conjunction
ean
Strong’sG1437
if
stem ean-331 times in the New Testamentin 20 of 27 booksnever changes form
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ἐάν is a conditional particle meaning "if" 1234, introducing a condition presented as something that may or may not happen, rather than stated as definitely so 1. It is regularly used with the subjunctive mood 13, and in later Greek can also occur with the indicative 1. It can combine with other particles, such as "if also" or "if not" 1, and is used to introduce parallel conditions in the pattern "whether... or" 1.
ἐάν also functions like the particle an, attached after relative pronouns and adverbs (such as "who," "where," "as often as," or "whoever") to give them an indefinite sense, e.g. "whosoever," "wheresoever" 13. Strong's likewise lists translation values such as "whom(-soever)," "whither(-soever)," and "whoso(-ever)," reflecting this same use 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἐάν, contr. fr. εἰ ἄν,
conditional particle,G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1437 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saideh-an'
a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.; often used in connection with other particles to denote indefiniteness or uncertainty
King Jamesbefore, but, except, (and) if, (if) so, (what-, whither-)soever, though, when (-soever), whether (or), to whom, (who-)so(-ever).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(so early Attic Inscrr., as Refs 4th c.BC+, also contraction ἤν and ἄν, see at {ἤν},{ἄν} (B) [ᾱ], which by crasis with καί become κἄν:—if haply, if, regularly followed by subjunctive: for its use and for examples, see at {εἰ} Refs 5th c.BC+
II in Hellenistic and late Greek, ={ἄν} after relative Pronouns and Conjunctions, as ὃς ἐάν whosoever, LXX+5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
11 rarer renderings are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
331 occurrences, 100 of them printed here — the rest are in the reader
ean93×
Matthew 4:9… legata auto; Houteim si panteim dōami, ean piptarantos proskunaseia mi.… I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship …
Matthew 5:13Vis avō tem halatem tau gēau; ean de tem halatem mōraniteia, en tine …… the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how …
Matthew 5:20legamō gar vi hoti ean mē perisseuateia vu tas dikaiosunas polloterem …For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the …
Matthew 5:23ean oun prosferaseiō tem dōrem su epi …So if you are offering your gift at …
Matthew 5:46ean gar agapaveia toin agaparōntoin vin, tinon …If you love those who love you …
Matthew 5:47kai ean aspazeveia toin adelfoin vu monem, tinem …And if you greet only your brothers, what …
Matthew 6:14ean gar afiēkaveia toi anthrōpoi teim paraptōmeim …For if you forgive men their trespasses, your …
Matthew 6:15ean de mē afiēkaveia toi anthrōpoi, oude …But if you do not forgive men their …
Matthew 6:22… luchnos teu sōmeu atō tos ofthalmos. ean oun ateiō tos ofthalmos su haplouos, …… is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole …
Matthew 6:23ean de tos ofthalmos su ponēros ateiō, …But if your eyes are bad, your whole …
Matthew 8:2… lepros prosercharantos proskunate auto legarōntos; Kurior, ean thelaseiō dunosō min katharizara.… and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make …
Matthew 10:13kai ean men ateiō tas oikias axias, erchatar …If the home is worthy, let your …
Matthew 10:13… erchatar tas eirēnas vu epi autan; ean de mē ateiō axias, tas eirēnas …… your peace rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace …
Matthew 12:11… anthrōpos hos echati probatem henem, kai ean empiptateia houtem tei sabbatei eis bothunon, …He replied, “If one of you has a sheep …
Matthew 12:29… ischurou kai teim skeveim autou harpazara, ean mē prōtem dateia ton ischuron? kai …… man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong …
Matthew 15:14… alō hodēgois tufloiu; tuflos de tuflon ean hodēgateiō, amfoterois eis bothunon pipteli.Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind …
Matthew 16:26tinem gar ōfeliti anthrōpos ean ton kosmon holon kerdainateia tan de …What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet …
Matthew 17:20… oligopistian vu; amēn gar legamō vi, ean echaveiō pistian hōs kokkon sinapieu, legavi …… answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of …
Matthew 18:3kai legata; Amēn legamō vi, ean mē strefiveia kai geneveia hōs teim …“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little …
Matthew 18:12tinem vi dokatō? ean geneteia tino anthrōpo hekaton probateim kai …What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep …
Matthew 18:13kai ean geneteia heuriskara autem, amēn legamō vi …And if he finds it, truly I tell …
Matthew 18:15… auton metaxu su kai autou monou. ean su akouateia, kerdainasa ton adelfon su;… you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have …
