εἰμί G1510
to be, exist; copulative, existential, locative, and divine self-revelation
The most fundamental verb in Greek, εἰμί expresses being, existence, and identity. It functions as a linking verb connecting subjects to predicates ('the Word was God'), affirms existence ('there was a man'), and indicates location ('he was in the wilderness'). In John's Gospel, Jesus uses it for divine self-revelation in the absolute 'I AM' echoing the name of God from Exodus. The verb also forms periphrastic tenses when paired with participles, creating continuous aspect ('he was teaching').
2. participial, being (circumstantial/attributive) — Asserts existence or presence, often translated 'there is/was.' This existential sense introduces new participants into narrative space. French il y avait and Arabic كَانَ use specialized existential constructions. 157×
AR["كائِن","كائِنينَ","كائِنًا","كائِنٌ","كائِنَة","كَائِنًا","كَائِنٌ","كَائِنٍ","كَائِنَةً","كَائِنَةٍ","كَانَ","هِيَ","وَهُوَ"]·ben["থাকতে","থাকা,","থেকে","থেকে,","হয়ে","হয়ে,","হয়ে-যাওয়া"]·DE["ist","sein"]·EN["being"]·FR["être"]·heb["בְּהִיוֹתֵנוּ","הִנְךָ","הָיְתָה","הָיִיתִי","הָיָה","הָיוֹתְךָ","הָיוֹתֵךְ","הָיוֹתוֹ","הוּא"]·HI["जो","थी।","होकर","होती-हुई","होती-हुई?","होते-हुए","होते-हुए,","होते-हुए?","होने-के-कारण","होने-पर","होनेवाला"]·ID["ada","ada,","ada?","adalah","adalah,","dari","ketika-adalah,","menjadi","meskipun","seorang"]·IT["essere"]·jav["ana","dados","dados,","ingkang-dados","kita,","piyambakipun,","punika","wau","wonten","wonten,","wonten.","wonten?"]·KO["-이었기에","되어","되었으므로","이는","이면서","이었으나","인","있고","있는","있어서","있으므로,","있을-때"]·PT["estando","havendo","sendo","sendo,","sendo?"]·RU["будучей","будучи","будучи,","бывшей","бывший","стоящая","сущего","сущему","сущие","сущий"]·ES["estando","habiendo","siendo"]·SW["akiwa","akiwa,","ikiwa","ilipokuwa","nikiwa","tulipokuwa","ukiwa","ulipokuwa"]·TR["gayretli","iken","olan","olandan","olarak","olduğundan","olunca"]·urd["ہو-کر","ہوتا-ہوا","ہوتی-ہوئی","ہوتے ہوئے","ہوتے-ہوئے","ہونے","ہوکر"]
Matt 1:19, Mark 4:31, Mark 8:1, Mark 11:11, Luke 3:23, John 3:4, John 4:9, John 4:9, John 5:13, John 7:50, John 8:9, John 9:25 (+38 more)
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. copulative, linking predication — Functions as a copula linking subject to predicate, establishing identity or classification. This is the verb behind 'the Word was God' (John 1:1) and 'you are the Christ' (Matt 16:16). Cross-linguistic glosses use basic copulative verbs (Spanish es/son, Arabic هُوَ, Chinese 是). 2095×
AR["-","هُوَ","هِيَ","يَكونُ"]·ben["আছে","আছেন","আছেন,","আছেন।","হয়","হল"]·DE["ist"]·EN["is","it-is"]·FR["être"]·heb["הִיא","הוּא"]·HI["है"]·ID["ada","adalah","adalah,","penting"]·IT["essere"]·jav["inggih","inggih-punika","punika","punika,","punika.","wonten","wonten,"]·KO["-이다","~이니","~이니라","~이다","이냐","이다","이시다","있느냐","있다"]·PT["está","há","é"]·RU["есть"]·ES["es","está","hay"]·SW["alivyo","ha-stahili","ilipo","kiko","na","ndiye","ndiyo","ni","ni."]·TR["-dir","-dır","değildir","yoktur"]·urd["ہے"]
