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Greek

If

ἄνStrong’s G0302

an

Appears in 162 verses of the New Testament

In short

An is the Greek word usually translated “maybe”, “then would” and “when”. It appears in 162 verses of the New Testament.

“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
Matthew 2:13 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “maybe”, “then would” and “when”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • maybe 99
  • then would 35
  • when 28
  • would 6
  • then 4
  • if 3
  • only 1
  • may 1

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Matthew 37
  • Luke 28
  • John 26
  • Mark 20
  • Acts 17
  • 1 Corinthians 9

14 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 162 verses, by book
2 Corinthians 2
10:911:21
Galatians 3
1:103:214:15
Philippians 1
2:23
James 2
3:45:7
1 John 3
2:52:193:17
Revelation 2
2:2514:4
Greek dictionary

ἄν an · if

ἄν, conditional particle, which cannot usually be separately translated in English, its force depending on the constructions which contain it (see further, LS, see word; WM, §xlii; M, Pr., 165 ff.; MM, VGT, see word). 1. In apodosis, …

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “if” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

IF, verb transitive

It is used as the sign of a condition, or it introduces a conditional sentence. It is a verb, without a specified nominative. In like manner we use grant, admit, suppose. Regularly, if should be followed, as it was formerly, by the substitute or pronoun that, referring to the succeeding sentence or proposition. if that John shall arrive in season, I will send him with a message. But that is now omitted, and the subsequent sentence, proposition or affirmation may be considered as the object of the verb. Give John shall arrive; grant, suppose, admit that he shall arrive, I will send him with a message. The sense of if or give, in this use, is grant, admit, cause to be, let the fact be, let the thing take place. if then is equivalent to grant, allow, admit. 'If thou wilt, thou canst make me whole, ' that is, thou canst make me whole, give the fact, that thou wilt.

  1. “IF thou art the son of God, command that these stones be made bread” Matthew 4:3
  2. Whether or not.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.