ἤτοι
ḗtoi
whether
An emphatic particle introducing a clarification, alternative, or confirmation, often used at the beginning of a clause. It functions to emphasize a point, present an alternative possibility, or to introduce a statement that elaborates or specifies what precedes. Its use closely links two clauses, indicating that what follows is to be understood as either a strong alternative or explicit clarification of the prior idea.
Romans 6:16 · Word #14
Lexicon G2273
| Lemma | ἤτοι |
| Transliteration | ḗtoi |
| Strong's | G2273 |
| Definition | An emphatic particle introducing a clarification, alternative, or confirmation, often used at the beginning of a clause. It functions to emphasize a point, present an alternative possibility, or to introduce a statement that elaborates or specifies what precedes. Its use closely links two clauses, indicating that what follows is to be understood as either a strong alternative or explicit clarification of the prior idea. |
Morphology PART
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | PART — Particle — Small function word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | whether |
| Literal | whether |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἤτοι |
| Strong's | G2273 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G2273-01
or rather
| Morphological Notes | Particle (disjunctive/emphatic); indeclinable; introduces an alternative or clarifying clause. |
| Rendering Rationale | "Or rather" preserves the disjunctive force of ἤ ("or") together with the emphatic assurance of τοί, conveying a clarified or strengthened alternative. As a particle, it functions to introduce an emphatic clarification or specification without inflectional change. |
View full lexicon entry for G2273 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
either
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | 'ἤτοι' in this context introduces alternatives (either/or); 'or rather' over-translates. 'Either' is a contextually correct rendering here. |