σύ (G4771) — Greek Lexicon — Scattered Israelites

σύ

sý

G4771 personal pronoun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Second person singular personal pronoun; used to directly address one person as 'you.' The primary sense is as a nominative pronoun, the person spoken to. Depending on context, it can have an emphatic or non-emphatic force, indicating either the simple presence of the addressee or stressing the person in contrast or focus. As with all Greek personal pronouns, it is frequently omitted for non-emphatic, subject functions, since the verb conjugation already identifies the person.

Semantic Range

you (singular subject), you (emphatic or contrastive), thou (archaic English), the person addressed directly

Root / Etymology

From the Proto-Indo-European root *tuH, common to many Indo-European languages; closely related to Latin 'tu,' Sanskrit 'tvam,' and English 'thou'/'you.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

σύ appears throughout Greek literature, from Homeric through Koine periods, as the standard second person singular pronoun. While the verb ending usually identifies the subject in Greek, σύ is used for emphasis, contrast, or clarity, or when introducing a new subject. It was often used to express strong emphasis (e.g., ‘you, in particular’), to draw a distinction with another person or group, or in direct addresses. In the Septuagint and New Testament, σύ and its case forms retain this function, sometimes appearing even where English requires no explicit pronoun. Traditional English Bible translations render it as 'thou' (archaic) or 'you' (modern). σύ should not be confused with the plural forms (ὑμεῖς etc.), which indicate two or more people. Unlike some other languages, Greek second person singular did not develop polite or formal forms during the Koine period; singular σύ is used regardless of rank or formality, though plural ὑμεῖς could rarely be used for politeness in much later periods. Related forms include the oblique/distinct case forms σέ (accusative), σοῦ (genitive), and σοί (dative).

Translation Consistency

primary "you" 31 occurrences

σύ is the second-person singular personal pronoun. The most natural, consistent English rendering across contexts is 'you' (including emphatic uses). Although archaic 'thou' appears, 'you' is modern, idiomatic, and covers nominative, emphatic/contrastive, and direct-address functions; possessive or plural senses are handled by different Strong's numbers or surrounding words.

Alternatives (19 occurrences):

"all" (12x) "(plural)" (7x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the personal pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou. See also σέ, σοί, σοῦ; and for the plural ὑμᾶς, ὑμεῖς, ὑμῖν, ὑμῶν.

Root Family

συ- (sé) — you (singular, object), thee

Root συ- to address one person, you (singular), to speak directly to

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
G4571	σέ
G4671	σοί
G4674	σός	the things that are yours
G4675	σοῦ

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4771-07`	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all	610
`G4771-08`	ὑμῶν	umon	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)	564
`G4771-03`	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you	480
`G4771-05`	ὑμᾶς	umas	`PRO.P 2P ACC PL`	you	you all	you all	432
`G4771-06`	ὑμεῖς	umeis	`PRO.P 2P NOM PL`	you	you all	you all	237
`G4771-02`	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	to you	to you	to you	215
`G4771-01`	σε	se	`PRO.P 2P ACC SG`	you	you	you	197
`G4771-04`	σύ	su	`PRO.P 2P NOM SG`	you	you (singular)	you	174

Occurrences in Scripture

2909 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4771-03`	Matthew 1:20	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-04`	Matthew 2:6	σύ	su	`PRO.P 2P NOM SG`	you	you (singular)	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 2:6	σοῦ	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-02`	Matthew 2:13	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	you	to you	to you
`G4771-07`	Matthew 3:7	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-07`	Matthew 3:9	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-05`	Matthew 3:11	ὑμᾶς	umas	`PRO.P 2P ACC PL`	you	you all	you all
`G4771-05`	Matthew 3:11	ὑμᾶς	umas-2	`PRO.P 2P ACC PL`	you	you all	you all
`G4771-03`	Matthew 3:14	σοῦ	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-04`	Matthew 3:14	σὺ	su	`PRO.P 2P NOM SG`	you	you (singular)	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 4:6	σοῦ	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-01`	Matthew 4:6	σε	se	`PRO.P 2P ACC SG`	you	you	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 4:6	σου	sou-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 4:7	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-02`	Matthew 4:9	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	to you	to you	to you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 4:10	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-05`	Matthew 4:19	ὑμᾶς	umas	`PRO.P 2P ACC PL`	you	you all	you all
`G4771-05`	Matthew 5:11	ὑμᾶς	umas	`PRO.P 2P ACC PL`	you	you all	you all
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:11	ὑμῶν	umon	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	you	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:12	ὑμῶν	umon	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:12	ὑμῶν	umon-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	you	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-06`	Matthew 5:13	ὑμεῖς	umeis	`PRO.P 2P NOM PL`	You	you all	you all
`G4771-06`	Matthew 5:14	ὑμεῖς	umeis	`PRO.P 2P NOM PL`	You	you all	you all
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:16	ὑμῶν	umon	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:16	ὑμῶν	umon-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:16	ὑμῶν	umon-3	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-07`	Matthew 5:18	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-07`	Matthew 5:20	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-08`	Matthew 5:20	ὑμῶν	umon	`PRO.P 2P GEN PL`	your	of you (plural)	of you (plural)
`G4771-07`	Matthew 5:22	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:23	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:23	σου	sou-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:23	σοῦ	sou-3	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:24	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:24	σου	sou-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:24	σου	sou-3	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:25	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-01`	Matthew 5:25	σε	se	`PRO.P 2P ACC SG`	you	you	you
`G4771-02`	Matthew 5:26	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	to you	to you	to you
`G4771-07`	Matthew 5:28	ὑμῖν	umin	`PRO.P 2P DAT PL`	to you	to you all	to you all
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:29	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-01`	Matthew 5:29	σε	se	`PRO.P 2P ACC SG`	you	you	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:29	σοῦ	sou-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-02`	Matthew 5:29	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	for you	to you	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:29	σου	sou-3	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:29	σου	sou-4	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:30	σου	sou	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	your	of you	of you
`G4771-01`	Matthew 5:30	σε	se	`PRO.P 2P ACC SG`	you	you	you
`G4771-03`	Matthew 5:30	σοῦ	sou-2	`PRO.P 2P GEN SG`	you	of you	of you
`G4771-02`	Matthew 5:30	σοι	soi	`PRO.P 2P DAT SG`	for-you	to you	to you

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