ἦσαν

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἦσαν

   E-san

   were
2. sentence🔊 ἀκούοντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ἔχαιρον καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἐπίστευσαν ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον

   a-KOU-on-ta de TA E-thnê E-khai-ron KAI e-DOX-a-zon ton LO-gon tou KY-ree-ou KAI e-PI-steu-san HO-soi E-san te-tag-ME-noi eis dzô-ÊN ai-Ō-ni-on

   hearing and the Gentiles were rejoicing and were glorifying the word of the Lord and believed as many as were appointed to life eternal

Exegesis

The relative clause hosoi esan tetagmenoi eis zoen aionion {ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον | hó-soi ê-san te-tag-mé-noi eis zō-ḕn ai-ṓ-ni-on} restricts the believing group to “as many as” fit a particular description.

The combination of the imperfect of “to be” esan {ἦσαν | ê-san} with the perfect passive participle tetagmenoi {τεταγμένοι | te-tag-mé-noi} forms a periphrastic pluperfect sense (“had been appointed”), indicating a prior act of designation whose effect continues into the present situation. The prepositional phrase eis zoen aionion frames the appointment in teleological terms, pointing toward “eternal life” as the divinely intended goal. In translation, the participial and relative constructions are rendered with finite clauses (“when…,” “as many as were…”) to preserve clarity while maintaining the causal and result relationships implied in the Greek syntax.