ἔβλεπεν
blépō
he could see
To see, look at, or observe (with the physical eyes); with extended senses: to perceive, to be aware, to take notice of something, or to pay attention. In some contexts, it can imply being cautious or vigilant, especially with the sense 'take heed; beware.'
Acts 9:8 · Word #13
Lexicon G991
| Lemma | βλέπω |
| Transliteration | blépō |
| Strong's | G991 |
| Definition | To see, look at, or observe (with the physical eyes); with extended senses: to perceive, to be aware, to take notice of something, or to pay attention. In some contexts, it can imply being cautious or vigilant, especially with the sense 'take heed; beware.' |
Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | he could see |
| Literal | was-seeing |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | βλέπω |
| Strong's | G991 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G991-24
was looking
| Morphological Notes | Verb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The imperfect active indicative, third person singular, expresses ongoing or repeated action in past time. "Was looking" preserves the continuous aspect of the imperfect while retaining the root sense of visual perception. |
View full lexicon entry for G991 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
was seeing
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Changed from 'was looking' because the context is not merely 'looking' but refers to his inability to see (i.e., blindness); 'was seeing' more accurately reflects the ongoing action negated by 'nothing.' |