δὲ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 δὲ

   DE

   Now
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης εἶχεν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ,

   au-TOS DE HO i-ô-AN-nês EI-khen TO EN-dy-ma au-TOO a-PO tri-KHÔN ka-MÊ-loo KAI ZÔ-nên der-ma-TI-nên pe-RI TÊN os-PHYN au-TOO

   Now {the} John Himself {He} wore his the garment from hairs of camel and leather belt around his the waist
3. sentence🔊 αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης εἶχεν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, ἡ δὲ τροφὴ ⸂ἦν αὐτοῦ⸃ ἀκρίδες καὶ μέλι ἄγριον.

   au-TOS DE HO i-ô-AN-nês EI-khen TO EN-dy-ma au-TOO a-PO tri-KHÔN ka-MÊ-loo KAI ZÔ-nên der-ma-TI-nên pe-RI TÊN os-PHYN au-TOO HÊ DE tro-PHÊ ÊN au-TOO a-KRI-des KAI ME-li A-gri-on

   Now {the} John Himself {He} wore his the garment from hairs of camel and leather belt around his the waist and his the food {It} was locusts and wild honey

Exegesis

The verse opens with autos de ho Iōannēs {αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης | autòs dè ho Iōánnēs}, where autos is contrastive and focuses attention on John in distinction from others previously mentioned.

The second clause begins with a parallel nominative subject hē de trophē {ἡ δὲ τροφὴ | hē dè trophḕ}, again using de to mark a slight development in the description, followed by the imperfect copula ēn {ἦν | ên} and the genitive autou, forming a possessive construction “his food was.”