ἂν
an
if
a primary particle, denoting a supposition, wish, possibility or uncertainty:--(what-, where-, wither-, who-)soever. Usually unexpressed except by the subjunctive or potential mood. Also contracted for ἐάν.
1 John 2:5 · Word #3
Lexicon G302
| Lemma | ἄν |
| Transliteration | án |
| Strong's | G302 |
| In-context | if |
| Literal | if-ever |
Morphology T
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἄν |
| Strong's | G302 |
SIBI-P1 G302-01
ever (marker of contingency or potentiality)
| Root | ἄν (an) |
| Core Meanings | contingency, potentiality, indefiniteness, supposition |
| Semantic Range | ever, at any time, in any case, possibly, would (potential), indefiniteness in relative clauses, contingency in conditional statements |
| Conceptual Significance | ἄν is central to expressing contingency and openness in Greek thought and biblical discourse, marking actions as potential rather than actual. It allows the text to convey conditional promises, general truths, and universal invitations ("whoever"), preserving the dynamic range between certainty and possibility. |
| Morphological Notes | Particle (Gr,T); indeclinable modal particle with no tense, voice, mood, case, gender, or number. It modifies verbs (often subjunctive or optative) or relative/conditional constructions to indicate potentiality or indefiniteness. |
| Rendering Rationale | The particle ἄν does not carry lexical meaning on its own but marks contingency, possibility, or indefiniteness, often with subjunctive or optative forms. Rendering it as "ever" preserves its function of introducing indefiniteness or potentiality (e.g., "whoever," "if ever"), reflecting its modal force rather than supplying unwarranted content. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Word Usage (166 occurrences of G302)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew 2:13 | ἂν | an | until |
| Matthew 5:18 | ἂν | an | |
| Matthew 5:18 | ἂν | an-2 |