ἤπερ (ēper)
ēper
than
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek word ēper functions primarily as a comparative particle, translating most commonly to "than." It appears in only one verse in the New Testament, John 3:19, where it connects a comparative adjective to the standard of comparison.
In this specific context, Jesus states that people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. The word follows the comparative form and establishes the relationship between the two options being weighed. It is a grammatical marker used to distinguish one thing from another in a direct comparison.
Its usage here is straightforward and structural. It does not carry additional theological weight beyond its syntactic role. Translators render it simply as "than" to maintain the clear contrast between loving darkness and loving light.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ēper appears just once in the New Testament, serving a simple but vital grammatical role: it means "than." In John 3:19, Jesus uses this small connector to draw a sharp line between two choices. He explains that people often prefer darkness over light because their actions are evil. This single word highlights the reality of human preference when faced with moral truth.
Understanding how we compare things can reveal much about our hearts. We naturally weigh options, deciding what matters more to us. Sometimes this leads us away from God’s ways, as seen in that verse where darkness is chosen over light. Yet, recognizing these comparisons invites us to examine our own priorities with honesty and grace.
When we notice moments where we choose lesser goods over greater ones, we can pause and seek guidance. This word reminds us that our choices define our direction. May you find peace in aligning your heart with what is truly good and true.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- than1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἤπερ1×
Key Verses
-
John 12:43
for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.
This verse uses the comparative structure to show how fear of people outweighed devotion to God, illustrating the practical consequence of choosing human approval over divine truth.