εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb
to be. I. As substantive verb. 1) Of persons and things,
to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete,
Ap., 5; M,
Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2) Of times, events, etc,
to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. 3)
to be present, be in a place,
have come: Mat.2:13, 15, Mrk.1:45, 5:21, 15:40, Luk.1:80, 5:29, Jhn.7:30, al; before εἰς, Mrk.2:1; before ἐκ, (ἐξ), Mat.1:20, 21:25, Mrk.11:30, Jhn.3:31, al. 4) Impers, ἔστι, ἦν, etc; (a)
there is (Fr.
il y a),
was, etc: Mat.16:28, Luk.16:19, Jhn.3:1, 5:2, Rom.3:10, al; with dative (of the possessor; Bl, §37, 3), Mat.16:22, Luk.1:7, Jhn.18.10, Rom.9:2, al; ἔστιν ὅς, ὅστις (chiefly in pl), Mat.16:28, 19:2, Mrk.9:1, al; (b) with inf, = ἔξεστιν (which see),
it is possible: Heb.9:5, 1Co.11:20, RV (but see
ICC, in l.). II. As copula uniting subject and predicate. 1)
Expressing simply identity or equivalence: Mat.5:13, 14:15, Luk.1:18, 19, Jhn.1:1, 4:19, Rev.3:9, al. mult. 2) Explicative, as in parable, figure, type, etc: Mat.13:19, 1Co.9:2, 10:4, 11:25, Gal.4:24, Rev.17:15, al; ταῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, Mat.27:46, Mrk.7:2, Rom.7:18 al; ὅ ἐστιν, Mrk.3:17, Col.1:24, Heb.7:2, al; akin to this is the sacramental usage: Mat.26:26-28, Mrk.14:22, 24, Luk.22:19, 1Co.11:24 (see
ICC on Mk, I Co, ll. with;
DB, iii, 148 f.). 3) C. genitive: qual, etc, Mrk.5:42, Luk.3:23, 1Co.14:33, Heb.12:11, al; part, 1Ti.1:20, 2Ti.1:15; poss, Mat.5:3, 10, Mrk.12:7, Luk.4:7; of service or partisanship, Rom.8:9, 1Co.1:12, 2Co.10:7, 2Ti.2:19. 4) C. dative (BL, §37, 3): Act.1:8, 9:15, Rom.4:12, 1Co.1:18, 2:14, Rev.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.): Mat.10:30, Luk.9:32, Jhn.3:24, Act.21:35, 1Co.15:19, al; (b) with ptcp. pr. (esp. in impf, as in Heb. and Aram; Dalman,
Words, 35 f.), Mat.7:29, Mrk.1:22, Luk.4:31, 14:1, Act.1:10, al. mult, id. for imper. (M,
Pr., 180f, 182f.), with ellipsis of εἰμί, Rom.12:9, 10, Heb.13:5, al; (with) with ptcp. aor. (cl), Luk.23:9. 6) Seq. εἰς (cf. Heb. הָיָה לְ), a vernac. usage (M,
Pr., 71): Mat.19:5, Mrk.10:8, Heb.8:10, al. 7) C. adv: Mat.19:20, Mrk.4:26, Luk.18:11, al. 8)
Ellipses; (a)
of the copula (Bl, §30, 3): Mat.8:29, 24:32, Jhn.21:22, 23, Heb.6:4, al; (b)
of the predicate: ἐγώ εἰμί, Mat.14:27, Mrk.6:50, al; absol. (cf. Deu.32:39; אֲנִי הוּא), Mrk.13:6, Jhn.4:26, al. (cf. ἄπ, ἔν, πάρ, συμ-πάρ, σύν-ειμι). (
AS)