STRONGS G2228:
ἤ, a disjunctive conjunction (cf.
Winer's Grammar, § 53, 6). Used
1. to distinguish things or thoughts which either mutually exclude each other, or one of which can take the place of the other:
or (Latin
aut,
vel);
a. to distinguish one thing from another in words of the same construction:
Matthew 5:17 (
τόν νόμον ἤ τούς προφήτας),
Matthew 5:36 (
λευκήν ἤ μέλαιναν);
Matthew 6:31;
Matthew 7:16;
Mark 6:56;
Mark 7:11;
Luke 2:24;
Luke 9:25;
John 7:48;
John 13:29;
Acts 1:7;
Acts 3:12;
Acts 4:7;
Romans 1:21;
Romans 3:1;
1 Corinthians 4:3;
1 Corinthians 5:10;
1 Corinthians 10:19;
Galatians 1:10, etc.
b. after an interrogative or a declarative sentence, before a question designed to prove the same thing in another way:
Matthew 7:4,
9;
Matthew 12:29;
Matthew 16:26;
Matthew 26:53;
Mark 8:37;
Luke 13:4;
Luke 14:31;
Luke 15:8;
Romans 9:21;
Romans 14:10;
1 Corinthians 6:16.
c. before a sentence contrary to the one just preceding, to indicate that if one be denied or refuted the other must stand:
Matthew 20:15 (i. e.
or, if thou wilt not grant this,
is thine eye etc.);
Romans 3:29;
1 Corinthians 9:6;
1 Corinthians 10:22;
1 Corinthians 11:14 (
Rec.);
1 Corinthians 14:36;
2 Corinthians 11:7;
ἤ ἀγνοεῖτε etc.,
Romans 6:3;
Romans 7:1 (cf.
Romans 6:14);
ἤ οὐκ ὀικατε etc.,
Romans 11:2;
1 Corinthians 6:9,
16,
19.
d. ἤ...
ἤ,
either... or, Matthew 6:24;
Matthew 12:33;
Luke 16:13;
Acts 24:20;
1 Corinthians 14:6.
2. in a disjunctive question it corresponds to the Latin
an after
utrum;
a. preceded by
πότερον,
John 7:17; cf. Klotz ad Dev. 2:2, p. 574f; preceded by the interrogative
μή,
1 Corinthians 9:8; preceded by
μήτι,
2 Corinthians 1:17.
b. without an intertog. particle in the first member of the interrogation:
τί ἐστι εὐκοπώτερον,
εἰπεῖν...
ἤ εἰπεῖν,
Matthew 9:5;
Mark 2:9;
Luke 5:23; add,
Matthew 21:25;
Matthew 23:17,
19;
Matthew 27:17;
Mark 3:4;
Luke 7:19;
Acts 8:34.
c. ἤ...
ἤ...
ἤ,
Mark 13:35.
3. as a comparative conjunction,
than;
a. after comparatives:
Matthew 10:15;
Matthew 11:22;
Luke 9:13;
Luke 16:17;
John 3:19;
John 4:1 (
Tr marginal reading omits;
WH brackets
ἤ);
Acts 4:19;
Romans 13:11, and often.
ἤ is lacking after
πλείους followed by a noun of number:
Matthew 26:53 T Tr WH;
Acts 4:22;
Acts 23:13,
21;
Acts 24:11 (where
Rec. adds
ἤ); cf.
Matthiae, § 455 note 4; Kühner, ii., p. 847; (
Jelf, § 780 Obs. 1);
Winers Grammar, 595 (554); (
Buttmann, 168 (146));
Lob. ad Phryn., p. 410f.
b. after
ἕτερον:
Acts 17:21.
c. πρίν ἤ,
before that, before, followed by accusative with an infinitive (cf.
Buttmann, § 139, 35;
Winer's Grammar, § 44, 6, also, p. 297 (279)):
Matthew 1:18;
Mark 14:30;
Acts 2:20 R G WH marginal reading;
Acts 7:2; followed by the aorist subjunc,
Luke 2:26 Tr text omits;
WH brackets
ἤ;
Luke 22:34 R G (others
ἕως); followed by present optative,
Acts 25:16.
d. after
θέλω equivalent to
to prefer:
1 Corinthians 14:19 (followed by
ἤπερ, 2 Macc. 14:42); examples from Greek authors are given in
Klotz ad Devar. 2:2, p. 589f;
Winers Grammar, § 35, 2 c.; (
Buttmann, § 149, 7); Kühner, ii., p. 841; (
Jelf, § 779 Obs. 3).
e. after
οὐ:
John 13:10 R G, where after
οὐ χρείαν ἔχει the sentence goes on as though the writer had said
οὐκ ἄλλου τίνος χρείαν ἔχει, (cf.
