G3304 G3304
rather, on the contrary; emphatic adversative particle expressing certainty or contrast
This particle sharpens a contrast or corrects an assumption with emphatic force. Jesus says the truly blessed are not just hearers but doers (Luke 11:28). Paul uses it to rebuke presumption: 'Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?' (Rom 9:20). He asks rhetorically, 'Have they not heard?' and answers with μενοῦνγε: 'Indeed they have!' (Rom 10:18). The multilingual evidence shows emphatic correction: Spanish 'más bien/ciertamente,' French 'bien plutôt/mais oui,' German 'im Gegenteil/vielmehr.'
Senses
1. sense 1 — An emphatic particle that introduces a strong counter-assertion or affirmation, often translated 'rather,' 'on the contrary,' or 'indeed.' It corrects or intensifies what precedes. The range from 'más bien' (rather) to 'ciertamente' (certainly) in Spanish, and 'im Gegenteil' (on the contrary) to 'vielmehr' (much more) in German, reflects its dual function: both adversative and affirmative intensity depending on context. 3×
AR["بَلَى", "بَلْ", "بَلْ-حَقّاً"]·ben["বরং", "বরং-হ্যাঁ"]·DE["im-Gegenteil", "vielmehr"]·EN["Rather", "rather"]·FR["bien-plutôt", "mais-oui"]·heb["אֲבָל", "אָכֵן"]·HI["बल्कि", "हां"]·ID["Bahkan-lebih", "sebaliknya"]·IT["anzi-", "menoun"]·jav["Saestu", "saleresipun,", "sayektos,"]·KO["오히려", "정말로"]·PT["Antes-pelo-contrário,", "antes-pelo-contrário,"]·RU["Лучше", "на-", "нет"]·ES["Más-bien", "antes-bien", "ciertamente"]·SW["Naam", "hakika", "kwa-kweli,"]·TR["Bilakis", "evet-elbette", "gerçekten"]·urd["بلکہ", "ہاں-بلکہ", "ہاں-یقیناً"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)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×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Included with: μέν, Particle, used partly to express certainty on the part of the speaker or writer; partly, and more commonly, to point out that the word or clause with which it stands is correlative to another word or clause that is to follow, the latter word or clause being introduced by δέ. __A __A.I μέν used absolutely to express certainty, not followed by correlative δέ, indeed, of a truth,…