This intensified form of the comparative particle 'than' adds emphasis or even surprise to comparisons. The addition of the enclitic particle strengthens the comparison, suggesting 'than even' or 'rather than.' John uses it once to describe people who valued human praise more highly than divine approval. The term appears in classical poetry and heightened prose to make comparisons more forceful. Modern translations often render it simply as 'than,' though the Greek carries additional rhetorical weight.