ὅτι
hóti · G3754 · Greek · 1,295 occurrences
Meanings
-
that, the fact that
A marker of discourse content, whether direct or indirect
ExamplesMatthew 2:16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
Matthew 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
Matthew 3:9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.
-
because, since, for, in view of the fact that
A marker of cause or reason, based on an evident fact
ExamplesMatthew 2:18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
-
that, namely, that is, namely that
A marker of identificational and explanatory clauses
ExamplesJohn 3:19 “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.
John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest.
John 5:42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.
How it’s used In 4 roles
This word is very common, so only how often it takes each role is shown.
- Named alongside it
- 2
- What it does
- 1
- What is done to it
- 44
- Second object of
- 3
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 1 word
- כִּי kîy · H3588 · that, for, because, when
- Both ὅτι (Greek) and כִּי (Hebrew) are versatile conjunctions serving the same core roles: introducing causal clauses ("because," "since"), content clauses governed by verbs of speech or thought ("that"), and emphatic or demonstrative assertions. כִּי is the usual Hebrew counterpart of ὅτι for its discourse-structuring and explanatory work in the biblical text.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- To be13.1
- This domain covers ὅτι introducing a stated fact of a person's identity or state, as the crowds testify about Christ: “everything John said about this Man was true.” (John 10:41)
- Because, since, for, in view of the fact that89.33
- Here ὅτι introduces the cause or reason for an action, as Jesus pronounces blessing on the poor in spirit: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
- That, the fact that90.21
- This domain covers ὅτι introducing an indirect statement of fact or purpose, as Matthew explains the significance of the holy family settling in Nazareth: “and came and settled in a city called Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” (Matthew 2:23)
- That, namely, that is, namely that91.15
- Here ὅτι introduces the explicit content of what was said or presumed, functioning like an opening quotation mark, as Jesus corrects a false assumption about His mission: “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
Word family 4 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon (properly neuter of ὅστις), a conjunction (from Homer down) (Latinquod (cf. Winers…
I. the substance or contents (of a statement), that;
1. joined to verbs of saying and declaring (where the accusative and infinitive is used in Latin): ἀναγγέλλειν, Acts 14:27; διηγεῖσθαι, Acts 9:27; εἰπεῖν, Mt 16:20; Mt 28:7, Mt 28:13; Jn 7:42; Jn 16:15; 1 Cor 1:15; λέγειν, Mt 3:9; Mt 8:11; Mk 3:28; Lk 15:7; Jn 16:20; Rom 4:9 (T Tr WH omit; L brackets ὅτι); , and very often; προειρηκέναι, 2 Cor 7:3; before the ὅτι in Acts 14:22 supply λέγοντες, contained in the preceding παρακαλοῦντες (cf. Buttmann, § 151, 11); ὅτι after γράφειν, 1 Cor 9:10; 1 Jn 2:12-14; μαρτυρεῖν, Mt 23:31; Jn 1:34; Jn 3:28; Jn 4:44; ὁμολογεῖν, Heb 11:13; δεικνύειν, Mt 