Winers Grammar, 508 (478)).
f. after positive notions, to which in this way a comparative force is given: after
καλόν ἐστι (
it is good... rather than) equivalent to
it is better, Matthew 18:8;
Mark 9:43,
45,
47; cf.
Menander's saying
καλόν τό μή ζῆν,
ἤ ζῆν ἀθλιως, and
Plautus rud. 4, 4, 70 tacita mulier est bona semper, quam loquens; similar examples in the O. T. are
Genesis 49:12; Psalm 117:8 (
Ps. 118:8);
Jonah 4:3,
8; Tobit 6:13 Tobit 12:8; Sir. 20:25 Sir. 22:15; 4 Macc. 9:1; also after
λυσιτελεῖ (
it is gain... rather than) equivalent to
it is better (Tobit 3:6),
Luke 17:2; after
χαρά ἐστι (
there will be joy... more than),
Luke 15:7; see examples from Greek authors in Alexander
Buttmann (1873) Gram. § 149, 7; (
Buttmann, p. 360 (309));
Winer, Kühner, others, as above.
4. with other particles;
a. ἀλλ' ἤ, see
ἀλλά, I. 10, p. 28a.
b. ἤ γάρ, see
γάρ, I. at the end
c. ἤ καί (cf.
Winer's Grammar, § 53, 6 note),
α. or even, or also (Latin
aut etiam,
vel etiam): (
Matthew 7:10 L T Tr WH);
Luke 11:11 G L T Tr WH;
Luke 11:12;
Luke 18:11;
Romans 2:15;
1 Corinthians 16:6;
2 Corinthians 1:13.
β. or also (Latin
an etiam) (in a disjunctive question):
Luke 12:41;
Romans 4:9.
d. ἤπερ,
than at all (Latin
quam forte; German
als etwa), after a comparitive (cf.
Jelf, § 779 Obs. 5):
John 12:43 (
L ἤ περ,
WH marginal reading
ὑπέρ) (2 Macc. 14:42;
Homer,
Hesiod).
e. ἤτοι...
ἤ,
either indeed (cf. Kühner, § 540, 5)...
or:
Romans 6:16 (Wis. 11:19;
Herodotus and following).
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's
-
Genesis
-
49:12
-
Psalms
-
118:8
-
Jonah
-
4:3; 4:8
-
Matthew
-
1:18; 5:17; 5:36; 6:24; 6:31; 7:4; 7:9; 7:10; 7:16; 9:5; 10:15; 11:22; 12:29; 12:33; 16:26; 18:8; 20:15; 21:25; 23:17; 23:19; 26:53; 26:53; 27:17
-
Mark
-
2:9; 3:4; 6:56; 7:11; 8:37; 9:43; 9:45; 9:47; 13:35; 14:30
-
Luke
-
2:24; 2:26; 5:23; 7:19; 9:13; 9:25; 11:11; 11:12; 12:41; 13:4; 14:31; 15:7; 15:8; 16:13; 16:17; 17:2; 18:11; 22:34
-
John
-
3:19; 4:1; 7:17; 7:48; 12:43; 13:10; 13:29
-
Acts
-
1:7; 2:20; 3:12; 4:7; 4:19; 4:22; 7:2; 8:34; 17:21; 23:13; 23:21; 24:11; 24:20; 25:16
-
Romans
-
1:21; 2:15; 3:1; 3:29; 4:9; 6:3; 6:14; 6:16; 7:1; 9:21; 11:2; 13:11; 14:10
-
1 Corinthians
-
4:3; 5:10; 6:9; 6:16; 6:16; 6:19; 9:6; 9:8; 10:19; 10:22; 11:14; 14:6; 14:19; 14:36; 16:6
-
2 Corinthians
-
1:13; 1:17; 11:7
-
Galatians
-
1:10