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 10:16ἔστιν · are
    I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
  2. John 10:21ἔστιν · are
    But others replied, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
  3. John 10:22ἦν · It was
    At that time the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
  4. John 10:24εἶ · are
    So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
  5. John 10:26ἐστὲ · you are
    But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
  6. John 10:29ἐστιν · is
    My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
  7. John 10:30ἐσμεν · are
    I and the Father are one.”
  8. John 10:33ὢν · who are
    “We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
  9. John 10:34ἔστιν · Is it; ἐστε · you are
    Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?
  10. John 10:36εἰμι · I am
    …then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
  11. John 10:40ἦν · had
    Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
  12. John 10:41ἦν · was
    Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”
  13. John 11:1Ἦν · was
    At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
  14. John 11:2ἦν · was
    (Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)
  15. John 11:4ἔστιν · will
    When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
  16. John 11:6ἦν · He was
    So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days,
  17. John 11:9εἰσιν · Are there
    Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.
  18. John 11:10ἔστιν · has
    But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”
  19. John 11:15ἤμην · I was
    …and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
  20. John 11:18ἦν · was
    Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away,
  21. John 11:21ἦς · You had been
    Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
  22. John 11:25εἰμι · am
    Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
  23. John 11:27εἶ · are
    “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
  24. John 11:30ἦν · was
    Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.
  25. John 11:31ὄντες · were
    When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
  26. John 11:32ἦν; ἦς · You had been
    When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
  27. John 11:38ἦν · It was
    Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
  28. John 11:39ἐστιν · It has already been
    “Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
  29. John 11:49ὢν · who was
    But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all!
  30. John 11:51ὢν · [as]
    Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation,
  31. John 11:55Ἦν · was
    Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover.
  32. John 11:57ἐστιν · He was
    But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.
  33. John 12:1ἦν
    Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
  34. John 12:2ἦν · was
    So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him.
  35. John 12:6ἦν · he was
    Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.
  36. John 12:9ἐστιν · [Jesus] was
    Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there. And they came not only because of Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
  37. John 12:14ἐστιν · it is
    Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:
  38. John 12:16ἦν · had
    At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.
  39. John 12:17ὢν · had been
    Meanwhile, many people who had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.
  40. John 12:20Ἦσαν · there were
    Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.
  41. John 12:26εἰμὶ · am; ἔσται · will be
    If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
  42. John 12:31ἐστὶν · is
    Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.
  43. John 12:34ἐστιν · is
    The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
  44. John 12:35ἐστιν · will be
    Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
  45. John 12:50ἐστιν · leads to
    And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”
  46. John 13:5ἦν · was
    After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him.
  47. John 13:10ἔστιν
    Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”