διά G1223
Through, by means of; because of; why?; during; for the sake of; after; therefore — preposition of mediation and cause
This Greek preposition (dia) governs two cases and carries two fundamental ideas: with the genitive it means 'through' (spatial passage or instrumental agency), and with the accusative it means 'because of' (ground or cause). From these two poles radiate its many uses across the New Testament's 670 occurrences. As instrument it names the agent or means of divine action—salvation 'through' Christ, prophecy 'through' the prophets (Acts 1:16; 2:16). As cause it explains motivation—healing 'because of' faith (Matt 13:58), blindness 'because of' sin. The interrogative dia ti ('why?') appears frequently in the Gospels, while rarer uses mark temporal duration ('throughout the night,' Luke 5:5) and temporal interval ('after some days,' Mark 2:1).
1. through, by means of — The dominant sense: spatial passage ('through a place') or instrumental agency ('by means of, through the agency of'). With the genitive case, dia names the channel, medium, or agent. Acts 1:2 'through the Holy Spirit,' Acts 2:16 'through the prophet Joel.' Spanish por medio de, French par, German durch all capture the mediating-channel meaning. This is the preposition par excellence for divine agency in the NT. 582×
AR["بِـ","بِـ-","بِهِ","بِهِمَا","خِلَالَ","مِنْ"]·ben["আত্মার","দিয়ে","দ্বারা","মুখ"]·DE["durch"]·EN["through"]·FR["par-"]·heb["בְּ-","בְּיַד","בְּפִי","דֶּרֶךְ","דֶּרֶךְ-","עַל-יְדֵי","שֶׁבְּ-"]·HI["-के-द्वारा","-द्वारा","उसने-चुना-था","के-द्वारा","क्रूस-पर-चढ़ाकर","जैसा","दाऊद-के","पवित्र","यह","यहूदा","योएल","सब","सब-को","हाथों-से"]·ID["Melalui","dengan","melalui"]·IT["attraverso-"]·jav["Lumantar","lantaran","lumantar","metu"]·KO["-를-통해","-을-통해","그-","다윗-의","사람-을","올려-지신","우리-의","이들-은","입-을","통하여"]·PT["pelo","por","por-meio-de"]·RU["за-","через-"]·ES["Por-medio-de","por","por-medio-de"]·SW["Kupitia","kupitia","kupitia-","kwa","kwa-"]·TR["-ile","-içinden","-o","aracılığıyla","aracılığıyla-","ağzı","ağzının","elinin"]·urd["-سے-ہو-کر","-کے-ذریعے","ذریعے","کے-ذریعے"]
Acts 1:2, Acts 1:16, Acts 2:16, Acts 2:22, Acts 2:23, Acts 2:43, Acts 3:16, Acts 3:18, Acts 3:21, Acts 4:16, Acts 4:25, Acts 4:30 (+38 more)
▼ 6 more senses below
Senses
2. because of, on account of — Causal ground with the accusative: 'because of, on account of,' indicating the reason or motive behind an action. Matt 13:58 'he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief'; Matt 12:31 'because of this I say to you.' Spanish por, French à cause de, and German wegen signal causation rather than instrumentality, and the accusative case is diagnostic. 54×