16:21; δηλουν, 1 Cor 1:11; διδάσκειν, 1 Cor 11:14. after ἐμφανίζειν, Heb 11:14; δῆλον (ἐστιν), 1 Cor 15:27; Gal 3:11; 1 Tim 6:7 (where L T Tr WH omit δῆλον (and then ὅτι simply introduces the reason, because (Buttmann, 358 (308) to the contrary))); φανεροῦμαι (for φανερόν γίνεται περί ἐμοῦ), 2 Cor 3:3; 1 Jn 2:19. It is added — to verbs of swearing, and to forms of oath and affirmation: ὄμνυμι, Rev 10:6; ζῶ ἐγώ (see ζάω, I. 1, p. 270{a}), Rom 14:11; μάρτυρα τόν Θεόν ἐπικαλοῦμαι, 2 Cor 1:23; πιστός ὁ Θεός, 2 Cor 1:18; ἐστιν ἀλήθεια Χριστοῦ ἐν ἐμοί, 2 Cor 11:10; ἰδού ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Gal 1:20; cf. Fritzsche, Ep. ad Romans, ii., p. 242f; (Winers Grammar, § 53, 9; Buttmann, 394 (338)); — to verbs of perceiving, knowing, remembering, etc.: ἀκούειν, Jn 14:28; βλέπειν, 2 Cor 7:8; Heb 3:19; Jas 2:22; θέασθαι, Jn 6:5; γινώσκειν, Mt 21:45; Lk 10:11; Jn 4:53; 2 Cor 13:6; 1 Jn 2:5, etc.; after τοῦτο, Rom 6:6; εἰδέναι, Mt 6:32; Mt 22:16; Mk 2:10; Lk 2:49; Jn 4:42; Jn 9:20, Jn 9:24; Rom 2:2; Rom 6:9; Phm 4:15f, and very often γνωστόν ἐστιν, Acts 28:28; ἐπιγινώσκειν, Mk 2:8; Lk 1:22; Acts 4:13; ἐπίστασθαί, Acts 15:7; νόειν, Mt 15:17; ὁρᾶν, Jas 2:24; καταλαμβάνειν, Acts 4:13; Acts 10:34; συνιέναι, Mt 16:12; ἀγνοεῖν, Rom 1:13; Rom 2:4; Rom 6:3, etc.; ἀναγινώσκειν, Mt 12:5; Mt 19:4; μνημονεύειν, Jn 16:5; — to verbs of thinking, believing, judging, hoping: λογίζεσθαι, Jn 11:50 L T Tr WH; after τοῦτο, Rom 2:3; 2 Cor 10:11; νομίζειν, Mt 5:17; οἶμαι, Jas 1:7; πέπεισμαι, Rom 8:38; Rom 14:14; Rom 15:14; 2 Tim 1:5, 2 Tim 1:12; πεποιθέναι, Lk 18:9; 2 Cor 2:3; Phm 2:24; Gal 5:10; 2 Thess 3:4; Heb 13:18; πιστεύειν, Mt 9:28; Mk 11:23; Rom 10:9; ὑπολαμβάνειν, Lk 7:43; δοκεῖν, Mt 6:7; Mt 26:53; Jn 20:15; ἐλπίζειν, Lk 24:21; 2 Cor 13:6; κρίνειν τοῦτο ὅτι, 2 Cor 5:14 (15); — to verbs of emotion (where in Latin now the accusative and infinitive is used, nowquod): θαυμάζειν Lk 11:38; χαίρειν, Jn 14:28; 2 Cor 7:9, 2 Cor 7:16; Phm 4:10; 2 Jn 1:4; ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι, Lk 10:20; συγχαίρειν, Lk 15:6, Lk 15:9; μέλει μοι (σοι, αὐτῷ), Mk 4:38; Lk 10:40; — to verbs of praising, thanking, blaming (where the Latin usesquod): ἐπαινεῖν, Lk 16:8; 1 Cor 11:2, 1 Cor 11:17; ἐξομολογεῖσθαι, Mt 11:25; Lk 10:21; εὐχαριστεῖν, Lk 18:11; χάρις τῷ Θεῷ, Rom 6:17; χάριν ἔχω τίνι, 1 Tim 1:12; ἔχω κατά τίνος, ὅτι etc. Rev 2:4; ἔχω τοῦτο ὅτι, I have this (which is praiseworthy) that, Rev 2:6; add, Jn 7:23 (but here ὅτι is causal; cf. Winer's Grammar, § 53, 8 b.); 1 Cor 6:7; — to the verb εἶναι, when that precedes with a demons. pronoun, in order to define more exactly what thing is or wherein it may be seen: αὕτη ἐστιν ὅτι (Latinquod), Jn 3:19; ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι, 1 Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:9f, 13, etc.; περί τούτου ὅτι, Jn 16:19; οὐχ οἷον δέ ὅτι (see οἷος), Rom 9:6; — to the verbs γίνεσθαι and εἶναι with an interrogative pronoun, as τί γέγονεν ὅτι etc., what has come to pass that? our how comes it that? Jn 14:22; τί (L marginal reading τίς) ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι, Heb 2:6 from Ps 8:5. τίς ὁ λόγος οὗτος (namely, ἐστιν), ὅτι, Lk 4:36; ποταπός ἐστιν οὗτος, ὅτι, Mt 8:27; τίς ἡ διδαχή αὕτη, ὅτι, Mk 1:27 Rec.; add Mk 4:41.
