ἢ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἢ

   Ê

   or
2. sentence🔊 τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ θλῖψις ἢ στενοχωρία ἢ διωγμὸς ἢ λιμὸς ἢ γυμνότης ἢ κίνδυνος ἢ μάχαιρα

   TIS hê-MAS khō-RI-sei a-PO tês a-GA-pês tou khree-STOO THLI-psis Ê ste-no-khō-RI-a Ê di-ōg-MOS Ê li-MOS Ê gym-NO-tēs Ê KIN-dy-nos Ê MA-khai-ra

   who us will separate from the love of the Christ tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword

Exegesis

After this main clause, a series of nominative nouns—thlîpsis {θλῖψις | thlî-psis}, stenokhōría {στενοχωρία | ste-no-khō-rí-a}, diōgmós {διωγμὸς | di-ōg-mós}, limós {λιμὸς | li-mós}, gumnótēs {γυμνότης | gym-nó-tēs}, kíndynos {κίνδυνος | kín-dy-nos}, mákhaira {μάχαιρα | má-khai-ra}—are linked by repeated ē {ἢ | ē} ‘or’. These stand as potential agents or circumstances implicitly supplied with the verb chorisei from the first question, an example of ellipsis that tightens the rhetoric. The rising intensity of the list moves from pressure and inward distress to social hostility, deprivation, exposure, peril, and finally the sword, likely signifying violent death. In translation, the two Greek questions are preserved as two English questions to maintain the rhetorical force: the first asks Who in general, the second unpacks that Who as concrete situations, stressing the impossibility that any of these can sever the believer from Christ’s love.

Root and etymology

agapaō🔊 ἀγαπάωalpha–gamma–alpha–pi–alpha–omega

“to love with devoted commitment”

• 🔊 ἀγαπητόςagapetosbelovedEphesians 5:1
• 🔊 ἀγαπάωagapaōto loveJohn 3:16