οὖν

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 οὖν

   OUN

   therefore
2. clause🔊 εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους·

   EI-pan OUN PROS al-LÊ-lous

   therefore they said to one another
3. sentence🔊 εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Μὴ σχίσωμεν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λάχωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται· ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ ⸂ἡ λέγουσα⸃· Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.

   EI-pan OUN PROS al-LÊ-lous MÊ SKHI-sô-men au-TON al-LA LA-khô-men pe-RI au-TOU TI-nos ES-tai HI-na hê gra-PHÊ plê-rô-THÊ hê LE-gou-sa di-e-me-RI-san-to TA hi-MA-ti-a mou he-au-TOIS KAI e-PI TON hi-ma-tis-MON mou E-ba-lon KLÊ-ron

   therefore they said to one another not let us tear it but let us cast lots concerning it whose will be so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says they divided the garments my to themselves and for the clothing my they cast a lot

Exegesis

The verse opens with the narrative verb eipan {εἶπαν | eî-pan} followed by the inferential particle oun {οὖν | oûn}, linking this decision to the preceding description of the tunic and indicating logical progression in the soldiers’ actions.

Finally, the summarizing clause Hoi men oun stratiotai tauta epoiesan {Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα ἐποίησαν | Hoí mèn oûn stra-ti-ô-tai taû-ta e-poí-ē-san} employs the men–oun combination to mark a concluding and somewhat contrastive summary: “So then, the soldiers did these things.” In translation, the deliberative subjunctives are rendered as polite proposals (“Let us not tear it... let us cast lots”), the hina-clause as a purpose/result clause (“so that the Scripture might be fulfilled”), and the quotation is preserved in direct speech to maintain the explicit fulfillment connection between prophecy and narrative action.

Root and etymology

Iesous🔊 Ἰησοῦςiota–eta–sigma–omicron–upsilon–sigma

“Yahweh is salvation”