An interjection (historically a past-tense form of 'to owe') used to express a fervent wish, often tinged with irony or frustration. Paul deploys it with biting rhetoric: 'I wish you did reign!' (1 Cor 4:8), 'I wish you would bear with me' (2 Cor 11:1), and most strikingly, 'I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!' (Gal 5:12). In Rev 3:15 Christ says 'I wish you were cold or hot.' Spanish 'ojalá' (from Arabic 'if God wills') captures the optative force beautifully, while French 'si seulement' and German 'doch' convey the wistful longing. Each occurrence carries emotional weight far beyond a simple wish.