ἤτοι (ētoi)
ētoi
whether
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The word ētoi is an archaic conjunction meaning "whether" or "either," appearing only once in the New Testament at Romans 12:3. Its rarity reflects a stylistic choice by Paul to use older, poetic language rather than the more common eite found elsewhere in Greek literature.
Etymologically, it combines the emphatic particle ē with the affirmative toi. This construction gives the word a sense of certainty or emphasis, suggesting "truly either" or "indeed whether." In Romans 12:3, Paul uses it to introduce a sobering reality about spiritual gifts, grounding his instruction in a firm, unyielding truth.
Translators typically render it simply as "whether" to maintain flow, though the underlying emphasis remains. Its single occurrence highlights how biblical authors sometimes drew from classical or poetic vocabulary to add weight to their arguments, even if such terms fell out of common usage by the first century.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ἤτοι appears only once in the New Testament, found in Romans 12:3. Paul uses this rare term to introduce a sobering reality about spiritual gifts. It carries a sense of certainty, grounding his instruction in firm truth rather than vague possibility.
For your faith, this emphasizes that our view of ourselves must be grounded in reality. God has dealt each person a measure of faith. This is not a suggestion but a settled fact. We are invited to see ourselves as we truly are before Him.
This clarity frees us from pride or false humility. When we understand our place in the body of Christ, we can serve with confidence. The word reminds us that truth anchors our spiritual life, allowing us to walk in peace and purpose.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- whether1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἤτοι1×