μήτιγε
mḗtige
G3386
SILEX Entry
Definition
A marker introducing a negative rhetorical question or emphasizing a negation, especially in reasoning or arguments – 'certainly not then,' 'not at all then,' 'how much less,' 'much less,' expressing the impossibility or even greater improbability of a proposition given what precedes.
Semantic Range
certainly not then, not at all then, how much less, how much more (in rhetorical negative questions), much less, even less, not to say
Root / Etymology
Compound adverb formed from μήτι (an interrogative particle implying a negative answer, 'surely not?') and γε (emphatic particle, 'at least,' 'indeed'). The adverbial use is a Koine innovation, rare in classical Greek.
Historical & Contextual Notes
μήτιγε very rarely appears in extant Greek literature, with New Testament usage limited. It typically occurs in argumentation to intensify the negative force of a question, escalating from a previous statement to express that something is even less likely or even more so not the case. The sense is similar to 'how much less/more' in English rhetorical questions, often used in argument by gradation (a fortiori logic). While translated in many English versions as 'how much more' or 'not at all then,' it does not function as a simple negation but rather marks a stronger negative conclusion in light of what has already been proposed. Standard English translations often obscure the argumentative or rhetorical nuance, and the particle's emphatic character is sometimes lost. It is seldom found outside Koine Greek; classical Greek would use alternative constructions. Concretely, it can appear in Pauline argumentation as part of stepwise, escalating reasoning. μήτιγε should be carefully distinguished from μήτε, which means 'nor' or 'neither.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from μήτι and γέ; not at all then, i.e. not to say (the rather still):--how much more.
Root Family
μή-, γ1 (mḗtige) — not, whether not, at least
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.