εἰμί,
with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be.
I. As substantive verb.
1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Ac 17:28, Jo 1:18:5817:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Re 1:4, 84:811:1716:5 (v. Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Ro 4:17, I Co 1:28.
2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mt 24:3, Mk 14:215:42, Lk 21:23, Jo 4:6, 235:10, al.
3. to be present, be in a place, have come: Mt 2:13, 15, Mk 1:455:2115:40, Lk 1:805:29, Jo 7:30, al.; seq. εἰς, Mk 2:1; seq. ἐκ, (ἐξ), Mt 1:2021:25, Mk 11:30, Jo 3:31, al.
4. Impers., ἔστι, ἦν, etc.;
(a) there is (Fr. il y a), was, etc.: Mt 16:28, Lk 16:19, Jo 3:15:2, Ro 3:10, al.; c. dat. (of the possessor; Bl., §37, 3), Mt 16:22, Lk 1:7, Jo 18.10, Ro 9:2, al.; ἔστιν ὅς, ὅστις (chiefly in pl), Mt 16:2819:2, Mk 9:1, al.;
(b) c. inf., = ἔξεστιν (q.v.), it is possible: He 9:5, I Co 11:20, RV (but v. ICC, in l.).
II. As copula uniting subject and predicate.
1. Expressing simply identity or equivalence: Mt 5:1314:15, Lk 1:18, 19, Jo 1:14:19, Re 3:9, al. mult.
2. Explicative, as in parable, figure, type, etc.: Mt 13:19, I Co 9:2, 10:4, 11:25, Ga 4:24, Re 17:15, al.; τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, Mt 27:46, Mk 7:2, Ro 7:18 al.; ὅ ἐστιν, Mk 3:17, Col 1:24, He 7:2, al.; akin to this is the sacramental usage: Mt 26:26-28, Mk 14:22, 24, Lk 22:19, I Co 11:24 (v. ICC on Mk, I Co, ll. c.; DB, iii, 148 f.).
3. C. gen.: qual., etc., Mk 5:42, Lk 3:23, I Co 14:33, He 12:11, al.; part., I Ti 1:20, II Ti 1:15; poss., Mt 5:3, 10, Mk 12:7, Lk 4:7; of service or partisanship, Ro 8:9, I Co 1:12, II Co 10:7, II Ti 2:19.
4. C. dat. (BL, §37, 3): Ac 1:89:15, Ro 4:12, I Co 1:182:14, Re 21:7, al.
5. C. ptcp., as a periphrasis for the simple verb (Bl., §62, 1, 2; M, Pr., 225 ff.);
(a) c. ptcp. pf. (cl.): Mt 10:30, Lk 9:32, Jo 3:24, Ac 21:35, I Co 15:19, al;
(b) c. ptcp. pr. (esp. in impf., as in Heb. and Aram.; Dalman, Words, 35 f.), Mt 7:29, Mk 1:22, Lk 4:3114:1, Ac 1:10, al. mult., id. for imper. (M, Pr., 180f., 182f.), with ellipsis of εἰμί, Ro 12:9, 10, He 13:5, al.;
(c) c. ptcp. aor. (cl), Lk 23:9.
6. Seq. εἰς (cf. Heb. הָיָה לְ), a vernac. usage (M, Pr., 71): Mt 19:5, Mk 10:8, He 8:10, al.
7. C. adv.: Mt 19:20, Mk 4:26, Lk 18:11, al.
8. Ellipses;
(a) of the copula (Bl., §30, 3): Mt 8:2924:32, Jo 21:22, 23, He 6:4, al.;
(b) of the predicate: ἐγώ εἰμί, Mt 14:27, Mk 6:50, al.; absol. (cf. De 32:39; אֲנִי הוּא), Mk 13:6, Jo 4:26, al. (cf. ἄπ-, ἔν-, πάρ-, συμ-πάρ-, σύν-ειμι).