ἐν G1722
In, within, among, by means of; the primary Greek locative preposition extending to instrumental, associative, and distributive uses.
The preposition en (ἐν) is the most frequently used preposition in the New Testament, appearing nearly 2,800 times. At its core it means 'in' or 'within,' but its semantic reach extends far beyond spatial location. It can indicate the sphere in which something operates ('in Christ,' 'in the Spirit'), the instrument by which something is accomplished ('by the sword'), the company among whom one stands ('among the prophets'), or the surface upon which one sits. Its versatility is visible in how translators handle it: Spanish consistently uses 'en,' French favors 'dans,' while German 'in' mirrors the Greek closely — yet each language must shift strategies when the instrumental or associative sense dominates.
1. locative: in, within — The foundational locative sense: 'in, within,' marking position inside a space, realm, condition, or metaphorical sphere. This covers physical location ('in Bethlehem,' Matt 2:1), spiritual state ('in Christ,' 'in the Spirit'), temporal setting ('in those days'), and abstract domains ('in truth'). With over 2,400 occurrences it is overwhelmingly the dominant use. The cross-linguistic consistency is striking — Spanish 'en,' French 'dans,' German 'in' — reflecting how naturally this core spatial meaning maps across Indo-European languages (e.g., Matt 1:18, Matt 2:2, Matt 3:3). 2442×
AR["الَّذِي-فِي","بِ","في","فِي"]·ben["-তে","মধ্যে"]·DE["in"]·EN["in","in-","on-"]·FR["dans-"]·heb["בְּ","בְּ-","בַּ","בַּ-"]·HI["-मेइन","में"]·ID["dalam","dengan","di","di-dalam"]·IT["in"]·jav["kanthi","mawi","wonten-ing"]·KO["-에","-에서","~안에","~안에서"]·PT["em","na","nas","no","nos","pela"]·RU["в","в-","во","на","на-"]·ES["en"]·SW["aliye-katika","katika","katika-","mioyoni","wavaa,"]·TR["-de","-deki"]·urd["-میں"]
Matt 1:18, Matt 2:2, Matt 2:16, Matt 3:3, Matt 3:12, Matt 4:21, Matt 5:25, Matt 5:45, Matt 6:4, Matt 6:7, Matt 6:20, Matt 7:3 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
2. distributive: among — The distributive sense: 'among, in the midst of,' marking position within a group or collective rather than within an enclosed space. Jesus is 'among' the teachers (Luke 2:46), the greatest 'among' those born of women (Matt 11:11), and whoever would be great 'among' you must serve (Matt 20:26). Spanish shifts from 'en' to 'entre' for this sense, revealing the semantic distinction that Greek collapses under a single preposition. French maintains 'dans' but the context of plurality signals the distributive reading. 120×
AR["بَيْنَ","عِنْدَ","في","فيما","فيما-","فِي","مِنْ"]·ben["-তে","-মধ্যে","মধ্যে"]·DE["in","in-"]·EN["among","among-","with"]·FR["dans-"]·heb["בְּ","בְּ-","בַּ-","בָּכֶם","הַ-"]·HI["-में","अपने","में"]·ID["di-antara","pada"]·IT["in","in-"]·jav["ing","ing-antawis","ing-antawisipun","wonten-ing"]·KO["-가운데","-안에서","-에서","-중에","~안에","~중에","안에서","에","에-서","에서"]·PT["entre"]·RU["Иисусу","в-","друг-с","среди","среди-"]·ES["en","entre","entre-"]·SW["kati","kati-ya","kati-yetu","katika","miongoni","miongoni-","miongoni-mwa","miongoni-mwa-","miongoni-mwao","miongoni-mwenu"]·TR["-aramızda","-de","-içinde","arasında-","sizin"]·urd["-سے","-میں","میں","میں-"]
Matt 2:6, Matt 4:23, Matt 11:11, Matt 20:26, Matt 20:26, Matt 20:27, Matt 26:5, Matt 27:56, Mark 6:4, Mark 9:50, Mark 10:43, Mark 10:43 (+38 more)
3. association: with — The associative sense: 'with,' marking accompaniment, manner, or attendant circumstance. He will baptize 'with' the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt 3:11), salt that has lost its savor 'with' what shall it be salted? (Matt 5:13). Spanish uses 'con' here, a clear departure from the locative 'en,' and French sometimes shifts from 'dans' to signal the accompaniment nuance. This sense often overlaps with the instrumental, but the focus is on the accompanying condition rather than the means of action (Matt 7:2, Matt 7:6). 99×
