Acts 17:18:20Acts.17.18.W20TAB
λέγειν
legein
“to say”
- Transliteration
- LE-gein
- Extended
- LEH-gein
- IPA
- /ˈle.gei̯n/
Meaning by language
- English
- to say
Greek · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Lambda | l — as in law | |
| Epsilon | e — as in met (short) | |
| Gamma | gh — guttural | |
| Epsilon | e — as in met (short) | |
| Iota | i — as in machine | |
| Nu | n — as in new |
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The word
Word in context
- word
LE-gein
- sentence
ti-NES de kai tôn e-pi-kou-REI-ōn kai sto-i-KÔN phi-lo-SO-phōn sy-NE-ba-llon au-TÔI KAI TI-nes E-le-gon TI AN THE-loi ho sper-mo-LO-gos HOU-tos LE-gein hoi DE KSE-nōn dai-mo-NI-ōn do-KEI ka-taŋ-ge-LEUS EI-nai HO-ti ton ee-ay-SOON kai tên a-NA-sta-sin eu-êŋ-ge-LI-ze-to
Exegesis
Inside the quotation, the optative theloi with the particle an in Ti an theloi ho spermologos houtos legein {Τί ἂν θέλοι ὁ σπερμολόγος οὗτος λέγειν | Tí àn théloi ho spermológos hoûtos légein} conveys potentiality and nuance—“what might this babbler wish to say,” suggesting contemptuous curiosity rather than a straightforward question. The pejorative noun spermologos, literally “seed-picker,” invokes the image of a bird picking up scraps, metaphorically describing someone who collects bits of ideas and speaks without depth.
Root and etymology
legōlambda–epsilon–gamma–omega
“to say, speak”
In context — Acts 17:18
But some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were saying, “What might this babbler wish to say?” but others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities ,” because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection.
About this coordinate
Acts 17:18:20 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 20 of Acts 17:18, so the Greek word λέγειν (legein) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Acts.17.18.W20, which extends further down to each syllable (Acts.17.18.W20.S1) and character.