ἵστήκεισαν

hístēmi

were standing

To cause to stand, to place or set in a position (transitive); to stand, to remain standing, to stand still (intransitive). In various contexts, ἵστημι can mean to erect, establish, set up, appoint, make firm, or present, as well as to stay put, stand firm, stop, or remain. The sense oscillates between causing something or someone to be in a particular state or location, and the state of being in that position. Other contextual applications include standing fast (figuratively, i.e., remaining steadfast), establishing authority, or making a formal presentation (e.g., presenting oneself or another).

G2476

John 19:25 · Word #1

Lexicon G2476

Lemmaἵστημι
Transliterationhístēmi
Strong'sG2476
DefinitionTo cause to stand, to place or set in a position (transitive); to stand, to remain standing, to stand still (intransitive). In various contexts, ἵστημι can mean to erect, establish, set up, appoint, make firm, or present, as well as to stay put, stand firm, stop, or remain. The sense oscillates between causing something or someone to be in a particular state or location, and the state of being in that position. Other contextual applications include standing fast (figuratively, i.e., remaining steadfast), establishing authority, or making a formal presentation (e.g., presenting oneself or another).

Morphology V PLPF ACT IND 3P PL All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state of being
Tense PLPF — Pluperfect — Completed action with past results
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 PL — Plural — More than one

Common Translation

Phrasewere standing
Literalwere-standing

Lexical Info

Lemmaἵστημι
Strong'sG2476

SIBI-P1 Translation G2476-25

they had been standing

Morphological NotesVerb; pluperfect tense, active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person plural (Gr,V,ILA3,,P,)
Rendering RationaleThe pluperfect active indicative, third person plural, conveys a completed action in the past with a resulting state. "They had been standing" preserves the stative force of the pluperfect and reflects the intransitive sense of remaining in a standing position.

View full lexicon entry for G2476 →

SILEX v2

SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)

they were standing

Same as P1No — adjusted for context
RationaleP1 used perfect 'they had been standing', but context indicates past continuous ('they were standing') is more apt for a narrative present scene. P1 was root-faithful but slightly mismatched for Greek imperfect tense.