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οὐδείς

oudeís

G3762 indefinite pronoun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A compound term meaning 'no one' or 'none,' emphasizing absolute negation of persons or things. It primarily denotes the total absence of any person or object in a given context ('not even one'). In extended usage, it can refer to 'nothing' or 'no kind' as an absolute statement of negation.

Semantic Range

no one, not any (person), none, nobody, nothing, no (man/woman/thing), no kind, not at all; absolute negation of persons or things

Root / Etymology

Compound formed from οὐδέ (not even) and εἷς (one). The construction literally means 'not even one.' Both elements are of native Greek origin, with οὐ- being the standard Greek marker of negation and δέ a conjunction, but here, οὐδέ is used as an intensive negative compound, combined with εἷς, 'one.' No foreign origin is involved.

Historical & Contextual Notes

οὐδείς is already attested in Classical Greek in both poetry and prose and remains current throughout Koine, Hellenistic, and NT Greek. It is used as both an adjective and a substantive, functioning with both masculine/feminine and neuter forms (οὐδεμία, οὐδέν). Its usage is broader than English 'nobody' or 'none,' also functioning where English would use 'nothing' or simply 'no.' In Koine Greek, it expresses categorical or emphatic negation, sometimes with a stronger sense than μηδείς, which can carry subjective or conditional negation. In NT and Septuagint Greek, οὐδείς is used both absolutely (none at all) and in relative clauses. Standard English translations ('no one,' 'nobody,' 'nothing,' 'none') generally capture its sense, but may miss the emphatic weight or scope expressed in Greek, especially in legal, didactic, or rhetorical contexts. In some idiomatic constructions or rhetorical questions, it may intensify the totality of negation beyond what is conveyed by English equivalents. The term does not, by itself, imply specific social, ethnic, or religious identity; it is a general negative pronoun or adjective.

Translation Consistency

primary "none" 222 occurrences

None is a neutral, natural English pronoun that captures the absolute negation of persons or things in the SILEX range (no one, not any, nothing, no kind). It works naturally across contexts without favoring a person-only form, and it is the most consistent single choice for rendering all occurrences of οὐδείς.

Alternatives (10 occurrences):
"even one" (6x) "anyone" (2x) "nothing" (1x) "any of these" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from οὐδέ and εἷς; not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing:--any (man), aught, man, neither any (thing), never (man), no (man), none (+ of these things), not (any, at all, -thing), nought.

Root Family

οὐδείς (oudeis) — not even one, none, absolute negation

Root οὐδεν- to negate, not even one, none

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3762-01 οὐδεὶς oudeis PRO.I NOM M SG no one not even one none 98
G3762-04 οὐδὲν ouden PRO.I ACC N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing) 86
G3762-05 οὐδένα oudena PRO.I ACC M SG no one not even one none at all 16
G3762-06 οὐδενὶ oudeni PRO.I DAT M SG nothing to not even one to none 9
G3762-07 οὐδενός oudenos PRO.I GEN M SG no one of not even one of none 8
G3762-03 οὐδεμίαν oudemian QUAN ACC F SG no not even one (feminine) none (feminine, accusative singular) 7
G3762-08 οὐθὲν outhen PRO.I ACC N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing) 4
G3762-02 οὐδεμία oudemia QUAN NOM F SG no not even one not even one 3
G3762-09 οὐθενός outhenos PRO.I GEN N SG Nothing of not even one of none 2

Occurrences in Scripture

233 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3762-04 Matthew 5:13 οὐδὲν ouden PRO.I ACC N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing)
G3762-01 Matthew 6:24 οὐδεὶς oudeis PRO.I NOM M SG no one not even one none
G3762-06 Matthew 8:10 οὐδενὶ oudeni PRO.I DAT M SG no one to not even one to none
G3762-01 Matthew 9:16 οὐδεὶς oudeis PRO.I NOM M SG No one not even one none
G3762-04 Matthew 10:26 οὐδὲν ouden PRO.I NOM N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing)
G3762-01 Matthew 11:27 οὐδεὶς oudeis PRO.I NOM M SG no one not even one none
G3762-04 Matthew 13:34 οὐδὲν ouden PRO.I ACC N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing)
G3762-05 Matthew 17:8 οὐδένα oudena PRO.I ACC M SG no one not even one none at all
G3762-04 Matthew 17:20 οὐδὲν ouden PRO.I NOM N SG nothing not even one thing none (not even one thing)
G3762-01 Matthew 20:7 οὐδεὶς oudeis PRO.I NOM M SG no one not even one none
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