εἰ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 εἰ

   ei

   if
2. sentence🔊 καὶ ἰδὼν συκῆν ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἔχουσαν φύλλα ἦλθεν εἰ ἄρα τι εὑρήσει ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν οὐδὲν εὗρεν εἰ μὴ φύλλα ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς οὐκ ἦν σύκων

   KAI i-DON sy-KEEN a-PO ma-KRO-then E-khou-san PHYL-la ÊL-then ei A-ra ti heu-RÊ-sei en au-TÊ KAI el-THON ep au-TÊN ou-DEN HEU-ren ei MÊ PHYL-la ho gar kai-ROS ouk ÊN SY-kōn

   and having seen a fig tree from from afar having leaves he went if perhaps something he will find in on it and having come upon it nothing he found except not leaves the for season not was of figs

Exegesis

The conditional clause introduced by ei {εἰ | ei} ‘if’ combined with the inferential ára {ἄρα | ára} ‘perhaps’ and the future indicative heurḗsei {εὑρήσει | heurḗsei} ‘he will find’ sets an expectation of discovery en autê̂i {ἐν αὐτῇ | en autê̂i} ‘in it’.

A second participle, elthṓn {ἐλθὼν | elthṓn} ‘having come’, resumes the narrative and leads into the result clause ouden heûren ei mē {οὐδὲν εὗρεν εἰ μὴ | oudén heûren ei mē} where the negation ouden ‘nothing’ and the exceptive ei mē ‘except’ emphasize absence of fruit apart from phýlla {φύλλα | phýlla} ‘leaves’.

Root and etymology

chreia🔊 χρείαchi–rho–epsilon–iota–alpha

“need, necessity”

• 🔊 χρείαkhré-aneedLuke 10:42
• 🔊 χρείανkhréi-anneedPhilippians 4:16