Matt 2:2, Matt 3:11, Matt 5:10, Matt 5:35, Matt 5:48, Matt 6:21, Matt 6:25, Matt 7:12, Matt 9:5, Matt 10:26, Matt 10:38, Matt 11:10 (+38 more)
3. infinitival, to be — Expresses spatial location, answering 'where' rather than 'what.' Combined with prepositions, εἰμί situates people and things. Korean 있었다 inherently encodes both existence and location. 128×
AR["أنَّهُم","أَكُونُ","أَن-أَكونَ","أَنَّ","أَنَّ-أَكُونُ","أَنَّ-يَكُونُ","أَنَّهُ","أَنْ-أَكُونَ","أَنْ-تَكُونَ","أَنْ-نَكُونَ","أَنْ-يَكونَ","أَنْ-يَكُونَ","لِيَكونَ","يَكونَ","يَكُونَ"]·ben["থাকতে","হওয়া","হওয়ার","হতে","হতে)।"]·DE["ist","sein"]·EN["to-be"]·FR["être"]·heb["לִ-הְיוֹת","לִהְיוֹת","לִהְיוֹת-לִי","שֶׁ-אֲנִי","שֶׁאֲנִי","שֶׁהוּא"]·HI["रेहन","हो","होन","होना","होना।","होने-को"]·ID["ada","adalah","adalah).","berada","mendapat","menjadi","untuk-menjadi"]·IT["essere"]·jav["ana).","dados","inggih-punika","punika","punika?","supados","wonten."]·KO["-되기를","-라고","~이라고","되게-하려","되기-를","되기를","되는-것","되지","이다라고","이라고","이시라고","임-을","있는-것이","있다고","있으려고"]·PT["estarmos","ser","ser).","ser,","ser?","serem"]·RU["быть","быть,","мне","среди-"]·ES["estar","ser"]·SW["awe","iwe","kuwa","kuwa).","kuwa?","ndiye","nenda","wa-kwanza","yaani"]·TR["olduğumu","olduğunu","olduğunu).","olmak","olmamız","olmaya","olmayı"]·urd["ہو","ہونا","ہونے-کا","ہونے-کو","ہے"]
Matt 16:13, Matt 16:15, Matt 17:4, Matt 19:21, Matt 20:27, Mark 1:34, Mark 8:27, Mark 8:29, Mark 9:5, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:44, Mark 14:64 (+38 more)
4. subjunctive/imperative, may be / let be — Jesus' 'I AM' (ἐγώ εἰμι) statements serve as divine self-revelation throughout John's Gospel, reaching a climax in 'before Abraham was, I AM' (8:58) where the present tense claims eternal being—the very name God revealed at the burning bush. 83×
AR["أَكونَ","بَلْ-لِيَكُنْ","تَكونَ","تَكُنْ","فَليَكُن","فَلْيَكُنْ","كانَ","كانَتْ","لِيَكُن","لِيَكُنْ","يَكونَ","يَكُونَ"]·ben["থাকুক","হই","হউক","হন","হয়","হোক","হোক!","হোক।"]·DE["ist","sein"]·EN["he-might-be","let-be","let-him-be","let-it-be","may-be","may-it-be","might-be","she-is","she-might-be"]·FR["être"]·heb["אֶהְיֶה.","יְהִי","יִהְיֶה","תְּהִי","תִּהְיֶה"]·HI["तुम्हें-सबको","मेरे","रहुउन.","वह-हो","वोह-हो","हो","हो!","हो,","हो."]·ID["Hendaklah","adalah","aku menjadi","biarlah","biarlah,","biarlah-ia","dia","dia-adalah","dia-menjadi","menjadi"]·IT["essere"]·jav["dados","dadosa","mugi","mugi-wonten,","nanging-mugia","punika","punika.","sampurna","sumangga-dados","sumangga-dados,","tiyang-punika!"]·KO["너희-에게","되게","되게-하라","되다","되도록","되도록.","되라","받을지어다!","이다","이면.","있기-를","있으라","있으리라","있을","있을지어다"]·PT["esteja","estiver","seja","seja,","vá"]·RU["будет","будь","был","была","было","быть","да-будет","да-будет,","она-есть"]·ES["esté","sea"]·SW["akiwa","awe","iwe","liwe","na-awe","na-iwe","niwe","yawe","ziwe"]·TR["dır-","ki-","kutsal","olsun","olurum","ve"]·urd["جائے","ہو","ہوں"]
