Definition
εἰ,
conjunctive particle, used in conditions and in indirect questions.
I. Conditional, if;
1. with indic, expressing a general assumption;
(a) pres.: before indic, pres., Matthew 11:14, Romans 8:25, al.; before imperat., Mark 4:23; 9:22, John 15:18, 1 Corinthians 7:9, al.; before fut. indic., Luke 16:31, Romans 8:11, al.; before pf. or aor., with negation in apodosis, Matthew 12:26, Romans 4:14, al.; similarly, before impf., Luke 17:6, John 8:39; before quæst., Matthew 6:23, John 5:47; 7:23; 8:46, 1 Peter 2:20;
(b) fut.: Matthew 26:33, 1 Peter 2:20;
(with) pf.: John 11:12, Romans 6:5, al.;
(d) aor.: Luke 16:11; 19:8, John 13:32; 18:23, Revelation 20:15, al.
2. Where the assumption is certain = ἐπεί: Matthew 12:28, John 7:4, Romans 5:17, al.
3. Of an unfulfilled condition, with indic, impf., aor. or plpf., before ἄν, with imp. or aor. (see: ἄν, I, i).
4. C. indic., after verbs denoting wonder, etc., sometimes, but not always, coupled with an element of doubt: Mark 15:44, 1 John 3:13, al.
5. C. indic., as in LXX (Numbers 14:3o, 1 Samuel 14:45, al. = Heb. אִם), in oaths, with the formula of imprecation understood in a suppressed apodosis (WM, 627; Burton, §272): Mark 8:12, Hebrews 3:11" (LXX) 4:3 (LXX).
6. Rarely (cl.) with optative, to express a merely possible condition: Acts 24:19; 27:39, 1 Corinthians 14:10; 15:37, I Pe3:14, 17.
II. Interrogative, if, whether.
1. As in cl., in indir. questions after verbs of seeing, asking, knowing, saying, etc.: with indic. pres., Matthew 26:63, Mark 15:36, Acts 19:2, 2 Corinthians 13:5, al.; fut., Mark 3:2, Acts 8:22, al.; aor., Mark 15:44, 1 Corinthians 1:16, al.; with subjc. aor. (M, Pr., 194), Philippians 3:12.
2. As in LXX (= Heb. אִם and interrog. הֲ, Genesis 17:17, al.; see WM, 639f.; Viteau, i, 22), in direct questions: Mark 8:23 (Tr., WH, txt.), Luke 13:23; 22:49, Acts 19:2, al.
III. With other particles.
1. εἰ ἄρα, εἴγε, εἰ δὲ μήγε, see: ἄρα, γε.
2. εἰ δὲ καί, but if also: Luke 11:18; but even if, 1 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 4:3; 11:16.
3. εἰ δὲ μή, but if not, but if otherwise: Mark 2:21, 22, John 14:2, Revelation 2:5, al.
4. εἰ καί, if even, if also, although: Mark 14:29, Luke 11:8, 1 Corinthians 7:21, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Philippians 2:17, al.
5. καὶ εἰ, even if, see: καί
6. εἰ μή, if not, unless, except, but only: Matthew 24:22, Mark 2:26; 6:5, John 9:33, 1 Corinthians 7:17 (only), Galatians 1:19 (cf. ἐὰν μή, 2:16; see Hort., Ja., xvi); ἐκτὸς εἰ μή, pleonastic (Bl., §65, 6), 1 Corinthians 14:5; 15:2, 1 Timothy 5:19.
7. εἰ μήν = cl. ἦ μήν (M, Pr., 46), in oaths, surely (Ezekiel 33:27, al.): Hebrews 6:14.
8. εἴ πως, if haply: Acts 27:12, Romans 1:10.
9. εἴτε . . . εἴτε, whether . . . or; Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 3:22; 13:8, al.
Hebrew words it translates
Usage patterns
Occurrences
- Matthew 4:3Εἰ · IfThe tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
- Matthew 4:6Εἰ · If“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
- Matthew 5:13εἰ · exceptYou are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
- Matthew 5:29εἰ · IfIf your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
- Matthew 5:30εἰ · ifAnd if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.
- Matthew 6:1εἰ · If“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 6:23εἰ · IfBut if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
- Matthew 6:30εἰ · IfIf that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
- Matthew 7:11εἰ · ifSo if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
- Matthew 8:31Εἰ · IfSo the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
- Matthew 9:17εἰ · If they doNeither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
- Matthew 10:25εἰ · IfIt is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
- Matthew 11:14εἰ · ifAnd if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
- Matthew 11:21εἰ · if“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
- Matthew 11:23εἰ · ifAnd you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
- Matthew 11:27εἰ · except; εἰ · exceptAll things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
- Matthew 12:4εἰ · butHe entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
- Matthew 12:7Εἰ · IfIf only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
- …and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
- Matthew 12:24εἰ · OnlyBut when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
- Matthew 12:26εἰ · IfIf Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
- Matthew 12:27εἰ · ifAnd if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
- Matthew 12:28εἰ · ifBut if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- Matthew 12:39εἰ · exceptJesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
- Matthew 13:57εἰ · OnlyAnd they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”
- Matthew 14:17εἰ · only“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
- Matthew 14:28εἰ · if“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”
- Matthew 15:24εἰ · onlyHe answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
- Matthew 16:4εἰ · exceptA wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.
- Matthew 16:24Εἴ · IfThen Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
- Matthew 17:4εἰ · IfPeter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
- Matthew 17:8εἰ · exceptAnd when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
- Matthew 18:8Εἰ · IfIf your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
- Matthew 18:9εἰ · ifAnd if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
- Matthew 18:28εἴ · backBut when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
- Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
- Matthew 19:10Εἰ · IfHis disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”
- Matthew 19:17εἰ · If“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
- Matthew 19:21Εἰ · IfJesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Matthew 21:19εἰ · exceptSeeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.
- Matthew 22:45Εἰ · ifSo if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”
- Matthew 23:30Εἰ · IfAnd you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
- Matthew 24:22εἰ · IfIf those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
- Matthew 24:24εἰ · ifFor false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- Matthew 24:36εἰ · butNo one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
- Matthew 24:43εἰ · IfBut understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
- Matthew 26:24εἰ · ifThe Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
- Matthew 26:33Εἰ · Even ifPeter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
- Matthew 26:39εἰ · ifGoing a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”