ἐφίλει

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἐφίλει

   e-PHI-lei

   {He} loved
2. clause🔊 Ἴδε πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν.

   I-de PÔS e-PHI-lei au-TON

   See how {He} loved him
3. sentence🔊 ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἴδε πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν.

   E-le-gon OON hoi i-oo-DAI-oi I-de PÔS e-PHI-lei au-TON

   then the Jews {They} were saying See how {He} loved him

Exegesis

Direct speech is introduced by the imperative ide {Ἴδε | Í-de}, followed by the exclamatory clause pos ephilei auton {πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν | pôs e-phí-lei au-tón}. The interrogative adverb pos intensifies the statement, functioning idiomatically as an exclamation “how greatly,” not as a genuine question. The imperfect ephilei, embedded within their speech, presents Jesus’ love as characteristic and observable over time, rather than a momentary feeling. The pronoun auton refers contextually to Lazarus as the object of this ongoing affection. In translation, the formal rendering “were saying” preserves the imperfect aspect of elegon, while “was loving” mirrors the imperfect ephilei, maintaining the sense of durative affection; the dynamic rendering simplifies to “said” and “loved” for contemporary idiom, while retaining the emotional focus and exclamatory force created by ide and pos.