5. existential, there is/exists — Ascribes qualities or characteristics to the subject—'you are the salt of the earth,' 'the eye is the lamp.' Where sense 1 identifies, this sense describes what something is like. 15×
AR["تَكونُ","كَانَ","كَانَتْ","كَانُوا","هُنَاكَ","هِيَ","يوجَدُ","يُوجَدُ"]·ben["আছে","আছেন","ছিল","ছিলেন","হয়"]·DE["ist","sein"]·EN["Is","Was","Were","are","is","there-are","there-is"]·FR["être"]·heb["-","הָי-וּ","הָיְתָה","הָיוּ","הוּא","יֵשׁ"]·HI["थी","थीं","थे","है","हैन","है।"]·ID["Ada","Adalah","ada."]·IT["essere"]·jav["Wonten","wonten","wonten."]·KO["있다","있었다"]·PT["Estava","Estavam","Existem","Havia","Há","há.","é"]·RU["Была","Были","Есть","были","есть","есть."]·ES["Estaba","Estaban","Había","Hay","hay","son"]·SW["Alikuwa","Iko","Kuna","Walikuwa","Walikuwako","Walikuwepo","Wapo","Yuko","haumo","ipo","kipo","lakini-kuna","yuko"]·TR["Var","Vardı","Vardır","var","İdiler"]·urd["تھی","تھیں","تھے","ہیں","ہے","ہے۔"]
Matt 27:55, Matt 27:61, Mark 15:40, Luke 15:1, John 1:47, John 5:2, John 5:45, John 6:9, John 12:20, John 18:39, John 21:25, Titus 1:10 (+3 more)
6. sense 6 — Forms periphrastic verb constructions by combining with participles to create continuous aspect. 'He was teaching' (ἦν διδάσκων) uses εἰμί as an auxiliary to frame ongoing action. 1×
AR["يَحِلُّ"]·ben["হল"]·DE["ist"]·EN["it-is"]·FR["être"]·heb["טוֹב"]·HI["उचित"]·ID["baik"]·IT["essere"]·jav["pantes"]·KO["좋다"]·PT["é"]·RU["есть"]·ES["es"]·SW["vyema"]·TR["-dır"]·urd["اچھا-ہے"]
Related Senses
H1961 1. be, exist, was (Qal copular/existential) (3505×)G1096 1. become, change state (421×)G1096 2. happen, occur, take place (158×)H3426 1. there is, there are (existence) (129×)H1934 1. to be, exist (65×)H1961 2. become, come to be (Qal inchoative) (55×)G5225 1. to be, to exist (45×)H0194 1. (45×)G1096 3. come, arrive, appear (28×)G1096 4. let it be, may it be done (22×)H0383 1. there is/are, to exist (Aramaic existential particle) (19×)G1096 5. may it never be! (16×)G2673 1. abolish, bring to an end (16×)G5225 2. possessions, property, goods (14×)G1096 6. be, exist, find oneself (13×)H7136a 1. happen, occur, befall (12×)H7122 2. to befall, happen to (10×)G1096 7. be made, be done (8×)H3426 2. copulative with pronoun suffix (8×)H4745 1. happening, fate, lot (7×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
εἰμί (sum), Aeolic dialect ἔμμι Refs 7th c.BC+; Cretan dialect ἠμί Refs; 2nd pers. singular εἶ, Epic dialect and Ionic dialect εἰς Refs 8th c.BC+, Epic dialect and Doric dialect ἐσσί Refs 8th c.BC+; 3rd.pers. singular ἐστί, Doric dialect ἐντί Refs 3rd c.BC+; 3rd.pers. dual ἐστόν Refs 5th c.BC+; 1st pers. plural ἐσμέν, Epic dialect and Ionic dialect εἰμέν (also in Refs 5th c.BC+, Doric dialect…