ἐν

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἐν

   en

   in
2. sentence🔊 ἀλλὰ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θέλω πέντε λόγους τῷ νοΐ μου λαλῆσαι ἵνα καὶ ἄλλους κατηχήσω ἢ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ

   al-LA en ek-klay-SEE-a THE-lo PEN-te LO-gous tôi no-EE mou la-LAY-sai HEE-na kai AL-lous ka-tê-KHÊ-sô ê my-REE-ous LO-gous en GLÔS-sê

   but in assembly I want five words to the mind my to speak so that also others I may instruct than ten thousand words in a tongue

Exegesis

The prepositional phrase en ekklesia {ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ | en ek-klē-síā} “in assembly” is fronted to set the context of a corporate gathering.

The comparative particle e {ἢ | ḕ} “than” introduces the second side of the contrast, where myrious logous en glosse {μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ | my-rí-ous ló-gous en glṓs-sē} portrays an enormous quantity of speech located “in a tongue,” that is, in an un-understood language. The Greek word order, which clusters the numerical contrasts (pente versus myrious) and the spheres of speech (with the mind versus in a tongue), is preserved conceptually in translation while adopting a natural subject–verb–object flow to keep the emphasis on edifying, comprehensible communication in the gathered assembly.

Root and etymology

kitharizō🔊 κιθαρίζωkappa–iota–theta–alpha–rho–iota–zeta–omega

“to play the lyre or harp”

• 🔊 κιθάραkappa–iota–theta–alpha–rho–alphalyre, harpRevelation 5:8
• 🔊 κιθαρῳδόςkappa–iota–theta–alpha–rho–omega–iota–delta–omicron–sigmaharpistRevelation 18:22