εἰ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 εἰ

   EI

   if
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν,

   EI TON LO-GON MOU e-TÊ-rê-san

   if they kept my the word
3. clause🔊 εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν, καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν.

   EI TON LO-GON MOU e-TÊ-rê-san KAI TON hy-ME-te-ron tê-RÊ-sou-sin

   if they kept my the word also they will keep the yours
4. sentence🔊 μνημονεύετε τοῦ λόγου οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν· Οὐκ ἔστιν δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν, καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν.

   mnê-mo-NEU-e-te TOU LO-GOU HOU e-GÔ EI-pon hy-MIN OUK ES-tin DOU-los MEI-zôn TOU ky-RI-ou au-TOU EI e-ME e-DI-ŌK-san KAI hy-MAS di-ŌK-sou-sin EI TON LO-GON MOU e-TÊ-rê-san KAI TON hy-ME-te-ron tê-RÊ-sou-sin

   Remember of the word that I {I} said to you servant is Not greater his than the master if they persecuted me also they will persecute you if they kept my the word also they will keep the yours

Exegesis

The two ei-clauses form a balanced parallelism: ei eme edioxan kai hymas dioxousin {εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν | ei e-mé e-di-óx-an kai hy-más di-óx-ou-sin} and ei ton logon mou eteresan kai ton hymeteron teresousin {εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν | ei ton ló-gon mou e-tē-re-san kai ton hy-mé-te-ron tē-rē-sou-sin}. In both, the aorist verbs describe the response already given, while the future verbs project that same pattern onto the disciples, turning the saying into a direct analogy between the speaker and his followers. The fronting of eme and hymas sharpens the contrast, and the repeated conditional structure gives the verse a measured, predictive force. In English, the saying is rendered with a proverb-like line and two matched conditionals so the logical symmetry remains clear.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 es-epsilon sigma

“to be, exist”

• 🔊 ἐστίes-tíisJohn 1:1
• 🔊 ἐσμενes-menwe areRomans 8:16