AR["بِسَبَبِ","لِذلِكَ","لِذَلِكَ","لِذٰلِكَ","لِهذا","لِهَذَا","لِهٰذا"]·ben["-এইজন্য","-এর-কারণে","-জন্য","-দ্বারা","এই-কারণে,","এই-জন্য","এজন্য","কারণে","জন্য","তাই"]·DE["durch","durch-"]·EN["because-of","because-of-","on-account-of"]·FR["par-","à-travers-"]·heb["בִּגְלַל","לָכֵן","עַל-כֵּן","עַל־כֵּן"]·HI["-के-कारण","इस-कारण","इस-लिये","इसलिए","उसमें"]·ID["Karena-itu","Oleh-karena","Oleh-karena-itu","karena","karena-itu","oleh-karena","oleh-karena-itu","oleh-sebab"]·IT["per-mezzo-di"]·jav["Awit-saking","Margi-saking","Mila","margi-saking","margi-saking-punika","mila","pramila"]·KO["-때문에","~때문에","그러므로","때문에","이-때문에","이것-때문에","이러므로","인하여"]·PT["Por","Por-isso","por","por-isso"]·RU["Из-за","Посему","Потому","Потому-","Поэтому","за","по-","потому-","потому-ли","поэтому","ради","ради-"]·ES["Por","por","por-"]·SW["Kwa-sababu-hii","Kwa-sababu-hiyo","hukumu","kwa-hiyo","kwa-hiyo,","kwa-sababu-hiyo","kwa-sababu-ya","ninawaambia","pia","tazama"]·TR["-den-dolayı","-nin-icin","-sebebiyle","-yüzünden","Bu-nedenle","bu-nedenle","bu-yüzden","bundan-dolayı","bunun-için","bunun-için-","için"]·urd["اس-لیے","اِس لیے-","اِس-لیے","اِسی-لیے"]
Matt 12:27, Matt 12:31, Matt 13:13, Matt 13:52, Matt 17:20, Matt 18:23, Matt 21:43, Matt 23:14, Matt 23:34, Matt 24:44, Mark 6:14, Mark 7:29 (+38 more)
3. why, for what reason — Interrogative use in the fixed phrase dia ti (διὰ τί) meaning 'why? for what reason?' Frequent in Gospel dialogues where Pharisees or disciples question Jesus: 'Why do your disciples transgress?' (Matt 15:2), 'Why do you speak in parables?' (Matt 13:10). Spanish por qué, French pourquoi, German warum—all fused interrogative-causal forms—map precisely. 26×
AR["بِسَبَبِ","لِ-مَاذَا","لِـ","لِـ-مَاذَا","لِماذا","لِمَاذَا"]·ben["-এর-জন্য","কেন","তোমরা-বিশ্বাস-করলে","দ্বারা"]·DE["durch","durch-"]·EN["Because-of","Because-of-","Why","because-of","why"]·FR["par-","à-travers-"]·heb["לָמָּה","לָמָה","מִפְּנֵי","מַדּוּעַ"]·HI["-के-करन","-के-कारण","कारण","किस-कारण","क्यअ-कअरन","क्यों","नहीं","फिर"]·ID["Karena","Mengapa","karena","mengapa"]·IT["attraverso-","per-mezzo-di"]·jav["Kados-pundi","Kenging-menapa","Kenging-punapa","Kénging-","Kénging-menapa","Kénging-punapa","Margi-saking","Punapa-sebabipun","kanggé","kenging-punapa","kénging-punapa","margi-saking"]·KO["-때문에","~때문에","때문-에","때문에","왜","인하여"]·PT["Por","Por-causa-de","Por-que","por"]·RU["Из-за","Почему","Через","почему"]·ES["Por","Por-qué","por","¿Por-qué"]·SW["Kwa-nini","Kwa-nini,","hamkumwamini","kwa-nini","kwa-nini?"]·TR["Bu-nedenle","Neden","bu-nedenle","neden","neden-","İçin"]·urd["محصول-لینے-والوں","کیوں"]
Matt 9:11, Matt 9:14, Matt 13:10, Matt 15:2, Matt 15:3, Matt 17:19, Matt 21:25, Mark 2:18, Mark 7:5, Mark 11:31, Luke 5:30, Luke 8:47 (+14 more)
4. during, throughout — Temporal extent with the genitive: 'during, throughout,' indicating continuous duration through a period. Luke 5:5 'throughout the whole night' (di' holēs tēs nyktos), Acts 1:3 'during forty days,' Acts 5:19 'during the night.' Spanish durante, French pendant, and German durch (die Nacht) confirm the temporal-extent reading, distinct from spatial passage. 3×
