Matthew 14:4:1Matt.14.4.W1TAB

ἔλεγεν

eleyen

{He} had been saying

Transliteration
E-le-yen
Extended
EH-leh-yen
IPA
/ˈe.le.ʝen/

Meaning by language

English
{He} had been saying

Greek · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
ἔ + λε + γεν
e + le + yen
eleyen

Alphabet Analysis

Epsilone — as in met (short)
Lambdal — as in law
Epsilone — as in met (short)
Gammagh — guttural
Epsilone — as in met (short)
Nun — as in new

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Diphthongs
Accents & breathings

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    E-le-yen

  2. clause

    E-le-yen GAR au-TÔI ho i-ô-AN-nês

  3. sentence

    E-le-yen GAR au-TÔI ho i-ô-AN-nês ook E-kse-stin soi E-khein au-TÊN

Exegesis

The verse begins with the imperfect verb elegen {ἔλεγεν | é-le-gen} “was saying,” which portrays John’s speech as ongoing or repeated, suggesting a sustained prophetic challenge rather than a single remark.

Root and etymology

legolambda–epsilon–gamma–omicron

to say, speak

In contextMatthew 14:4

For John was saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

About this coordinate

Matthew 14:4:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Matthew 14:4, so the Greek word ἔλεγεν (eleyen) 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 Matt.14.4.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Matt.14.4.W1.S1) and character.