εἰσί G1526
They are (third person plural); the plural form of 'to be,' indicating existence or state of multiple subjects
This is the third person plural present form of the verb 'to be' (εἰμί): 'they are.' In 1 John 5:7 (the Comma Johanneum, textually disputed), it appears in the statement about witnesses. As a basic conjugated form of the most fundamental verb, it asserts existence, identity, or predication of plural subjects. The multilingual evidence naturally uses each language's equivalent third person plural (Spanish 'son' = they are, German 'sie sind'), the standard plural form of 'to be' used countless times in any text.
Senses
1. sense 1 — First John 5:7, though textually disputed and absent from early manuscripts, contains εἰσί in statements about witnesses. Every target language uses its standard third-person plural 'to be' (Spanish 'son', German 'sie sind'), as this is simply the plural copula. The form appears thousands of times across Greek literature for any plural predication or existence statement. Its semantic range is as broad as plural existence and identity itself—grammatically necessary, semantically foundational. 1×
AR["هُم"]·ben["আছেন"]·DE["sie-sind"]·EN["are"]·FR["εἰσι"]·heb["הֵם"]·HI["हैं"]·ID["adalah};"]·IT["eisi"]·jav["punika}"]·KO["이시다"]·PT["são}:"]·RU["суть}:"]·ES["son}"]·SW["ni"]·TR["-dirler"]·urd["ہیں};"]
Related Senses
H1961 1. be, exist, was (Qal copular/existential) (3505×)G1510 1. copulative, linking predication (2095×)G1096 1. become, change state (421×)G1096 2. happen, occur, take place (158×)G1510 2. participial, being (circumstantial/attributive) (157×)H3426 1. there is, there are (existence) (129×)G1510 3. infinitival, to be (128×)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×)G1510 5. existential, there is/exists (15×)G5225 2. possessions, property, goods (14×)G1096 6. be, exist, find oneself (13×)H7136a 1. happen, occur, befall (12×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
εἰσί, 3rd.pers. plural of εἰμί (sum). εἶσι, 3rd.pers. singular of εἶμι (ibo). εἰσῐδεῖν, Epic dialect εἰσιδέειν, aorist infinitive of εἰσεῖδο; see at {εἰσοράω}.