AR["بِ","بِ-","بِ-سَيْفٍ","بِـ","بِـ-","في","فَ-بِ-مَاذَا"]·ben["-তে","-দ্বারা","-মধ্যে","দিয়ে","মধ্যে"]·DE["in","in-"]·EN["by","by-","in","in-","with","with-"]·FR["dans-"]·heb["בְּ","בְּ-","בְּ-מָה","בַּ-","בָּהֶם"]·HI["-में","-मेइन","-से","आत्मा","जिस-माप-से","में","से"]·ID["Dengan","dengan"]·IT["in","in-"]·jav["dening","déning","ing","kanthi"]·KO["-로","-안에서","-에","-에서","~안에서","안에서","에","에-서"]·PT["com","com-","em","em-","pela"]·RU["-","-зло","в","в-","во","мышцей","от-","со","чем"]·ES["a","con","con-","en-"]·SW["-","katika-","kwa","kwa-","neno"]·TR["-de","-ile","-içinde","-le","içinde-","ve"]·urd["-سے","-میں","سے","میں"]
Matt 5:13, Matt 7:2, Matt 7:2, Matt 7:6, Matt 20:15, Matt 25:16, Matt 26:52, Mark 1:8, Mark 1:23, Mark 4:24, Mark 9:50, Mark 14:1 (+38 more)
4. instrumental: by means of — The instrumental sense: 'by means of, by, through,' marking the instrument, agency, or means by which something is accomplished. 'By Beelzebul he casts out demons' (Matt 12:24), 'by the Spirit of God' (Matt 12:28), 'by what measure you measure' (Matt 7:2). Spanish reveals this with 'por' (by/through), distinctly different from locative 'en.' The Pharisees' accusation in Matt 12:24 and Jesus' counter in 12:27–28 use en instrumentally in rapid succession, making the agency reading unmistakable. 92×
AR["بِ-","بِأَيِّ","بِالـ","بِـ"]·ben["-তে","-দ্বারা","-মধ্যে","-সম্বন্ধে","কোন-মধ্যে","দিয়ে","দ্বারা","মধ্যে","মধ্যে-"]·DE["in","in-"]·EN["by","by-","in"]·FR["dans-"]·heb["בְּ","בְּ-","בַּ-","בּוֹ"]·HI["-किस","-में","-मेइन","दुष्टात्माओं","में"]·ID["-","dalam","dengan","karena","oleh","pada"]·IT["in","in-"]·jav["déning","ing","kanthi","mawi","wonten-ing"]·KO["-에","-에-의해","-에서","~안에서","~에서","안-에서","에","에-서","에서"]·PT["Pelo-","com","em","em-","na","por"]·RU["-","Духом","в","в-","какой","какою","ничем","о","силой","чьей"]·ES["en","en-","por","por-","¿por"]·SW["gani","kwa","kwa-","kwa-sababu-yake","kwake","na"]·TR["-de","-ile","-içinde","-le","de-","hangi","ile","içinde-"]·urd["سے","میں","کس"]
Matt 12:24, Matt 12:27, Matt 12:27, Matt 12:28, Matt 13:57, Matt 17:21, Matt 21:24, Matt 21:27, Mark 3:22, Mark 6:3, Mark 9:29, Mark 9:29 (+38 more)
5. surface/point: on, at — The contact or surface sense: 'on, at,' marking position on a surface or at a specific point rather than enclosed within a space. The two women grinding 'at' the mill (Matt 24:41), the young man sitting 'on' the right side (Mark 16:5), the herd feeding 'on' the mountain (Luke 8:32), Christ seated 'at' the right hand of God (Rom 8:34). Spanish alternates between 'a' and 'en,' while this sense is relatively rare (19 occurrences), showing that Greek en only occasionally extends to surface contact where English would prefer 'on' or 'at.' 19×
AR["بِ","على","عَلى","عَلَى","عَن","عَنْ","في","فِي"]·ben["-তে","-মধ্যে","তে","মধ্যে","মধ্যে-"]·DE["in","in-"]·EN["at","at-","on","on-"]·FR["dans-"]·heb["בְּ-","בִּ","בִּ-","בַּ-","בָּ-","עַל"]·HI["-पर","-में","पर","में","मेइन"]·ID["dengan-","di","di-","di-atas"]·IT["in","in-"]·jav["ing","wonten-ing"]·KO["-에","~안에","~안에서","~에","안-에","안-에서","안에서","에","에-","에-서"]·PT["em","nas-","no","no-","à","à-"]·RU["который","на","на-","по","по-"]·ES["a","con","en","por"]·SW["-","juu-ya","juu-ya-","katika","katika-","kwa-","mkono-wa-kulia","mkono-wa-kuume","upande-wa"]·TR["-de","-de-","-içinde","-o","-üzerinde","de-","taş","yaşayanın"]·urd["-میں","-پر","سے","میں","پر"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐν, poetry ἐνί, εἰν, εἰνί Refs 8th c.BC+, forms used by Epic dialect and Lyric Poets as the metre requires, but only as falsa lectio in Trag., εἰν Refs 5th c.BC+ ἰν Refs __PREP. WITH DAT. AND ACC. Radical sense, in, into. __A WITH DAT. __A.I OF PLACE, __A.I.1 in, νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ Refs 8th c.BC+; with names of cities or islands, as ἐν Ἀθήνῃς, ἐν Τροίῃ, Refs 8th c.BC+; where ἐν is used, it = in the…