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εἷς

heîs

G1520 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

The numeral 'one'; denoting a single unit, individual entity, or being. Used both as an adjective and, occasionally, as a substantive to refer to a single person, object, or idea. In certain contexts, emphasizes uniqueness ('only one'), individuality, or an unspecified single example ('a certain one').

Semantic Range

one, single entity or unit, only one, alone, unique, a certain one, someone, a (indefinite sense in context), distributive ('each one'), first (ordinal context), unity

Root / Etymology

From the Indo-European root *oi-no-, meaning 'one.' The Greek εἷς (masculine), μία (feminine), and ἕν (neuter) are declined forms of the same word, serving as the primary cardinal numeral for 'one' in Greek. Cognate with Latin 'unus,' Sanskrit 'eka,' and Old English 'ān.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical and Koine Greek, εἷς is the standard masculine form of 'one,' occurring in both literal (counting, singularity) and figurative (uniqueness, unity, or exclusivity) contexts. The feminine form is μία and the neuter is ἕν. Notably, in some contexts it functions as a pronoun ('one person' or 'someone'). In LXX and New Testament usage, it can denote a particular individual ('a certain one'), the concept of 'only one,' or the totality when paired in broader statements (e.g., 'no one,' 'everyone' in negative and distributive constructions with μηδείς and οὐδείς). In translation traditions, εἷς is often rendered as 'one,' 'a,' or 'only,' but nuance, particularly in idiomatic or distributive uses, can be lost. It does not inherently carry the indefinite sense of the English 'a/an,' though it can approximate this in certain constructions. The phrase εἷς καθ’ εἷς ('one by one') and related compounds illustrate its use in distributive senses.

Translation Consistency

primary "one" 46 occurrences

'One' is the natural, common English rendering of εἷς for both adjectival and substantive uses (single, only one, a certain one, someone). It is by far the dominant attested rendering and can be adapted in context (e.g. 'each one,' 'the one,' 'only one') to cover distributive or emphatic senses without introducing multiple core words.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"(feminine)" (4x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primary numeral; one:--a(-n, -ny, certain), + abundantly, man, one (another), only, other, some. See also εἷς καθ’ εἷς, μηδείς, μία, οὐδείς.

Root Family

εἷς- (heîs) — one, single, individual, unique

Root εἷς- one, single, individual, unique
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G3391 μία

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1520-01 εἷς eis DET NOM M SG one into one 96
G1520-02 ἓν en DET NOM N SG one in one 64
G1520-03 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one 43
G1520-07 μίαν mian ADJ.S ACC F SG one one one 36
G1520-06 μία mia DET NOM F SG one one (feminine) one (feminine) 35
G1520-05 ἑνὸς enos ADJ.S GEN M SG one of one of one 33
G1520-04 ἑνὶ eni ADJ.S DAT M SG one to one one 22
G1520-08 μιᾶς mias ADJ.S GEN F SG one of one of one 8

Occurrences in Scripture

337 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1520-02 Matthew 5:18 ἓν en DET NOM N SG one in one
G1520-06 Matthew 5:18 μία mia DET NOM F SG one one (feminine) one (feminine)
G1520-07 Matthew 5:19 μίαν mian ADJ.S ACC F SG one one one
G1520-02 Matthew 5:29 ἓν en ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-02 Matthew 5:30 ἓν en ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-07 Matthew 5:36 μίαν mian DET ACC F SG one one one
G1520-02 Matthew 5:41 ἕν en DET ACC N SG one in one
G1520-03 Matthew 6:24 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-05 Matthew 6:24 ἑνὸς enos ADJ.S GEN M SG one of one of one
G1520-03 Matthew 6:27 ἕνα ena DET ACC M SG one one one
G1520-02 Matthew 6:29 ἓν en-2 ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-01 Matthew 8:19 εἷς eis DET NOM M SG a into one
G1520-01 Matthew 9:18 εἷς eis DET NOM M SG a certain into one
G1520-02 Matthew 10:29 ἓν en ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-03 Matthew 10:42 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-02 Matthew 12:11 ἕν en DET ACC N SG one in one
G1520-03 Matthew 13:46 ἕνα ena DET ACC M SG one one one
G1520-03 Matthew 16:14 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-07 Matthew 17:4 μίαν mian ADJ.S ACC F SG one one one
G1520-07 Matthew 17:4 μίαν mian-2 ADJ.S ACC F SG one one one
G1520-07 Matthew 17:4 μίαν mian-3 ADJ.S ACC F SG one one one
G1520-02 Matthew 18:5 ἓν en DET ACC N SG one in one
G1520-03 Matthew 18:6 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-05 Matthew 18:10 ἑνὸς enos ADJ.S GEN M SG one of one of one
G1520-02 Matthew 18:12 ἓν en ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-02 Matthew 18:14 ἓν en-2 ADJ.S NOM N SG one in one
G1520-03 Matthew 18:16 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-01 Matthew 18:24 εἷς eis ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-03 Matthew 18:28 ἕνα ena ADJ.S ACC M SG one one one
G1520-07 Matthew 19:5 μίαν mian DET ACC F SG one one one
G1520-06 Matthew 19:6 μία mia DET NOM F SG one one (feminine) one (feminine)
G1520-01 Matthew 19:16 εἷς eis ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 19:17 εἷς eis ADJ.P NOM M SG one into one
G1520-07 Matthew 20:12 μίαν mian DET ACC F SG one one one
G1520-04 Matthew 20:13 ἑνὶ eni ADJ.S DAT M SG one to one to one
G1520-01 Matthew 20:21 εἷς eis ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 20:21 εἷς eis-2 ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-07 Matthew 21:19 μίαν mian DET ACC F SG one one one
G1520-03 Matthew 21:24 ἕνα ena DET ACC M SG one one one
G1520-01 Matthew 22:35 εἷς eis ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 23:8 εἷς eis ADJ.P NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 23:9 εἷς eis ADJ.P NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 23:10 εἷς eis DET NOM M SG one into one
G1520-03 Matthew 23:15 ἕνα ena DET ACC M SG one one one
G1520-01 Matthew 24:40 εἷς eis ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-01 Matthew 24:40 εἷς eis-2 ADJ.S NOM M SG one into one
G1520-06 Matthew 24:41 μία mia ADJ.S NOM F SG one one (feminine) one (feminine)
G1520-06 Matthew 24:41 μία mia-2 ADJ.S NOM F SG one one (feminine) one (feminine)
G1520-02 Matthew 25:15 ἕν en ADJ.S ACC N SG one in one
G1520-02 Matthew 25:18 ἓν en ADJ.S ACC N SG one in one
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