Matthew 18:16ean de mē akouateia, paralabasar meta su …But if he will not listen, take one …
Matthew 18:17ean de parakouateia autoiu, legasar ta ekklēsa; …If he refuses to listen to them …
Matthew 18:17… de parakouateia autoiu, legasar ta ekklēsa; ean de kai tau ekklēsau parakouateia, atōr …… tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to …
Matthew 18:19Palin amēn legamō vi hoti ean duo sumfōnaleia ek vu epi tau …Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth …
Matthew 18:35“if”… patros mu tos ouranios poiati vi ean mē afiēkaveia hekastos to adelfo autou …… is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your …
Matthew 21:3kai ean tinos vi legateia tinem, legavi hoti …If anyone questions you, tell him that …
Matthew 21:21… Iēsus legata autoi; Amēn legamō vi, ean echaveiō pistian kai mē diakriniveia, ouk …“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not …
Matthew 21:24… Erōtami vin kamis logon henon, hon ean legaveia mi kamis vi legami en …… you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell …
Matthew 21:26ean de leganeia; Ek anthrōpoiu, fobonō ton …But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are …
Matthew 24:23tote ean tinos vi legateia; Idou hōde tos …At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here …
Matthew 24:26ean oun legaleia vi; Idou en ta …So if they tell you, ‘There He is …
Matthew 24:48“if”ean de legateia tos kakosos doulos ekeinos …But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his …
Matthew 26:42“except”… mu, ei ouk dunotō houtem parerchara ean mē autem pinameia, genitar tem thelēmem …… and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”
Matthew 28:14kai ean akouiteia houtem epi tou hēgemonou, nis …If this report reaches the governor, we …
Mark 3:24kai ean basileias epi heautan meriziteia, ouk dunotō …If a kingdom is divided against itself …
Mark 3:25kai ean oikias epi heautan meriziteia, ouk duneti …If a house is divided against itself …
Mark 3:27… ischurou eisercharantos teim skeveim autou diarpazara ean mē prōtem ton ischuron dateia, kai …… man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong …
Mark 4:22“except”ouk gar atō kruptem ean mē hina faneriteia, oude geneta apokrufem …For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed …
Mark 7:3“*unless”… gar Farisaiois kai pantois tois Ioudaiois ean mē pugma nipteleia tain cheirain ouk …… elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.
Mark 7:4kai apo agorau ean mē baptizeleia ouk esthialō, kai alloseim …… the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many …
Mark 8:3kai ean apoluameia autoin nēstioin eis oikon autoiu, …If I send them home hungry, they …
Matthew 5:19hos ean oun luateia henan taiu entolaiu houtaiu …So then, whoever breaks one of the least of …
Matthew 5:32“*”… porneiau poiatō autan moicheuira, kai hos ean apoluorēntan gamateia moichotō.… except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 7:12“*”Panteim oun hoseim ean thelaveiō hina poialeiō vi tois anthrōpois, …In everything, then, do to others as you would have …
Matthew 8:19“*”… legata auto; Didaskalor, akolouthami si hopou ean aperchoseiō.… came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Matthew 11:6“*”kai makarios atō hos ean mē skandaliziteia en mi.Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
Matthew 11:27“if”… ei mē tos huios kai ho ean bouloteiō tos huios apokaluptara.… knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Matthew 12:32“who”kai hos ean legateia logon kata tou huiou tou …Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man …
Matthew 14:7“*”… meta horkou homologata auta dōara hem ean aiteteia.… that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.
Matthew 15:5“*”… patro ē ta mētēra; Dōrem hem ean ek mu ōfeliseia,… to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to …
Matthew 16:19“*”… tau basileiau toiu ouranoiu, kai hem ean daseia epi tau gēau eti dorēntem …… the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven …
Matthew 16:19“*”… dorēntem en toi ouranoi, kai hem ean luaseia epi tau gēau eti luorēntem …… will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:25“*”hos gar ean thelateiō tan psuchan autou sōzara apolati …For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but …
Matthew 18:5“*”kai hos ean decheteia henem paidiem toioutem epi te …And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name …
Matthew 18:18“*”amēn legamō vi, hoseim ean daveia epi tau gēau eti dorēnteim …Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven …
Matthew 18:18“*”… eti dorēnteim en ourano kai hoseim ean luaveia epi tau gēau eti luorēnteim …… earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:19“*”… tau gēau peri panteu pragmeu heu ean aiteleia, geneti autoi para tou patrou …… you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.