2. in elliptical formulas (Buttmann, 358 (307); (Winer's Grammar, 585 (544) note)): τί ὅτι etc., equivalent to τί ἐστιν ὅτι (A. V. how is it that), wherefore? Mk 2:16 R G L (others omit τί; cf. 5 below, and see ὅστις, 4); Lk 2:49; Acts 5:4, Acts 5:9. οὐχ ὅτι for οὐ λέγω ὅτι, our not that, not as though, cf. Buttmann, § 150, 1; (Winer's Grammar, 597 (555)); thus, Jn 6:46; Jn 7:22; 2 Cor 1:24; 2 Cor 3:5; Phm 3:12; Phm 4:11. ὅτι is used for εἰς ἐκεῖνο ὅτι (in reference to the fact that (English seeing that, in that")): thus in Jn 2:18; (Meyer (see his note on 1 Cor 1:26) would add many other examples, among them Jn 9:17 (see below)); for ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι, Rom 5:8; for περί τούτου ὅτι, concerning this, that: so after λαλεῖν, Mk 1:34; Lk 4:41 (others take ὅτι, in these examples and those after διαλογ. which follow in a causal sense; cf. Winer's Grammar, as below (Ellicott on 2 Thess 3:7)); after λέγειν, Jn 9:17 (see above); after διαλογίζεσθαι, Mt 16:8; Mk 8:17 (after ἀποστέλλειν σπιστολας, 1 Macc. 12:7). See examples from classic authors in Fritzsche on Matthew, p. 248f; (Meyer, as above; cf. Winer's Grammar, § 53, 8b.).
3. Noteworthy is the attraction, not uncommon, by which the noun that would naturally be the subject of the subjoined clause, is attracted by the verb of the principal clause and becomes its object (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 66, 5; B § 151, 1 a.); as, οἴδατε τήν οἰκίαν Στεφανᾶ, ὅτι ἐστιν ἀπαρχή, for οἴδατε, ὅτι ἡ οἰκία Στεφανᾶ, κτλ., 1 Cor 16:15; also after εἰδέναι and ἰδεῖν, Mk 12:34; 1 Thess 2:1; so after other verbs of knowing, declaring, etc.: Mt 25:24; Jn 9:8; Acts 3:10; Acts 9:20; 1 Cor 3:20; 2 Thess 2:4; Rev 17:8, etc.; ὅν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι Θεός ὑμῶν ἐστι, for περί οὐ (cf. Lk 21:5) ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι, Jn 8:54.
4. As respects construction, ὅτι is joined in the N. T.
a. to the indicative even where the opinion of another is introduced, and therefore according to classical usage the optative should have been used; as, διεστείλατο... ἵνα μηδενί εἴπωσιν, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, Mt 16:20; add, ; Mt 4:12; , etc.
b. to that subjunctive after ὀυτ μή which differs scarcely at all from the future (see μή, IV. 2, p. 411a; (cf. Winer's Grammar, 508 (473))): Mt 5:20; Mt 26:29 (R G; others omit ὅτι); Mk 14:25; Lk 21:32; Jn 11:56 (where before ὅτι supply δοκεῖτε, borrowed from the preceding δοκεῖ); but in Rom 3:8 ὅτι before ποιήσωμεν (hortatory subjunctive (cf. Winers Grammar, § 41 a. 4 a.; Buttmann, 245 (211))) is recitative (see 5 below), depending on λέγουσι (Winers Grammar, 628 (583); Buttmann, § 141, 3).
