ᾔδειν

edein

knew

a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent ὀπτάνομαι and ὁράω; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense only) to know:--be aware, behold, X can (+ not tell), consider, (have) know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Compare ὀπτάνομαι.

G1492

John 1:31 · Word #3

Lexicon G1492

Lemmaεἴδω
Transliterationeídō
Strong'sG1492
In-contextknew
Literalwas-knowing

Morphology V PLPF ACT IND 1P SG All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state of being
Tense PLPF — Pluperfect — Completed action with past results
Voice ACT — Active — The subject performs the action
Mood IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality
Person 1P — 1st person — The speaker ("I" / "we")
Number SG — Singular — One

Lexical Info

Lemmaεἴδω
Strong'sG1492

SIBI-P1 G1492-02

I was knowing-from-seeing

Rootεἴδω (eidō)
Core Meaningsto see, to perceive, to know (from seeing), to be aware
Semantic Rangeto see, to perceive, to recognize, to understand, to be aware, to know (as settled knowledge), to realize
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical usage, εἴδω links knowledge with sight, reflecting a Hebraic worldview in which true knowing arises from encounter and perception. It often conveys settled, experiential awareness rather than mere intellectual cognition.
Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect tense; active voice; indicative mood; first person singular. The imperfect here conveys a continuous or durative state of knowing in past time.
Rendering RationaleThe lemma εἴδω originally denotes seeing, and in its perfect-system forms carries the sense of knowing as the result of having seen. The imperfect active indicative, first person singular (Gr,V,ILA1,,S,) expresses an ongoing or continuous state in past time, so "I was knowing-from-seeing" preserves both the visual root and the imperfect aspect of sustained past awareness.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root εἴδω (to see, to perceive, to know (from seeing), to be aware)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
G1492-01 edei he/she/it had seen (and thus knew)
G1492-03 edeis you were knowing
G1492-04 edeisan they were knowing (having-seen)

Word Usage (317 occurrences of G1492)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Matthew 6:8 οἶδεν oiden
Matthew 6:32 οἶδεν oiden
Matthew 7:11 οἴδατε oidate