AR["خِلَالَ","طُولَ","فِي"]·ben["দিন","দ্বারা","মধ্যে-দিয়ে"]·DE["durch"]·EN["during","through"]·FR["par-","à-travers-"]·heb["בְּ-","בִּמְשֶׁךְ","כָּל"]·HI["और","भर","रातो-रात"]·ID["pada","selama","sepanjang"]·IT["attraverso-","per-mezzo-di"]·jav["ing-wekdal","salaminipun","sawetawis"]·KO["그들-에게","밤-에","통-해"]·PT["através-de"]·RU["в-течение-","через","через-"]·ES["durante"]·SW["kwa","usiku","wakati-wa"]·TR["-de","boyunca","kırk"]·urd["ذریعے","میں"]
5. sense 5 — Purposive or benefactive sense: 'for the sake of, for the benefit of,' indicating the person or purpose served. Mark 2:27 'the Sabbath was made for the sake of man' (dia ton anthrōpon)—a theologically pivotal statement. Spanish por causa de, French pour, and German um...willen all signal purpose or benefit rather than simple cause. The accusative case governs. 2×
AR["مِنْ أَجْلِ"]·ben["-জন্য"]·DE["durch-"]·EN["for"]·FR["à-travers-"]·heb["בִּשְׁבִיל"]·HI["के-लिये","सब्त"]·ID["untuk"]·IT["per-mezzo-di"]·jav["kanggo"]·KO["-때문에"]·PT["por-causa-de-"]·RU["для"]·ES["por-causa-de"]·SW["kwa-sababu-ya-"]·TR["için"]·urd["لیے"]
6. sense 6 — Temporal interval: 'after (a period of time),' indicating elapsed time before an event. Mark 2:1 'after some days' (di' hēmerōn) Jesus returned to Capernaum; Gal 2:1 'after fourteen years' (dia dekatessarōn etōn) Paul went up again. Spanish después de and French après confirm the 'after' reading, distinguishing this from duration ('throughout'). 2×
AR["بَعدَ","بَعْدَ"]·ben["-দিয়ে","মাধ্যমে"]·DE["durch-"]·EN["through"]·FR["par-","à-travers-"]·heb["אַחֲרֵי","בְּמֶשֶׁךְ"]·HI["के","दवर"]·ID["setelah"]·IT["per-mezzo-di"]·jav["sasampunipun","sawisé"]·KO["-를-통하여","-을-통하여"]·PT["após-","depois-de-"]·RU["через"]·ES["después-de","después-de-"]·SW["baada-ya","baada-ya-"]·TR["sonra"]·urd["بعد"]
7. sense 7 — Inferential or conclusive 'therefore, for this reason,' introducing a consequence drawn from preceding argument. Mark 11:24 'therefore I say to you'—dia touto functioning as a discourse connector. Spanish por (tanto), French c'est pourquoi, and German darum signal logical inference. Though structurally dia + accusative touto, the pragmatic force is connective rather than purely causal. 1×
AR["لِذَلِكَ"]·ben["এই-কারণে"]·DE["durch-"]·EN["Therefore"]·FR["à-travers-"]·heb["לָכֵן"]·HI["-के-कारण"]·ID["karena-itu"]·IT["per-mezzo-di"]·jav["margi-saking-punika"]·KO["이러한-이유로"]·RU["потому"]·ES["Por"]·SW["kwa-sababu-hii"]·TR["bunun-için"]·urd["اس-لیے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
διά, poetry διαί (Aeolic dialect ζά, which see), preposition governing genitive and accusative — Rad. sense, through; never anastrophic [Prop. δῐᾰ: but Refs 8th c.BC+ uses ῑ at the beginning of a line, Refs 8th c.BC+: also ᾱ, for the sake of meter, frequently in Refs 8th c.BC+ uses διαί in Lyric poetry, Refs __A WITH GEN. __A.I of Place or Space: __A.I.1 of motion in a line, from one end to the…