Lexical Definition

‎ἤ‎ ḗ (ay) or ^G:CONJ
a primary particle of distinction between two connected terms

and, but (either), (n-)either, except it be, (n-)or (else), rather, save, than, that, what, yea.

• disjunctive, or
• comparative, than

Abbott-Smith

ἤ, disjunctive and comparative particle (Bl., §36, 12; 77, 11);

1. disjunctive, or;
(a) between single words: Mt 5:17, Mk 6:56, Lk 2:24, Jo 6:19, Ro 1:21, al.;
(b) before a sentence expressing a variation, denial or refutation of a previous statement, freq. in interrog. form: Mt 7:4, 9, Mk 12:14, Lk 13:4, Ro 3:29 6:3 9:21, I Co 6:9, 16 9:6, II Co 11:7; ἢ . . . ἤ, either . . . or, Mt 6:24, Lk 16:13, I Co 14:6;
(c) in a disjunctive question (as Lat. an after utrum): Mt 9:5, Mk 2:9, Lk 7:19, al.; after πότερον, Jo 7:17; μή, I Co 9:8; μήτι, II Co 1:17; ἢ . . . ἢ . . . ἤ, Mk 13:35.
2. Comparative, than: after comparatives, Mt 10:15, Lk 9:13, Jo 3:19, Ro 13:11, al.; after ἕτερον, Ac 17:21; θέλω (Khüner3, ɪᴠ, 303), I Co 14:19; πρὶν ἤ, before, seq. acc. et inf., Mt 1:18, Mk 14:30; after a positive adj. (Ge 49:12; cf. Robertson, Gr., 661), Mt 18:8, 9, Mk 9:43, 45, 47.
3. With other particles: ἀλλ’ ἤ, v.s. ἀλλά; ἢ γάρ, v.s. γάρ; ἢ καί, or even, or also, Mt 7:10, Lk 11:11, 12, Ro 2:15 4:9, al.; ἤτοι . . . ἤ, Ro 6:16 (cf. Wi 11:19).

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἤ,

Epic dialect also ἠέ (in signification [ἤ (or ἠέ) followed by ἦ (or ἦε), see below)">Refs 4th c.BC+], conjunction with two chief senses, Disj. (or) and comparative (than).

