Acts 2:12:11Acts.2.12.W11TAB

θέλει

thelei

does {it} want

Transliteration
THE-lei
Extended
THEH-lei
IPA
/ˈtʰe.lei/

Meaning by language

English
does {it} want

Greek · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
θέ + λει
the + lei
thelei

Alphabet Analysis

Thetath — as in thin
Epsilone — as in met (short)
Lambdal — as in law
Epsilone — as in met (short)
Iotai — as in machine

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Diphthongs
Accents & breathings

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    THE-lei

  2. sentence

    ek-SEES-tan-to de PAN-tes kai di-ê-PO-roun AL-los pros AL-lon LE-gon-tes TEE THE-lei TOU-to EI-nai

Exegesis

The construction thelei touto einai {θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι | thé-lei toû-to eî-nai} literally ‘what does this want to be’ uses thelei in a sense of ‘intend’ or ‘mean’, which in English is best captured by “What does this mean?” The syntax thus moves from collective emotional reaction to communal questioning, and the translation reflects this by preserving the sequence of amazement, perplexity, and interpretive inquiry.

Root and etymology

thelotheta–epsilon–lambda–omicron

to wish, desire

In contextActs 2:12

And all were amazed and were perplexed , one to another saying, “What does this mean ?”

About this coordinate

Acts 2:12:11 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 11 of Acts 2:12, so the Greek word θέλει (thelei) 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.2.12.W11, which extends further down to each syllable (Acts.2.12.W11.S1) and character.