Matthew 20:4“*”… vis eis ton ampelōnon, kai hem ean ateiō dikaiem dōami vi;‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
Matthew 22:9“*”… tain diexodain taiu hodaiu, kai hosoin ean heuriskaveia kalavar eis toin gamoin.… therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’
Matthew 23:3“*”panteim oun hoseim ean legaleia vi poiavar kai tēravōr, kata …So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do …
Matthew 24:28“*”hopou ean ateiō tem ptōmem, ekei sunagili tois …Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Matthew 26:13“*”amēn legamō vi, hopou ean kērussiteia tem euangeliem houtem en holo …Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the …
Mark 3:28“*”… teim hamartēmeim kai tais blasfēmiais hoseim ean blasfēmaleia;… forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
Mark 6:10“*”kai legate autoi; Hopou ean eiserchaveia eis oikian, ekei menavōr heōs …And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave …
Mark 6:22“*”… basilevos te korasie; Aitasar min hem ean thelaseiō, kai dōami si;… and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
Mark 6:23“*”kai omnuata auta; Hem tinem ean min aitaseia dōami si heōs hēmisueu …And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
Mark 7:11“*”… mētēra; Korban, hem atō Dōrem, hem ean ek mu ōfeliseia,… father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to …
Mark 8:35“*”hos gar ean thelateiō tan psuchan autou sōzara apolati …For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but …
Mark 8:38“*”hos gar ean epaischuniteia min kai toin ēmoin logoin …… anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this …
Mark 9:18“*”kai hopou ean auton katalabateia rēgatō auton, kai afrizatō …Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the …
Mark 10:35“*”… legarōntois auto; Didaskalor, thelanō hina hem ean aitaneia sin poiaseia ni.… and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
Mark 13:11“*”… mē promerimnavōr tinem lalaveia, alla hem ean dōiteia vi en ekeina ta hōra …… over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy …
Mark 14:9“*”amēn de legamō vi, hopou ean kērussiteia tem euangeliem eis holon ton …And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what …
Mark 14:14“*”kai hopou ean eiserchateia legavar to oikodespoto hoti Tos …and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks …
Luke 7:23“*”kai makarios atō hos ean mē skandaliziteia en mi.Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
Luke 9:57“*”… tinos pros auton; Akolouthami si hopou ean aperchoseiō.… the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
Luke 10:22“*”… ei mē tos huios kai ho ean bouloteiō tos huios apokaluptara.… who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
Luke 17:33“*”hos ean zētateia tan psuchan autou peripoiera apolati …Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but …
John 15:7“*”… rēmeim mu en vi menateia, hem ean thelaveiō aitevar kai geneti vi;… Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Acts 2:21“* so ever”kai eti pantos hos ean epikaleteia tem onomem kuriou sōziti.And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 7:7“*”kai tem ethnem he ean douleuali krinami mis, tos theos legata, …‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they …
Acts 8:19“*”… kami tan exousian houtan hina ho ean epitithameia tain cheirain labateiō pneumem hagiem.“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 6:18“*”fugavōr tan porneian; pantem hamartēmem hem ean poiateia anthrōpos ektos teu sōmeu atō, …Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he …
1 Corinthians 11:25“whenever”… te ēme haime; houtem poiavōr, hosakis ean pinaveiō, eis tan ēman anamnēsian.… covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:26“whenever”hosakis gar ean esthiaveiō ton arton houton kai tem …For as often as you eat this bread and drink this …
1 Corinthians 16:2“*”… para heauto tithatōr thēsaurizarōntos hem tinem ean euodoteiō, hina mē hotan erchameia tote …… portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will …
1 Corinthians 16:3“*”hotan de paragenemeia, hoin ean dokimazaveia dia epistolaiu, houtoin pempami apoferara …… I will send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift …
1 Corinthians 16:6“*”… paracheimazami, hina vis min propempaveia hou ean poreuomeiō.… or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.
2 Corinthians 3:16“when”hēnika de ean epistrefateia pros kurion, periairotō tem kalummem.But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken …
2 Corinthians 8:12ei gar tas prothumias prokeiotō, katho ean echateiō euprosdektas, ouk katho ouk echatō.… the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what …
Galatians 5:10“*”… tarassarōntos vin bastazati tem krimem, hotinos ean ateiō.… one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may …
Ean7×
Matthew 9:21legate gar en heauta; Ean monem haptemeia teu himatieu autou sōzimi.She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I …
Matthew 18:15Ean de hamartateia eis sin tos adelfos …If your brother sins against you, go …
Matthew 21:25… tois de dialogizole en heautoi legarōntois; Ean leganeia; Ek ouranou, legati ni; Dia …… They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will …
Matthew 22:24legarōntois; Didaskalor, Mōusos legata; Ean tinos apothnēskateia mē echarōntos tekneim, epigambreuati …“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children …
Mark 1:40… auton kai gonupetarōntos legarōntos auto hoti Ean thelaseiō dunosō min katharizara.… to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make …
Mark 5:28legate gar hoti Ean haptemeia kan teiu himatieiu autou sōzimi.For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I …
Mark 7:11vis de legavō; Ean legateia anthrōpos to patro ē ta …But you say that if a man says to his father …