← G1491 G1493 →

εἴδω

eídō

G1492 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

Primarily, to see, perceive, observe with the senses or mind; to know or understand as a result of perceiving. In a number of contexts, εἴδω conveys not merely the act of seeing with the eyes but also the mental apprehension or realization based on perception (i.e., 'to know', 'to recognize', 'to understand'). In perfect forms, it most frequently means 'to have seen' and thus 'to know' as a state based on acquired knowledge through seeing or experiencing. The full semantic range covers literal seeing, noticing, perceiving, observing, as well as understanding or being aware.

Semantic Range

to see, perceive, notice, observe; to know, be aware, recognize, understand, realize, consider, be sure (especially in perfect and pluperfect forms)

Root / Etymology

The verb εἴδω is built from the Indo-European root *weid-, meaning 'to see' or 'to know'. It belongs to the class of verbs with root aorists and is related etymologically to the Latin vidēre ('to see'), Sanskrit veda ('he knows'), and English 'wit' and 'wisdom.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

εἴδω is an irregular, originally primary verb mostly used in perfect (οἶδα) and pluperfect forms (ᾔδειν) to express knowing—resulting from having seen or perceived. In classical Greek, its present forms fade; instead, the verb is replaced by ὁράω (for present-future tenses) and ὀπτάνομαι (for certain forms). In the LXX and New Testament, οἶδα (perfect of εἴδω) is the common verb for 'to know,' distinct from γινώσκω, which emphasizes acquiring knowledge or recognizing. εἴδω/οἶδα often implies an innate, established, or immediate knowledge (sometimes with a sense of intellectual or experiential certainty), while γινώσκω emphasizes process or learning. Traditional English translations regularly render οἶδα and γινώσκω both as 'know', but the nuance in Greek can be significant, particularly in Johannine literature and Pauline epistles, where εἴδω (οἶδα) generally means 'to know instinctively' or 'to be aware.'

Translation Consistency

primary "know" 285 occurrences

Most natural and typical rendering across this lemma’s usages—especially in the perfect sense where εἴδω often means ‘have seen’ = ‘know’. Corpus counts favor “know,” and it cleanly covers perceiving, recognizing, being aware, and understanding. Though some literal visual senses could be rendered “see,” “know” best fits the dominant semantic range and yields natural English when applied consistently.

Alternatives (32 occurrences):
"having" (26x) "those who have" (6x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

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.

Root Family

εἴδω (eidō) — to see, to perceive, to know (from seeing)

Root εἰδ- to see, to perceive, to know (as a result of seeing)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1491 εἶδος having seen

Word Forms

27 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1492-26 οἴδατε oidate V PRF ACT IND 2P PL you know you have seen and know you know 63
G1492-21 οἶδα oida V PRF ACT IND 1P SG I know I have seen and know I know 56
G1492-22 οἴδαμεν oidamen V PRF ACT IND 1P PL we know we have come to know we have come to know 43
G1492-16 εἰδότες eidotes V PRF ACT PTCP NOM M PL knowing having known knowing 23
G1492-27 οἶδεν oiden V PRF ACT IND 3P SG knows he has seen and knows he has known 22
G1492-12 εἰδὼς eidos V PRF ACT PTCP NOM M SG knowing having known having known 21
G1492-23 οἶδας oidas V PRF ACT IND 2P SG you know you have seen and know you know 17
G1492-01 ᾔδει edei V PLPF ACT IND 3P SG knew he/she knew he knew 14
G1492-06 εἰδέναι eidenai V PRF ACT INF to know to have seen and know to know 11
G1492-04 ᾔδεισαν edeisan V PLPF ACT IND 3P PL they knew they had known they had known 8

Occurrences in Scripture

317 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1492-27 Matthew 6:8 οἶδεν oiden V PRF ACT IND 3P SG knows he has seen and knows he has known
G1492-27 Matthew 6:32 οἶδεν oiden V PRF ACT IND 3P SG knows he has seen and knows he has known
G1492-26 Matthew 7:11 οἴδατε oidate V PRF ACT IND 2P PL know you have seen and know you have seen and know
G1492-09 Matthew 9:6 εἰδῆτε eidete V PRF ACT SUBJ 2P PL you may know you may have come to know you (plural) may have come to know
G1492-12 Matthew 12:25 εἰδὼς eidos V PRF ACT PTCP NOM M SG knowing having known having known
G1492-23 Matthew 15:12 οἶδας oidas V PRF ACT IND 2P SG Do you know you have seen and know you know
G1492-26 Matthew 20:22 οἴδατε oidate V PRF ACT IND 2P PL you know you have seen and know you know
G1492-26 Matthew 20:25 οἴδατε oidate V PRF ACT IND 2P PL you know you have seen and know you know
G1492-22 Matthew 21:27 οἴδαμεν oidamen V PRF ACT IND 1P PL we know." we have come to know we have come to know
G1492-22 Matthew 22:16 οἴδαμεν oidamen V PRF ACT IND 1P PL we know we have come to know we have come to know
← G1491 Greek Lexicon G1493 →