Particle – ἐάν

ObjectivesLearning objectives

The different kinds of conditional statements found in Greek
The semantics of the particle ἐάν

VocabularyVocabulary

Greek	Gloss	Part of speech	Paradigm
ὀκτώ	eight	number
μνημονεύω τινός	(I) remember something/one (gen)	verb	C.a.α
ἡ Καισάρεια, -ας	Caesarea	noun	B.a.α.ii
κερδαίνω τινά	(I) gain something/one (acc)	verb	C.a.α
ἀσθενεῖ	(he) is sick	verb	C.a.β
ἐλεεῖ σε	(he) has mercy on you (acc)	verb	C.a.β

GrammarGrammar Topic: Particle - ἐάν

In this lesson, we learn the conditional word ἐάν ‘if.’ Conditional words introduce conditional statements, which are hypothetical statements giving the conditions under which something is true. The statement If Mary comes to Jerusalem, then she will see her uncle provides a condition, namely Mary coming to Jerusalem, under which it is true that she will see her uncle. As we will see below, the type and meaning of conditional statements vary depending on what kind of clause is in the if -statement and then -statement. There are several different kinds of conditional statements in Greek, and there is a fair amount of confusion around their meaning. To begin with, we will look at the different syntactic options for conditional statements in NT Greek, and then we will look at the meaning of conditionals with ἐάν specifically.

Conditionals in Greek vary along two basic parameters: the conditional particle used, either εἰ or ἐάν, and the verb form used, the tense and mood being particularly important for the interpretation. Based on these parameters, conditional sentences have been divided into four classes in Greek. The first class is real conditions with εἰ where the if -statement (which is called the protasis or antecedent) has any verb form in indicative mood, potentially negated with οὐ, and the then -statement (which is called the apodosis or consequent) may have any verb form in any mood. The second class is counterfactual conditionals with εἰ where the protasis has a verb in indicative mood in past tense, potentially negated with μή, and the apodosis also has a past tense verb in indicative mood. Third class conditionals (covered in this lesson) have ἐάν in the protasis with a verb in subjunctive mood potentially negated with μή, and any mood and any tense in the apodosis. Finally, fourth class conditionals have εἰ in the protasis and a verb in optative mood (introduced in 47.3.3) in both the protasis and apodosis.

SemanticsSemantics: Particle - ἐάν

In the conditional system outlined above, there are two unique features of third-class conditionals: the use of ἐάν and a subjunctive verb in the protasis. The conditional particle ἐάν is itself a combination of the words εἰ and ἄν, the latter of which is normally found with the subjunctive. There are several options for the apodosis, including another subjunctive:

ἐὰν ὑμῖν εἴπω, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε (Luke 22:67)
If I tell you, you will certainly not believe

Contrary to some descriptions of the third-class conditional in Greek, it does not mean that the fulfillment of the condition is more contingent, as we might expect given what we have said about the meaning of the subjunctive (28.1.4). What, then, does the third-class conditional mean? In linguistics, it has been noticed that the apodosis of conditionals also has a modal element of some kind. In other words, it is contingent in some way. This could be from a subjunctive, but it may also be generic or habitual statements:

Example 3063<sup>rd</sup> class conditional (generic/habitual apodosis)

ἐὰν δέ τις περιπατῇ ἐν τῇ νυκτί, προσκόπτει (John 11:10)

If someone walks in the night, he stumbles

The verb προσκόπτει refers to a habitual event.

How does the conditional in the protasis relate to the modal element in the apodosis? The basic idea is that the conditional statement restricts the relevant situations in which the apodosis holds. In Luke 22:67, Jesus is not saying that the people will never believe in the future; rather, he is restricting their unbelief to when he tells them. If they hear something from someone else, they might in fact believe them, but if he tells them something, in this case that he is the Messiah, they will not believe him. In the habitual example in John 11:10, the conditional statement with ἐάν restricts when the habit of stumbling happens – someone stumbles when they walk in the dark, but this is not necessarily true in other times and circumstances. This is the basic meaning of conditional statements with ἐάν. In later lessons, we will look at how other conditional statements work in Greek as well.

There is one more use of ἐάν that deserves to be mentioned. When used with μή, it often means ‘unless,’ and the verbal form is normally in the Aorist:

Example 307‘Unless’ (with μή)

ἐὰν μὴ Unless you turn and become like children, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven

The clause with ἐὰν μή refers to a necessary condition for the apodosis to be true. If the condition of becoming like children is not met, it is true that there will be no way of entering the kingdom of heaven.

End of Chapter 32Take the Chapter 32 exam10 questions covering all 4 lessons in this chapter

Become a fluent reader of the biblical languages

Biblingo is the only language-learning app (mobile and web) that provides everything you need to go from zero knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, and Latin to reading the Bible in its original and historic languages — all in one place.

Start Free Trial