ὁ ὢν καί ὁ ἦν καί ὁ ἐρχόμενος
ho ṑn kaí ho ēn kaí ho erchómenos
G3801
SILEX Entry
Definition
A phrase meaning 'the one who is, and the one who was, and the one who is coming,' used to express a being's perpetual existence, presence throughout past, present, and future, and anticipated coming. The core sense is that of ongoing, enduring existence in all temporal dimensions; it is especially used as a title for God, denoting timelessness and sovereign action in history and the future.
Semantic Range
the being who is, the being who was, the being who is coming; one who exists always; one present in past, present, and future; eternal and sovereign over time and history; divine title highlighting being and coming action
Root / Etymology
A unique combination formed from the article ὁ ('the') with participial forms: ὢν (present participle of εἰμί, 'to be'), ἦν (imperfect of εἰμί, 'he was'), and ἐρχόμενος (present participle of ἔρχομαι, 'to come'), joined with καί ('and'). The construction is shaped by Greek grammar but influenced by the language of the Septuagint rendering of Exodus 3:14 ('I am the one who is').
Historical & Contextual Notes
Appearing prominently in Revelation (e.g., Rev 1:4, 1:8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5), this phrase echoes and expands the Septuagint's formulation of the divine self-description in Exodus 3:14, where God is described as 'ὁ ὢν' ('the one who is'). The phrase emphasizes the eternal, unbounded nature of God—encompassing existence in the past, present, and future. While traditional English translations often render the phrase as 'which is, and which was, and which is to come,' this idiom is not a direct translation of any classical Greek expression but is a creation of Jewish-Greek (Septuagintal) and Christian-Greek thought. In Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian usage, it is distinct from the more simple ontological claims of Greek philosophy (such as 'ὁ ὤν' in Plato or Philo), focusing instead on God's active presence and sovereignty over time and history. The use of ἐρχόμενος ('coming') also looks forward to expected divine intervention or arrival, a theme central in apocalyptic literature. The phrase was never used as a title or epithet for other figures; it is reserved in the New Testament for the God of Israel (and, by extension in Christian reading, for Christ in Revelation). English usage such as 'the Eternal' or 'the Everlasting' does not capture the tri-temporal focus of the original phrase. The phrase is unparalleled in earlier Greek literature and is characteristic of Jewish religious Greek from the late Second Temple period onward. In summary, the phrase encodes both the divine nature as timeless and the expectation of divine action in history.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a phrase combining ὁ with the present participle and imperfect of εἰμί and the present participle of ἔρχομαι by means of καί; the one being and the one that was and the one coming, i.e. the Eternal, as a divine epithet of Christ:--which art (is, was), and (which) wast (is, was), and art (is) to come (shalt be).
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.