__A DISJUNCTIVE, or, ἐγὼ.. ἢ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θεόσυτος ἢ βρότειος ἢ κεκραμένη [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__A.2 ἢ.. ἤ either.. or, ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντ᾽ ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα [Refs 8th c.BC+], etc.; so ἢ.. ἤτοι.. [ἤτοι.. ἤ.. 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Agamemnon” 662, 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Antigone” 1182, 5th c.BC: Thucydides Historicus 2.40, etc. (in Classical Gr. the alternative introduced by ἤτοι">Refs 5th c.BC+] is emphasized, later no distinction is implied, [ἤτοι.. ἢ.. ἤ.. “PTeb.” 5.59 (2nd c.BC))">NT+2nd c.BC+]; ἤ repeated any number of times, ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας ἢ Ὀδυσῆος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἤ is probably wrongly accented in codices of [Refs 8th c.BC+] adverb [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__A.3 or else, otherwise, εἰδέναι δεῖ περὶ οὗ ἂν ᾖ ἡ βουλή, ἢ παντὸς ἁμαρτάνειν ἀνάγκη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ζῶντα κακῶς λέγειν ἐκώλυσε.., ἢ τρεῖς δραχμὰς ἀποτίνειν ἔταξε Legal [Refs 6th c.BC+]
__A.II in Questions or Deliberations in Disj. form(the accentuation is ἢ (ἠέ) followed by ἦ (ἦε), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__A.II.1 Direct questions,
__A.II.1.a introduced by ἢ (ἠέ), ἢ δολιχὴ νοῦσος ἦ Ἄρτεμις ἰοχέαιρα.. κατέπεφνε; [ἤ τι κατὰ πρῆξιν ἦ μαψιδίως ἀλάλησθε..; 3.72, compare 1.408, 16.462, 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 6.378, 15.735, 16.12, etc. ">Refs 8th c.BC+]
__A.II.1.b without an introductory Particle, θεός νύ τις ἦ βροτός ἐσσ; art thou a goddess or a mortal? [ἤ">Refs 8th c.BC+] frequently in codices of [ἤκουσας ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσας ἢ κωφῇ λέγ; 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Septem contra Thebas” 202 ">Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἄρτι δὲ ἥκεις ἢ πάλα; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; preceded by πότερον, πότερον δοκεῖ σοι κάκιον εἶναι, τὸ ἀδικεῖν ἢ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθα; [Refs]
__A.II.2 Indirect questions, frequently epexegetic of a preceding question and identical in form with direct questions.
__A.II.2.a εἴπ᾽ ἄγε,.. ἤ ῥ᾽ ἐθέλει.., ἦ ἀπέειπε.. [ἤ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Choephori” 890, “Ag.” 478, 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Coloneus” 80, etc.">Refs 8th c.BC+]; πότερον or πότερα.. ἤ.. [ἤ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Electra” 897; ἢ.. εἴτε 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 177. ">Refs 5th c.BC+]
__A.II.2.b without introductory Particle, οὐδέ τι οἶδα ζώει ὅ γ᾽ ἦ τέθνηκε [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B COMPARATIVE, than, as, after a comparative, [ἤ.., 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 595, “Tr.” 835 (Lyric poetry); ἐναντίος ἤ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Gorgias” 481c; ἴδιόν τι πάσχειν πάθος ἢ οἱ ἄλλοι [prev. passage]: after \_adverbs\_ or adverbial phrases, πλήν, πρίν, πρόσθεν, χωρίς (which see), ἀλλά (see. ἀλλ᾽ ἤ); τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἤ.. [prev. author] “Cri.” 44a (\_falsa lectio\_ in “Smp.” 173a); ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ ϝέτει ἀπὸ τῶ ποτεχεῖ ϝέτεος ἢ Ἀριστίων ἐφορεύει “Tab.Heracl.” 1.121; παρὰ δόξαν ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς κατεδόκεε 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.79, compare 8.4; διαφερόντως ἤ.. 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Phaedo” 85b ">Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐδ᾽ ὅσον ἤ.. not so much as.. , not more than.. , [ἤ.. ">Refs 3rd c.BC+] to wish rather than.. , see at {βούλομαι} IV, αἱρέω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so φθάνειν ἤ.. to come sooner than.. , [ἤ.. 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Institutio Cyri (Cyropaedia)” 1.4.3; δέχεσθαι ἤ.. 5th c.BC: Lysias Orator 10.21: less frequently after a word not implying comparison, δίκαιον ἡμέας ἔχειν.. (i.e. μᾶλλον) ἤ περ Ἀθηναίους 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 9.26; ἐμοὶ πικρὸς.. ἢ κείνοις γλυκύς 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Ajax” 966 (assuming variant); δεδικαιωμένος ἢ ἐκεῖνος NT.Luke.18.14. ">NT+8th c.BC+]
__B.2 joining two Comparatives which refer to the same subject, πάντες κ᾽ ἀρησαίατ᾽ ἐλαφρότεροι πόδας εἶναι ἢ ἀφνειότεροι [Refs 8th c.BC+]
__B.3 rarely after a superlative, πλεῖστα θωμάσια ἔχει Αἴγυπτος ἢ ἄλλη πᾶσα χώρη [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.4 ἢ οὐ is used when a negative precedes, οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον ἐπ᾽ ἡμέας ἢ οὐ καὶ ἐπ᾽ ὑμέας [Refs 5th c.BC+]: after an implied negative, ὠμὸν.. πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους [Refs]
__B.5 frequently omitted with numerals after πλείων, ἐλάττων, μείων, ἔτη.. πλείω ἑβδομήκοντα variant in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: sometimes with an infinitive or conditional clause, τί γὰρ ἀνδρὶ κακὸν μεῖζον ἁμαρτεῖν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τίς εὐπραξία σπανιωτέρα.., εἰ [δύναμις] πάρεστιν (for ἢ δύναμιν παρεῖναι); [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.6 pleonastic with a genitive, τίς ἂν αἰσχίων εἴη ταύτης δόξα, ἢ δοκεῖν.. [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__B.7 the Disj. and comparative uses are found together in [Refs 8th c.BC+] better, either to die once for all or win life, than long to toil in battle. [ἢ οὐ, ἢ οὐκ combine by Synizesis into one syllable in Trag. and Comedy texts, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so usually in Epic dialect, [Refs 8th c.BC+]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Rom.6.16 ☩ Luke.18.14}