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Greek · G5316 · unreviewed

φαίνω

To shine/appear

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φαίνω G5316
Pronunciation phaínō

What does φαίνω (phaínō) mean in the Bible?

φαίνω (phaínō) is a Greek word meaning "to shine/appear". φαίνω [in LXX for אוֹר hi.

Full entry for φαίνω (G5316) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to shine/appear
Extended definition

To manifest or reveal something, making it visible or known; often used of divine revelation appearing to people.

IAct.,
1to bring to light, cause to appear (so most frequently in cl.).
2Absol., to give light, shine (Hom., Plat., al.): Jhn.1:5 5:35, 2Pe.1:19, 1Jn.2:8, Rev.1:16 8:12 18:23 21:23.
IIPass., to come to light, appear, be manifest: Mat.2:7 13:26 24:27, 30, Luk.9:8, Php.2:15, Heb.11:3, 1Pe.4:18" (LXX) ; opposite to ἀφανίζεσθαι, Jhn.4:14; with dative of person(s) (Bl. § 54, 4), Mat.1:20 2:13, 19 Mrk.16:9; with nom. pred., Mat.23:27-28, Rom.7:13, 2Co.13:7; id. with dative of person(s), Mat.6:5, 16 6:18 (before nom. ptcp., but not as in cl.; see Bl., § 73, 4); impers., Mat.9:33; of the mind and judgment (= δοκεῖ, which see), Mrk.14:64 (cf. I Est.2:21), Luk.24:11.
Synonymssee: δοκέω
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Aorist Present Future
Voices
Passive Middle Active
Indicative states a fact or reality 18×
Aorist Passive Matt 1:20 · Matt 9:33 · Matt 13:26 · Mark 16:9 · Luke 9:8 · Luke 24:11 6×
Present Middle Matt 2:13 · Matt 2:19 · Matt 24:27 · Phil 2:15 4×
Present Active John 1:5 · 1 John 2:8 · Rev 1:16 3×
Present Passive Matt 23:27 · Matt 23:28 · Mark 14:64 3×
Future Passive Matt 24:30 1×
Future Middle 1 Pet 4:18 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 8×
Aorist Passive Matt 6:5 · Matt 6:16 · Matt 6:18 · Rom 7:13 · 2 Cor 13:7 5×
Aorist Active Rev 8:12 · Rev 18:23 2×
Present Active Rev 21:23 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 5×
Present Middle Matt 2:7 · Heb 11:3 · Jas 4:14 3×
Present Active John 5:35 · 2 Pet 1:19 2×
31 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 27 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 6 ongoing 8 prospective 2 subjunctive 6 participle 5
Tense
present 14 aorist 11 future 2
Voice
passive 11 active 8 middle 8
Mood
indicative 16 subjunctive 6 participle 5
NT Occurrences
Matthew 1:20 ἐφάνη aorist passive indicative completed Matthew 2:13 φαίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Matthew 2:19 φαίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Matthew 2:7 φαινομένου present middle participle participle Matthew 6:16 φανῶσιν aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 6:18 φανῇς aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 6:5 φανῶσιν aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Matthew 9:33 ἐφάνη aorist passive indicative completed Matthew 13:26 ἐφάνη aorist passive indicative completed Matthew 24:27 φαίνεται present middle indicative ongoing Matthew 24:30 φανήσεται future passive indicative prospective Mark 14:64 φαίνεται present passive indicative ongoing Mark 16:9 ἐφάνη aorist passive indicative completed Luke 9:8 ἐφάνη aorist passive indicative completed Luke 24:11 ἐφάνησαν aorist passive indicative completed John 1:5 φαίνει present active indicative ongoing John 5:35 φαίνων present active participle participle Philippians 2:15 φαίνεσθε present middle indicative ongoing Hebrews 11:3 φαινομένων present middle participle participle James 4:14 φαινομένη present middle participle participle 1 Peter 4:18 φανεῖται future middle indicative prospective 2 Peter 1:19 φαίνοντι present active participle participle 1 John 2:8 φαίνει present active indicative ongoing Revelation 1:16 φαίνει present active indicative ongoing Revelation 8:12 φάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Revelation 18:23 φάνῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Revelation 21:23 φαίνωσιν present active subjunctive subjunctive

Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.

Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Biblical Witnesses
John 1:5 shines phaínō Indicative · Present Active
Active sense: light shining or giving light in darkness
Matthew 2:7 appeared phaínō Participle · Present Middle
Passive sense: coming to light or becoming manifest to perception
Matthew 6:5 appear phaínō Subjunctive · Aorist Passive
Passive with dative: to be seen or visible to persons for specific purpose
Matthew 23:27-28 appear phaínō Indicative · Present Passive
Passive with predicate nominative: to seem or look like something outwardly
Mark 14:64 seemed phaínō Indicative · Present Passive
Impersonal usage meaning it seemed or appeared to the mind as judgment
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Ἡλίας · φαίνω G2243, G5316
Elijah has appeared
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Philippians 2 — The Mind of Christ and the Humility of Gospel Witness

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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