Luke 17:33:12Luke.17.33.W12TAB
ἂν
an
“might”
- Transliteration
- AN
- Extended
- AHN
- IPA
- /ˈan/
Meaning by language
- English
- might
Alphabet Analysis
| Alpha | ah — as in father | |
| Nu | n — as in new |
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The word
Word in context
- word
AN
- sentence
HOS AN dzê-TÊ-sêi tên psy-KHÊN hau-TOU pe-ri-poi-Ê-sa-sthai a-po-LÉ-sei au-TÊN HOS de AN a-po-LÉ-sêi dzô-o-go-ni-SÊI au-TÊN
Exegesis
The verse consists of two parallel conditional relative clauses introduced by hos {Ὃς | hós} “whoever” with the modal particle an {ἂν | án}, forming generic, open-ended conditions.
The second clause mirrors the structure: hos de an {ὃς δ᾽ ἂν | hós d án} again introduces a universal condition, now with the aorist subjunctive apolese {ἀπολέσῃ | a-po-le-sē} “might lose,” followed by the future indicative zoogonesei {ζῳογονήσει | zō-ō-go-nē-sei} “will preserve alive” in the apodosis. The paired futures (apolesei / zoogonesei) and contrasted purposes (peripoiesasthai vs. apolese) create a rhetorical reversal: the one who clings to life forfeits it, while the one who surrenders life truly preserves it. This chiastic interplay of verbs and purposes underlies the translation choice to maintain paradoxical tension in English while clearly marking the conditional and consequential relationship of the clauses.
Root and etymology
skandalonsigma–kappa–alpha–nu–delta–alpha–lambda–omicron–nu
“trap, stumbling block”
In context — Luke 17:33
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life will keep it alive .
About this coordinate
Luke 17:33:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Luke 17:33, so the Greek word ἂν (an) 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 Luke.17.33.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Luke.17.33.W12.S1) and character.