ἐπεφώνουν

epiphōnéō

were shouting

To call out to, exclaim, or raise one's voice toward someone or something; to utter a loud cry or shout, especially to attract attention, express emotion, or make a proclamation. The primary sense is to raise one's voice toward (someone or something), which may function in a variety of speech contexts: as an exclamation, a public proclamation, a shout of warning, or a response in dialogue.

G2019

Acts 21:34 · Word #5

Lexicon G2019

Lemmaἐπιφωνέω
Transliterationepiphōnéō
Strong'sG2019
DefinitionTo call out to, exclaim, or raise one's voice toward someone or something; to utter a loud cry or shout, especially to attract attention, express emotion, or make a proclamation. The primary sense is to raise one's voice toward (someone or something), which may function in a variety of speech contexts: as an exclamation, a public proclamation, a shout of warning, or a response in dialogue.

Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state of being
Tense IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action
Voice ACT — Active — The subject performs the action
Mood IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality
Person 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they")
Number PL — Plural — More than one

Common Translation

Phrasewere shouting
Literalwere-crying-out

Lexical Info

Lemmaἐπιφωνέω
Strong'sG2019

SIBI-P1 Translation G2019-02

they were calling out

Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, third person plural.
Rendering RationaleThe imperfect active indicative, third person plural, conveys ongoing past action, hence "were calling out." "Calling out" preserves the root sense of raising the voice toward someone or something, reflecting ἐπί + φωνέω.

View full lexicon entry for G2019 →

SILEX v2

SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)

they were calling out

Same as P1Yes
Rationale'they were calling out' accurately reflects the imperfect verb of audible exclamation and suits the context of a noisy crowd, as per the SILEX lexicon.