ἐὰν

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἐὰν

   e-AN

   if
2. sentence🔊 Νῦν δέ ἀδελφοί ἐὰν ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς γλώσσαις λαλῶν τί ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσω ἐὰν μὴ ὑμῖν λαλήσω ἢ ἐν ἀποκαλύψει ἢ ἐν γνώσει ἢ ἐν προφητείᾳ ἢ ἐν διδαχῇ

   NYN DE a-del-PHOI e-AN EL-thô pros hy-MAS GLO-sais la-LÔN TI hy-MAS ō-phe-LÊ-sō e-AN MÊ hy-MIN la-LÊ-sō Ê en a-po-ka-LY-psi Ê en GNŌ-sei Ê en pro-phê-TEI-a Ê en di-da-KHÊ

   Now but brothers if I come to you in tongues speaking what you will I benefit if not to you I speak or in revelation or in knowledge or in prophecy or in teaching

Exegesis

The core of the verse is a third-class conditional construction: ean elthō pros hymas {ἐὰν ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς | ean elthō pros hymâs} “if I come to you,” presenting a real but hypothetical scenario.

A second conditional clause, ean mē hymin lalēsō {ἐὰν μὴ ὑμῖν λαλήσω | ean mē hymîn lalēsō} “if I do not speak to you,” introduces the exception and is followed by a coordinated series of prepositional phrases introduced by ē en {ἢ ἐν | ē en} “or in,” listing apokalypsei, gnōsei, prophēteia, and didachē as alternative modes of intelligible discourse. The parallel structure of these datives underscores that revelation, knowledge, prophecy, and teaching are all valid channels of congregational edification. The English renderings preserve the conditional and interrogative force, slightly adjust word order for natural flow, and maintain the repeated “or … in” pattern to reflect the Greek emphasis on communicative content that builds up the community.