ἦν

en

was

the first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist (used only when emphatic):--am, have been, X it is I, was. See also εἶ, εἴην, εἶναι, εἰσί, ἦν, ἔσομαι, ἐσμέν, ἐστέ, ἐστί, κέρδος, ἴσθι, ὦ.

G1510

John 1:8 · Word #2

Lexicon G1510

Lemmaεἰμί
Transliterationeimí
Strong'sG1510
In-contextwas
Literalwas

Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG 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 SG — Singular — One

Lexical Info

Lemmaεἰμί
Strong'sG1510

SIBI-P1 G1510-09

he/she/it was existing

Rootεἰμί (eimi)
Core Meaningsto be, to exist, to be present, to happen, to belong
Semantic Rangeto be, to exist, to be present, to occur, to belong, to serve as, to represent, to live
Conceptual Significanceεἰμί functions as the fundamental verb of existence in Greek. In biblical literature it undergirds theological affirmations of God’s being (e.g., "I am") and frames narratives by expressing continuous states of existence, presence, or identity within redemptive history.
Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person singular (Gr,V,IIA3,,S,). The imperfect denotes continuous or repeated existence in past time.
Rendering RationaleThe form ἦν is the imperfect active indicative, third person singular of εἰμί. The rendering "was existing" preserves the core sense of ongoing being while reflecting the imperfect tense’s past, continuous aspect and the third-person singular subject (he/she/it).

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

Words from Root εἰμί (to be, to exist, to be present, to happen, to belong)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
G1510-02 ei you are (existing)
G1510-03 eie may he/she/it be
G1510-04 eimi I am (I exist)

Word Usage (2460 occurrences of G1510)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Matthew 1:18 ἦν en was
Matthew 1:19 ὢν on being
Matthew 1:20 ἐστιν estin is