ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Ḗ — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
ἤ (ḗ) is a Greek particle functioning as 'or' to mark alternatives and as 'than' to introduce a comparative clause.
Significado de la palabra
ἤ is an indeclinable conjunction-particle used in two main ways in the Greek New Testament. First, it is disjunctive, linking alternatives as 'or.' It may connect single words (Matthew 5:17: 'the law or the prophets') or introduce a contrasting sentence that varies, denies, or refutes a prior statement, often inside a question (Matthew 7:4, 7:9).
Second, ἤ is comparative, rendering 'than' after a comparative adjective or equivalent expression (Matthew 10:15; Luke 9:13; John 3:19). The comparative use can also follow a positive adjective, contrasting items such as the one eye or hand in Matthew 18:8-9 and Mark 9:43, 45, 47.
Special constructions include the correlative ἤ . . . ἤ ('either . . . or') as in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13; ἤ καί ('or even, or also') in Matthew 7:10 and Luke 11:11-12; and πρὶν ἤ ('before') in Matthew 1:18 and Mark 14:30. The listed KJV usages (or, than, either, rather, save) cluster around these two core functions.
Uso en las Escrituras
In the Gospels ἤ is pervasive in Jesus' teaching, where it links everyday alternatives ('eat or drink,' Matthew 6:25, 6:31) and rhetorical questions ('how can you say . . . or what man . . . ,' Matthew 7:4, 7:9). The correlated form 'either . . . or' sharpens the impossibility of divided loyalty (Matthew 6:24).
In the Epistles ἤ shifts between disjunctive questions about doctrine or practice (Romans 3:29; 6:3; 9:21; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 16; 9:6) and comparative 'than' clauses that reinforce priority (Romans 13:11). 'Or even' (ἤ καί) appears in legal-style arguments as in Romans 2:15 and Romans 4:9.
La palabra en detalle
- G2228 G2228 (ἤ, ḗ) is one indeclinable Greek particle that serves two distinct functions, listed in the lexicon entry as 'disjunctive, or' (section 1) and 'comparative, than' (section 2). All idioms built from it—ἤ . . . ἤ, ἤ καί, πρὶν ἤ, ἤτοι . . . ἤ—follow from these two core meanings, so a translator first decides whether the context is presenting alternatives or drawing a comparison.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 6:24 'Either . . . or' (ἤ . . . ἤ): a classic correlative disjunctive, leaving no third option between two masters.
- Matthew 7:4 Disjunctive ἤ opening a rhetorical question in Jesus' teaching, used to expose a contradiction.
- Matthew 9:4 ἤ introducing an interrogative clause that challenges or refutes the prior assumption ('or [why] do you think evil?').
- Matthew 10:11 Disjunctive ἤ between parallel nouns ('city or village'), listing locations where the disciples' mission applies.
Preguntas frecuentes
Does ἤ always mean 'or'?
No. The lexicon entry splits ἤ into two functions: disjunctive 'or' (Matthew 5:17; 7:4) and comparative 'than' (Matthew 18:8-9). Translate 'than' whenever ἤ follows a comparative or a positive adjective used contrastively.
What is the difference between ἤ and ἤ καί?
ἤ is the simple 'or.' ἤ καί intensifies the alternative to 'or even / or also,' typically emphasizing the stronger or more striking option (Matthew 7:10; Luke 11:11-12; Romans 2:15; 4:9).
How is πρὶν ἤ constructed?
πρὶν ἤ forms the temporal conjunction 'before,' and is followed either by an infinitive (Matthew 1:18; Mark 14:30) or, in the lexicon note, by an accusative-with-infinitive clause. Functionally it expresses that one event happens prior to another.