ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Tote (τότε) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
τότε (tóte) is a demonstrative adverb of time used in the New Testament to mark 'then,' 'at that time,' or 'thereupon,' linking events in sequence or consequence.
Significado de la palabra
τότε is a demonstrative adverb of time, functioning as the correlative of ὅτε (when). It denotes 'then' or 'at that time,' referring either to a point in the past or to a future moment, and often signals the next step in a sequence of events. The lexicon defines it as 'the when, i.e. at the time that,' indicating that it is fundamentally a temporal pointer rather than a noun with independent meaning.
In narrative passages, τότε frequently introduces what happens next: Matthew 2:7 ('Then Herod privily called the Wise-men'), Matthew 4:1 ('Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness'), and Matthew 4:11 ('Then the devil leaveth him'). Its core function is to mark succession — what follows a stated event or condition — and it can also carry a consecutive or resultative force, as in Matthew 4:17 ('From that time began Jesus to preach').
The word also occasionally contrasts with νῦν (now) or ἄρτι (presently), highlighting a shift between an earlier era and a present or future one (e.g., Galatians 4:29; Hebrews 12:26; 1 Corinthians 13:12). In such uses it is translated 'that time,' pointing to a defined period in salvation history rather than merely an immediate next moment.
Uso en las Escrituras
τότε appears 142 times across the New Testament and is far more frequent in Matthew than in any other book. In Matthew's Gospel it dominates the narrative structure, moving the story from one episode to the next: the call of the Magi (Matthew 2:7), the massacre of the innocents (Matthew 2:16), the fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 2:17), the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13), and the temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1, 4:5, 4:10, 4:11). This pattern makes τότε a key to following Matthew's sequential storytelling.
Beyond narration, the adverb introduces fulfillment statements (Matthew 2:17) and marks transitions in Jesus' Galilean ministry (Matthew 4:17, 'From that time began Jesus to preach'). It also frames eschatological teaching, where it points to future decisive moments (e.g., Matthew 24 and 25, where 'then' introduces judgments and the coming of the Son of Man). In epistolary contexts such as Galatians 4:29 and 1 Corinthians 13:12, τότε contrasts one era with another, anchoring the argument in salvation history.
La palabra en detalle
- G5119 τότε (tóte) is a demonstrative adverb of time correlating with ὅτε (when). It functions primarily as a sequential marker, meaning 'then' or 'at that time,' and is used both for events that follow immediately in a narrative and for points of contrast with 'now' (νῦν) or 'presently' (ἄρτι). Matthew employs it more heavily than any other NT writer, using it to structure narrative transitions and to introduce fulfillment statements.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 2:17 Here τότε marks the fulfillment of prophecy: after Herod's actions, what was spoken through Jeremiah was 'then' fulfilled. The adverb frames the narrative event as the moment of prophetic realization.
- Matthew 4:17 The phrase 'From that time' (ἀπὸ τότε) marks a major turning point in Jesus' ministry — the beginning of his preaching of the kingdom. τότε here points not to a momentary next event but to a new era.
- Matthew 4:1 τότε introduces the temptation narrative: 'Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit.' The adverb links the Spirit's leading to the immediately following event, showing sequential causation in the narrative.
- Matthew 3:13 τότε (then cometh Jesus) sets the stage for the baptism scene, moving the narrative from John's preparatory ministry to Jesus' identification with repentance through baptism.
Preguntas frecuentes
Is τότε a noun or an adverb?
τότε is an adverb, specifically a demonstrative adverb of time. It has no case endings and cannot be declined; it functions as an indeclinable temporal marker meaning 'then' or 'at that time.'
What is the difference between τότε and ὅτε?
ὅτε means 'when' and introduces a temporal clause. τότε, its correlative, means 'then' and points to the time referred to by ὅτε or to the next moment in a narrative sequence. Together they form a 'when...then' construction (e.g., Matthew 13:26; 21:1).