ἔκειτο

ekeito

had been lying

middle voice of a primary verb; to lie outstretched (literally or figuratively):--be (appointed, laid up, made, set), lay, lie. Compare τίθημι.

G2749

John 20:12 · Word #18

Lexicon G2749

Lemmaκεῖμαι
Transliterationkeîmai
Strong'sG2749
In-contexthad been lying
Literalwas-lying

Morphology V IMPF MID 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 MID — Middle — The subject acts on itself or in its own interest
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

Lemmaκεῖμαι
Strong'sG2749

SIBI-P1 G2749-01

was lying

Rootκεῖμαι (keimai)
Core Meaningsto lie, to be laid, to be set in place, to be appointed, to be situated
Semantic Rangeto lie physically (recline, be placed), to be situated in a location, to be set or established, to be appointed or destined, to be laid up or reserved
Conceptual Significanceκεῖμαι often conveys a state of settled placement—whether a body lying, an object set in position, or a destiny appointed. In biblical usage, it can express divinely established realities (e.g., something appointed or set in place), emphasizing permanence, purpose, or enduring condition within God’s ordering.
Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect tense (past continuous), middle voice (deponent in meaning), indicative mood, third person singular. The imperfect denotes ongoing or repeated past state rather than a simple completed action.
Rendering RationaleThe form ἔκειτο is imperfect, middle, indicative, third person singular, expressing a continuous or ongoing state in past time. "Was lying" preserves the stative sense of κεῖμαι (to be laid or situated) while reflecting the imperfect tense’s durative aspect. Though middle in form, the verb is deponent in usage, so the rendering maintains its natural stative meaning without forcing reflexivity.

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

Words from Root κεῖμαι (to lie, to be laid, to be set in place, to be appointed, to be situated)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
G2749-02 keimai I am lying set-in-place
G2749-03 keimena things lying (set in place)
G2749-04 keimenai the lying-set (feminine) ones

Word Usage (24 occurrences of G2749)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Matthew 3:10 κεῖται keitai
Matthew 5:14 κειμένη keimene
Matthew 28:6 ἔκειτο ekeito