εἰ
ei
if
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word εἰ (ei) is a key interrogative particle with a primary meaning of "if." It serves as a conditional marker, often introducing a dependent clause that expresses a hypothesis, question, or supposition. With 390 occurrences in the Bible, εἰ is a commonly used term that appears in a variety of contexts. The range of usage for εἰ is broad, encompassing both formal and informal situations. It can be employed to ask a question, express doubt, or introduce a scenario for consideration. In some cases, εἰ is used in rhetorical or literary contexts to create a sense of uncertainty or to pose a moral dilemma. Its versatility is evident in its ability to be combined with other words and phrases to convey different shades of meaning. The significance of εἰ lies in its ability to facilitate critical thinking and reflection in ancient Greek culture. By introducing a hypothetical or conditional statement, εἰ invites the audience to consider multiple perspectives, weigh different possibilities, and evaluate the consequences of a particular course of action. This analytical function of εἰ contributes to the development of logical reasoning and problem-solving skills in biblical literature.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
390 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Matthew 4:6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
Matthew 5:29If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
Matthew 5:30If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
Matthew 6:23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matthew 6:30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
Matthew 7:11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 8:31The demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs.”
Matthew 23:30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
Matthew 10:25It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
Matthew 11:14If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come.
Matthew 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Matthew 11:23You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.
Matthew 12:7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless.
Matthew 12:26If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
Matthew 12:27If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
Matthew 12:28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.
Matthew 14:28Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.”
Matthew 16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 17:4Peter answered, and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Matthew 18:8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Matthew 18:9If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
Matthew 18:28“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
Matthew 19:10His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”
Matthew 19:17He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:17He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Matthew 22:45“If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
Matthew 24:22Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:24For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
Matthew 24:43But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Matthew 26:24The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
Matthew 26:39He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
Matthew 26:42Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
Matthew 26:63But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
Matthew 27:42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
Matthew 27:43He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
Matthew 27:49The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
Mark 3:2They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him.
Mark 3:26If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.
Mark 4:23If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mark 7:16If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mark 8:34He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 9:22Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
Mark 9:23Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Mark 9:35He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
Mark 9:42Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.
Mark 11:13Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
Mark 11:13Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.