Acts 17:21:12Acts.17.21.W12TAB
ἢ
ê
“except”
- Transliteration
- ê
- Extended
- ê
- IPA
- /ɛː/
Meaning by language
- English
- except
Alphabet Analysis
| Eta | i — as in machine |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ê
- sentence
a-thê-NAI-oi DE PAN-tes KAI hoi e-pi-dê-MOUN-tes KSE-noi eis ou-DEN HE-te-ron ê-u-KAI-roun ê LE-gein ti ê a-KOU-ein ti kai-NO-te-ron
Exegesis
This main verb governs a pair of complementary infinitives introduced by the exceptive particle e {ἢ | ē}: e legein ti e akouein ti kainoteron {ἢ λέγειν τι ἢ ἀκούειν τι καινότερον | ē lé-gein ti ē a-koú-ein ti kai-nó-te-ron}. The repetition of e with parallel infinitives legein and akouein, each followed by the indefinite pronoun ti, creates a balanced structure that underscores both speech and listening as their shared preoccupation. The placement of kainoteron at the end gives climactic focus to “something newer,” capturing the cultural bent toward novelty. In English, the habitual aspect of eukairoun is represented with “were spending their time” and “would do nothing with their time,” while the coordinated infinitives are rendered as “to tell … or to hear” and “talk … or listen,” preserving the parallelism and the sense of an exclusive focus on new ideas.
Root and etymology
Athēnaialpha–theta–eta–nu–alpha–iota
“Athens, city of Athena”
In context — Acts 17:21
But all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there were spending their time on nothing else except to tell something or to hear something newer.
About this coordinate
Acts 17:21:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Acts 17:21, so the Greek word ἢ (ê) 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.17.21.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Acts.17.21.W12.S1) and character.