is
    For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.
  21. John 6:58ἐστιν · is
    This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
  22. John 6:60ἐστιν · is
    On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
  23. John 6:62ἦν · He was
    Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?
  24. John 6:63ἐστιν; ἐστιν · are; ἐστιν · they are
    The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
  25. John 6:64εἰσὶν · there are; εἰσὶν; ἐστιν
    However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)
  26. John 6:65ᾖ
    Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
  27. John 6:69εἶ · are
    We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
  28. John 6:70ἐστιν · is
    Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
  29. John 7:2ἦν · was
    However, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near.
  30. John 7:4εἶναι · to be [known]
    For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”
  31. John 7:6ἐστιν · is
    Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.
  32. John 7:7ἐστιν · are
    The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
  33. John 7:11ἐστιν · is
    So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
  34. John 7:12ἦν · were; ἐστιν · He is
    Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”
  35. John 7:16ἔστιν · is
    “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.
  36. John 7:17ἐστιν · is
    If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
  37. John 7:18ἐστιν · is; ἔστιν · there is
    He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.
  38. John 7:22ἐστὶν · it is
    But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.)
  39. John 7:25ἐστιν · Isn’t
    Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
  40. John 7:26ἐστιν · is
    Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?