ὁ G3588
The definite article; also substantivizer, connective, and comparative marker across all cases and genders
The most frequent word in the Greek New Testament, appearing over 20,000 times. Far more than a simple 'the,' it organizes Greek discourse at every level—marking definiteness, converting adjectives and participles into nouns ('the one who believes'), structuring genealogies and lists (the repeated article in Matthew 1), and signaling case relationships. Its flexibility allows it to function as a near-pronoun, a discourse connector, and even a comparative marker. Every target language handles it differently: German preserves full case inflection (der/die/das/den/dem/des), Spanish merges it with prepositions (al, del), while many Asian languages omit it entirely.
2. connective or structural article — Connective or structural article linking clauses, marking transitions, or organizing lists. Most visible in Matthew 1's genealogy where repeated articles structure each generation. French 'le/la' and Spanish 'el/la' serve similar connective roles, but many translations suppress the article when its function is purely structural. 493×
AR["-","الـ"]·ben["-","-এই","-কে","-সেই","সেই"]·DE["das-","den","der","der-"]·EN["the","the-"]·FR["de-la-","le-"]·heb["אֶת","אֶת-הַ-","אֶת־הַ-","הַ","הַ-"]·HI["उस","थे"]·ID["-"]·IT["della","il","il-"]·jav["-","garwanipun","ing","karsanipun","pati"]·KO["그-"]·PT["a"]·RU["-","в-"]·ES["-al","-la","la"]·SW["-","-ule","hayo"]·TR["-","-O-","-nın","-olan"]·urd["-","-کو","اُس","وہ"]
Matt 1:2, Matt 1:2, Matt 1:2, Matt 1:3, Matt 1:3, Matt 1:3, Matt 1:3, Matt 1:4, Matt 1:4, Matt 1:4, Matt 1:5, Matt 1:5 (+38 more)
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. definite article — The basic definite article marking a noun as known, specific, or previously mentioned. With over 18,000 occurrences, this is the default function. German preserves full case/gender agreement (der/die/das), Spanish contracts with prepositions (al, del), while languages like Japanese and Korean lack articles entirely and leave it implicit. 18298×
AR["-","ال","الـ"]·ben["-","-টি","-তিনি","-যে","-সেই","যা-","সেই","সেই-"]·DE["das","den","der"]·EN["the","the-","the-one"]·FR["le-"]·heb["-","אֶת-הַ-","אֶת-הָ-","אֶת־","הַ-"]·HI["-","-उस","-के","-को","-जो","-ने","-वह","उस","वह"]·ID["-","-perwira","yang"]·IT["il"]·jav["-","-Panjenenganipun","-Sang","-ingkang","-kereking","-manungsa","-sabrang","-sang","-tetingalan","-tiyang-ingkang","Sang-","ing","ing-","panggenan","sang","sang-"]·KO["-가","그-"]·PT["a-","as-","o","o-","o-que-"]·RU["-","-освящающий","-умножение"]·ES["*","*-el","al","el","la","‹*-lo›"]·SW["-Pilatos","-Pétros","-asikiaye","-baki","-kumsulibu","-kusaga","-maono","-mpanzi","-mtu","-mtumishi","-ng'ambo","-yeye","-yule","akida","kuzidi","la-nje","lakini","mapenzi","mwili","yanayoitakasa"]·TR["-"]·urd["-","اُس","وہ"]
Matt 8:8, Matt 10:28, Matt 13:3, Matt 13:20, Matt 13:50, Matt 14:22, Matt 15:3, Matt 15:18, Matt 17:9, Matt 18:28, Matt 19:28, Matt 21:31 (+38 more)
3. substantivizer or pronoun — Substantivizer turning adjectives, participles, or prepositional phrases into noun phrases: 'the one who,' 'those who,' 'that which.' English often requires added words ('the ones'), while Spanish 'los/las' can substantivize directly, paralleling the Greek construction naturally (Acts 1:6; 2:7). 471×
AR["الـ","الـ-","الَّذِينَ"]·ben["-এই","-সেই","ঈশ্বরের","তাহার"]·DE["die"]·EN["the","the-","the-ones","the-things"]·FR["les-"]·heb["אֶת-הַ-","הַ-"]·HI["-के","-जो","-रहने-वाले","-वे","कुरेने-के-निकट","गलीली","दर्शन-देखेंगे","पीटा","सब","स्वप्न-देखेंगे","हो-जाएगा"]·ID["-","-itu","-para","-yang","Mereka","Mereka-yang","hal-hal"]·IT["i-","le-"]·jav["-ingkang","Tiyang-ingkang","bab-bab","ingkang","ingkang-para","para","para-"]·KO["-의","그-","그들-은","그러므로","대제사장들-이","불러서","이다","지역들-을"]·PT["Os","as","as-coisas","eles","os"]·RU["-"]·ES["Los","a-los","las","las-cosas","los"]·SW["-hayo","-hizo","-mambo","-wale","-ya","-zile","Wale","wale-","wao"]·TR["-ise","-o","bağırsakları","gençleriniz","konuşanlar","kızlarınız","oğullarınız","sözlerime"]·urd["-ان","-نے","-کو","اُس-کی","وہ","وہ-باتیں"]