c. to the infinitive, by a mingling of two constructions, common even in classic Greek, according to which the writer beginning the construction with ὅτι falls into the construction of the accusative with an infinitive: Acts 27:10; cf. Winers Grammar, 339 (318) N. 2; (sec. 63, 2c.; Buttmann, 383 (328)). On the anacoluthon found in 1 Cor 12:2, according to the reading ὅτι ὅτε (which appears in the Sinaiticus manuscript also (and is adopted by L brackets T Tr WH (yet cf. their note))), cf. Buttmann, 383f (328f).
5. ὅτι is placed before direct discourse (`recitative' ὅτι) (Buttmann,sec. 139, 51; Winer's Grammar, § 65, 3 c.; § 60, 9 (and Moulton's note)): Mt 2:23(?); Mt 7:23; Mt 16:7; Mt 21:16; Mt 26:72, Mt 26:74, Mt 27:43; Mark ( T Tr WH (see 2 above); but see ὅστις, 4); Mk 6:23; (cf. Buttmann, 237 (204)); Lk 1:61; Lk 2:23; Lk 4:43; Lk 15:27; Jn 1:20; Jn 4:17; Jn 15:25; Jn 16:17; Acts 15:1; Heb 11:18; 1 Jn 4:20; Rev 3:17, etc.; most frequently after λέγω, which see II. 1 a., p. 373{a} bottom (Noteworthy is 2 Thess 3:10, cf. Buttmann, § 139, 53.)
II. the reason why anything is said to be or to be done, because, since, for that, for (a causal conjunc.; Latinquod,quia,quom,nam); (on the difference between it and γάρ cf. Westcott, Epistles of John, p. 70);
a. it is added to a speaker's words to show what ground he gives for his opinion; as, μακάριος etc. ὅτι, Mt 5:4-12; Mt 13:16; Lk 6:20; Lk 14:14; after οὐαί, Mt 11:21; Mt 23:13-15, Mt 23:23, Mt 23:25, Mt 23:27, Mt 23:29; Lk 6:24; Lk 10:13; Lk 11:42-44, Lk 11:46, Lk 11:52; Jude 1:11; cf. further, Mt 7:13; Mt 17:15; Mt 25:8; Mk 5:9; Mk 9:38 (G Tr marginal reading omit; Tr text brackets the clause); Lk 7:47; Lk 23:40; Jn 1:30; Jn 5:27; Jn 9:16; Jn 16:9-11, Jn 16:14, Jn 16:16 (T Tr WH omit; L brackets the clause); Acts 1:5, and often; — or is added by the narrator, to give the reason for his own opinion: Mt 2:18; Mt 9:36; Mk 3:30; Mk 6:34; Jn 2:25; Acts 1:17; — or, in general, by a teacher, and often in such a way that it relates to his entire statement or views: Mt 5:43; 1 Jn 4:18; 2 Jn 1:7; Rev 3:10.
b. ὅτι makes reference to some word or words that precede or immediately follow it (cf. Winers Grammar, § 23, 5; § 53, 8 b.; Buttmann, § 127, 6); as, διά τοῦτο, Jn 8:47; Jn 10:17; Jn 12:39; 1 Jn 3:1, etc. διά τί; Rom 9:32; 2 Cor 11:11. χάριν τίνος; 1 Jn 3:12. οὕτως, Rev 3:16. ἐν τούτῳ, 1 Jn 3:20. ὅτι in the protasis, Jn 1:50(); . It is followed by διά τοῦτο, Jn 15:19. οὐχ ὅτι... ἀλλ' ὅτι, not because... but because, Jn 6:26; Jn 12:6.
III. On the combination ὡς ὅτι see ὡς, I. 3.
G3754 — ὅτι (interrog)
[ interrogative, i. e. ὁ, τί or ὁ τί, see ὅστις, 4 (and at the beginning).) ὅστις, 4 (and at the beginning).]
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.