4. dative article (indirect object/locative) — Dative article marking indirect objects, locations, or instruments. Greek's synthetic case system packs meaning into the article form itself (τῷ, τῇ), while analytic languages unpack it into prepositions: English 'to the/in the,' Spanish 'al/en el,' German 'dem' (Matt 5:22, 24, 25). 420×
AR["-","أَمَامَ","إِلى-ال","إِلَى-","بِ-ال","عَلَى","عَلَى-الْ","لِ-","لِ-ال","لِل","مَعَ","مَنْ"]·ben["-কে","-তে","-র-কাছে","-র-প্রতি","-র-সঙ্গে","-সেই","-সেই-"]·DE["dem"]·EN["in-the-","the-","to-the","to-the-","with-the-"]·FR["au-"]·heb["בְּ-","לְ","לְ-","לַ","לַ-","עִם","עַל"]·HI["उस","उस-को"]·ID["-","-Sanhedrin","-orang","Kepada-yang-meminta","dalam-nama","dengan-lawan","dengan-saudara","kepada-","kepada-Bapa","kepada-Tuhan","kepada-hakim","kepada-penjaga","kepada-saudara","kepada-yang","kepada-yang-ingin"]·IT["al","al-"]·jav["dhateng","dhateng-","dhateng-tiyang","kaliyan","kanthi","sinten","sinten-ingkang","tiyang","wonten-ing"]·KO["-에게","-에서","-의","그-"]·PT["ao","com-o","do","no"]·RU["-","к-","на-","с-"]·ES["-al","-con-el","-del","al","‒al","‒en‒el"]·SW["-","kwa","kwa-"]·TR["-a","-de","-e","-le","-o"]·urd["-","-سے","-کا","-کو","-کے-لیے"]
5. genitive article (possessive/partitive) — Genitive article marking possession, source, or partitive relationships. The form τοῦ/τῆς/τῶν signals 'of the,' rendered in French as 'du/de la,' Spanish 'del/de la,' and German 'des/der.' Especially prominent in Pauline theology where chains of genitives define doctrinal relationships (Rom 1:3-5). 340×
AR["-","الـ-","عَنِ","لِ-"]·ben["-যিনি","-সেই","সেই"]·DE["des","des-"]·EN["of-the-","the-"]·FR["du-"]·heb["הַ","הַ-","שֶׁל","שֶׁל-הַ-"]·HI["-का","-की","-के","और","का","की","के","थे"]·ID["-","-itu","tentang-","untuk","yang"]·IT["del-"]·jav["-kagunganipun","Gusti Allah","angger-angger","asma","bab","inggih-punika","ingkang","kanggé","kasugihan","saking","sang","sapunika"]·KO["그","그-","증인들-이"]·PT["-","da","do","o"]·RU["-","наших"]·ES["de-la","del","el","la"]·SW["-","-ya","huo","kuhusu-","wa-","wa-huyo","ya-","ya-huyo"]·TR["-","-olan","vaadini"]·urd["-","اُس","تاکہ","جو","جو-تھا","جو-ہے","کو","کی","کے","ہمارے"]
6. comparative article — Article in comparative constructions following comparative adjectives, functioning as 'than the.' Only 14 occurrences mark this specialized use, as in Matt 12:45 ('worse than the first') and Matt 13:32 ('greater than the herbs'). Most languages render the comparison with a dedicated particle rather than an article. 14×
AR["مِنَ","مِنَ-الـ"]·ben["-","-সেই"]·DE["der","des","des-"]·EN["from-the","of-the","of-the-","than-the","than-the-","than-the-one","the"]·FR["de-la-","des-","du-"]·heb["מִ-","מִ-הַ-","מִן-","מִן-הַ-","מִן־"]·HI["-","-अपने","-उस","-मेइन-से","-से"]·ID["-","dari","dari-","kepada-"]·IT["dei","del","della","delle-cose"]·jav["-","saking","saking-","saking-kang-","saking-para","saking-para-","sang","tinimbang-"]·KO["그-"]·PT["-da","aos","do-que-o-","do-que-os-","que-as-"]·RU["-","-из","-от"]·ES["-del","a-los","de-la","de-las","de-los","que-el","que-las","que-lo","que-los"]·SW["-wa-wadogo","-yule","hao","kuliko","kuliko-","kutoka-kwa","wa-","wa-kwanza"]·TR["-","-dan","-den"]·urd["-","-سے","-میں-سے","اِن","سے"]
Matt 12:45, Matt 13:32, Matt 18:14, Matt 21:36, Luke 9:40, Luke 11:26, Luke 11:45, Luke 12:23, Luke 12:23, Luke 12:24, Luke 13:12, John 13:16 (+2 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὁ, ἡ, τό, is, when thus written, __A demonstrative Pronoun. __B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article. __C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing…