at least this one thing I know

εἷς, μία, ἕν, gen. ἑνός, μιᾶς, ἑνός a numerical term, ‘one’ (Hom.+)

① a single pers. or thing, with focus on quantitative aspect, one

ⓐ in contrast to more than one

α. adj. μίλιον ἕν Mt 5:41; cp. 20:12; 25:15, 24; Ac 21:7; 28:13; 2 Pt 3:8. Opp. πάντες Ro 5:12 (εἷς ἄνθρωπος as Hippocr., Ep. 11, 2 [IX p. 326]; SHanson, Unity of the Church in the NT, ’46, 65–73 [lit.]). Opp. the nation J 11:50; 18:14 (cp. Oenom. in Eus., PE 5, 25, 5 μεῖον εἶναι ἕνα ἀντι πάντων πεσεῖν τὸν βασιλέα=it is a lesser evil when one, instead of all the citizens, falls, namely, the king).

β. noun, Lk 23:16 (17) v.l. w. partitive gen. (Diod S 1, 91, 5 αὐτῶν εἷς; Jos., Vi. 204; Just., A I, 1, 1 al.) Mt 5:19; 6:29; 18:6; Mk 9:42; Lk 12:27; 15:21 v.l.; 17:2, 22; 23:39; J 19:34 or w. ἐκ (Maximus Tyr. 1, 6 ab ἐκ πολλῶν εἷς; Lucian, Somn. 9; Jos., Bell. 7, 47) Mt 18:12; 22:35; 26:21; Mk 14:18; J 1:40; 6:8; Ac 11:28 al. ὁ εἷς τῶν δώδεκα one of the twelve Mk 14:10 is a peculiar expr. (cp. BGU 1145, 25 [18 B.C.] ὁ εἷς αὐτῶν Ταυρῖνος; UPZ 161, 50; 54; PTebt 138; 357, 10).

ⓑ in contrast to the parts, of which a whole is made up (Theophr. in Apollon. Paradox. 16 τὰ πολλὰ ἓν γίγνεσθαι; Stephan. Byz. s.v. Ὠκεανός: γίγνεται ἐκ δύο εἰς ἕν; Just., D. 103, 5 ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων … ἓν ὄνομα). ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν Mt 19:5; Mk 10:8; 1 Cor 6:16 (all three Gen 2:24). οἱ πολλοὶ ἓν σῶμά ἐσμεν we, though many, form one body Ro 12:5; cp. 1 Cor 12:12, 20; Eph 2:15. πάντες εἷς ἐστε you are all one Gal 3:28. ἕν εἰσιν 1 Cor 3:8; cp. J 10:30; 17:11, 21–23 (cp. 1QS 5, 2; Just., D. 42, 3 ἓν ὄντες πρᾶγμα). Also εἰς τὸ ἕν 1J 5:8 (Appian, Iber. 66 §280 ἐς ἕν=together, as a unity). εἰς ἕν J 11:52 (cp. 1QS 5, 7). ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἕν who has united the two divisions Eph 2:14.—MAppold, The Oneness Motif (John) ’76.

ⓒ w. negative foll. εἷς … οὐ (μή), stronger than οὐδείς (Aristoph., Eccl. 153, Thesm. 549; X., An. 5, 6, 12; Demosth. 30, 33 ἡ γυνὴ μίαν ἡμέραν οὐκ ἐχήρευσεν; Dionys. Hal., Comp. Verb. 18) ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται not one of them will fall Mt 10:29 (Lucian, Herm. 28 ἓν ἐξ ἁπάντων); cp. 5:18; Mk 8:14; Lk 11:46; 12:6. The neg. rarely comes first Mt 5:36.

② a single entity, with focus on uniformity or quality, one

ⓐ one and the same (Pind., N. 6, 1 ἓν ἀνδρῶν, ἓν θεῶν γένος• ἐκ μιᾶς δὲ πνέομεν ἀμφότεροι; Dio Chrys. 19 [36], 6; Maximus Tyr. 19, 4a; cp. OGI 383, 59 [I B.C., the ruler’s statue is to be made of the type of stone used for statues of the gods]; Gen 11:1; 40:5; Lev 22:28; Wsd 7:6; Ar. 13, 5 μία φύσις τῶν θεῶν) ἐν ἑνὶ οἴκῳ in one and the same house Lk 12:52 (Diod S 14, 43, 1 ἐν ἑνὶ τόπω). Expressing unanimity ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι w. one voice Ro 15:6; τοῦ ἑνὸς ἄρτου one and the same loaf 1 Cor 10:17; εἷς ὁ θεός one and the same God (Amphitheos of Heracleia: 431 Fgm. 1b Jac. Διόνυσος κ. Σαβάζιος εἷς ἐστι θεός; difft. Ath. 10, 2 ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ) Ro 3:30; cp. 9:10; 1 Cor 6:16f; 12:9, 13. εἷς κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα• εἷς θεός κτλ. (cp. the three genders of εἷς consecutively in Simonides 97 Diehl² ἓν πέλαγος, μία ναῦς, εἷς τάφος [of shipwrecked pers.]; Just., D. 63, 5 μιᾷ ψυχῇ … συναγωγῇ … ἐκκλησίᾳ) Eph 4:5f (NJklA 35, 1915, 224ff. The repetition of εἷς is like Herm. Wr. 11, 11; Epict. 3, 24, 10ff).—Rv 9:13; 18:8; Ac 17:26. ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ Phil 1:27; cp. Ac 4:32 (cp. Aristot., EN 9, 8, 2; Plut., Mor. 478c). τὸ ἓν φρονεῖν be of one mind Phil 2:2. συνάγειν εἰς ἕν unite, bring together (Pla., Phileb. 23e; Dionys. Hal. 2, 45, 3 συνάξειν εἰς ἓν τὰ ἔθνη; POxy 1411, 3 τῶν δημοσίων εἰς ἓν συναχθέντων; TestJob 28:5 τὰ χρήματα ἐὰν συναχθῇ εἰς ἓν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό ‘if all [our] valuables were brought together at one place’; Jos., Bell. 3, 518) J 11:52. τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτό one and the same 1 Cor 12:11 (cp. Diod S 11, 47, 3; 17, 104, 6; Epict. 1, 11, 28; 1, 19, 15; Just., D. 123, 1 ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ … νόμου); cp. ἓν καὶ αὐτό τινι 11:5.—εἰς ἕνα τόπον in a place by itself (Jos., Ant. 6, 125) J 20:7.

ⓑ (a) single, only one (Diod S 16, 11, 2; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 44 §180 εἷς ἀνήρ; Maximus Tyr. 11, 6c μαντεῖον ἕν al.; Just., D. 141, 3 τῆν μίαν τοῦ Δαυεὶδ … παράπτωσιν) λόγον ἕνα Mt 21:24 (GrBar 5:1); Gal 5:14. ἕνα ἄρτον Mk 8:14. εἷς ἄρτος 1 Cor 10:17a (εἷς ἄ. is also the symbol of the unity of the Pythagorean fellowship: Diog. L. 8, 35; here Diog. L. adds that οἱ βάρβαροι hold the same view ἔτι καὶ νῦν). πῆχυν ἕνα Mt 6:27 (s. πῆχυς); ἓν μέλος 1 Cor 12:26; ἓν ἔργον J 7:21 (here, following ἕν, καί adds an indication of the greatness of the accomplishment, as Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 133 §555 ἓν ἐκ τῶν Καίσαρος ἔργων προὔθηκα …, καί). εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθός Mt 19:17; ποιῆσαι ἕνα προσήλυτον 23:15; ἕνα εἶχεν υἱὸν ἀγαπητόν he had an only son, whom he loved dearly Mk 12:6 (εἷς υἱ. as Phalaris, Ep. 18). ὁ δὲ θεὸς εἷς ἐστιν Gal 3:20; cp. Mk 12:32; 1 Cor 8:4, 6 (v.l. adds to God the Father and Jesus Christ ἓν πνεῦμα ἅγιον κτλ. Cp. also Maximus Tyr. 11, 5a θεὸς εἷς … κ. πατήρ, κ. θεοὶ πολλοί and as early as Xenophanes, Fgm. 19 Diehl³ εἷς θεὸς ἔν τε θεοῖσι κ. ἀνθρωποῖσι μέγιστος [= Fgm. 23 Diels]); Js 2:19; PtK 3 p. 15, 20 (Herm. Wr. 11, 11; 14 εἷς ὁ θεός; POxy 1382, 20 εἷς Ζεὺς Σάραπις; Sb 159, 1 εἷς θεὸς ὁ βοηθῶν ὑμῶν; Philo, Spec. Leg. 1, 67; Jos., Ant. 5, 97 θεός τε εἷς; 8, 343, C. Ap. 2, 193; SibOr 4, 30 and Fgm. 1, 7; Ath. 6, 1 μονάς ἐστιν ὁ θεός, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν εἷς; 6, 4 ὁ θεὸς εἷς; s. EPeterson, Εἷς Θεός 1926; D. Monotheismus als polit. Problem ’35; additional reff. Horst, Ps.-Phoc. p. 151f). εἷς ἐστιν ὑμῶν ὁ διδάσκαλος Mt 23:8; cp. vs. 9. μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνήρ a husband married only once (numerous sepulchral ins celebrate the virtue of a surviving spouse by noting that he or she was married only once, thereby suggesting the virtue of extraordinary fidelity, e.g. CIL VI, 3604; 723; 12405; 14404; cp. Horace, Odes 3, 14, 4; Propertius 4, 11, 36; Valerius Maximus 4, 3, 3; and s. esp. CIL VI, 1527, 31670, 37053=ILS 8393 [text and Eng. tr.: EWistrand, The So-Called Laudatio Thuriae, ’76]; s. GWilliams, JRS 48, ’58 16–29. For the use of μία in ref. to a woman: Ael. Aristid. 46 p. 346 D.: ὑπὲρ μιᾶς γυναικός=for only one woman; μία γυνή quite freq.: Diod S 17, 72, 6; cp. 1, 80, 3, where the phrase γαμοῦσι μίαν simply means that the priests married only once, not that they lead a strictly moral life, a concept for which Greeks never use the expression μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνήρ or anything like it; Hippostratus [III B.C.]: 568 Fgm. 1 Jac.; Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 95 §402; Ath. 33, 2 ἐφʼ ἑνὶ γάμῳ: Ath. terms a second marriage εὐπρεπής μοιχεία veiled adultery) 1 Ti 3:2, 12; Tit 1:6; others render husband of one wife (e.g. RSV in later printings; REB). Correspondingly ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνή (cp. the exemplary conduct of Hannah [Anna] Lk 2:36; Paus. 7, 25, 13 the priestess of the earth goddess must be a woman who, before she became a priestess, was not πλέον ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐς πεῖραν ἀφιγμένη) 1 Ti 5:9.—Abs. 1 Cor 9:24; 2 Cor 5:14. μεσίτης ἑνός an intermediary for one alone Gal 3:20; cp. Js 4:12. οὐδὲ εἷς not even a single (X., Mem. 1, 6, 2, Cyr. 1, 3, 10 et al.; Sir 42:20; 49:14 v.l.; 1 Macc 11:70) Mt 27:14; Ac 4:32. Freq. at the end of a sentence or clause (ref. fr. comedy in ESchwartz, NGG 1908, p. 534, 3. Also Hermocles [IV–III B.C.] p. 174, 17 Coll. Alex.; Dio Chrys. 21 [38], 23; Ael. Aristid. 28, 156 K.=49 p. 542 D.; 53 p. 617 D.; Epict. 2, 18, 26, Enchir. 1, 3; Philonides in Stob. 3, 35, 6 ed. Hense III p. 688; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 59, 5 [39 A.D.]; Bel 18 Theod.; 1 Macc 7:46) Ro 3:10; οὐδὲ ἕν foll. by ἐὰν μή J 3:27. This is a good reason for placing the period after οὐδὲ ἕν J 1:3 (s. GBergh van Eysinga, PM 13, 1909, 143–50. EHennecke, Congr. d’ Hist. du Christ. I 1928, 207–19; Md’Asbeck, ibid. 220–28; REisler, Revue de Philol. 3 sér. 4, 1930, 350–71; BVawter, CBQ 25, ’63, 401–6; KAland, ZNW 59, ’68, 174–209; Metzger 195f; γίνομαι 2a), but the lack of inner punctuation in the older mss. validates consideration of alternative punctuation. οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός there is not even one Ro 3:12 (Ps 13:3; Just., D. 103, 2 οὐδὲ μέχρις ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ‘not a single person’). μία εἴσοδος the only entrance Hs 9, 12, 6.—ἕν only one thing: ἔτι ἕν σοι λείπει you still lack only one thing (Jos., Bell. 4, 257) Lk 18:22. ἕν σε ὑστερεῖ you lack only one thing Mk 10:21; cp. Lk 10:42. ἓν οἶδα at least this one thing I know J 9:25. ἓν δὲ τοῦτο this one thing (Porphyr., Vi. Plot. 19; Just., D. 115, 6 ἓν δὲ μικρὸν ὁτιοῦν) 2 Pt 3:8.—ἓν δέ is a short interjectional sentence (like Xenophon Eph. 1, 5, 3 τοσοῦτο δέ•) just one thing! Phil 3:13 (AFridrichsen, ConNeot 9, ’44, 31f).—Gal 5:14 commercial imagery εἷς λόγος (just) one entry, one heading (cp. BGU 831, 13).

ⓒ alone (οὐδεὶς) … εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός Mk 2:7 (in the parallel Lk 5:21 μόνος ὁ θεός, cp. Herm Wr. 11, 11 εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός … εἰ μὴ μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ); 10:18; 12:29 (Dt 6:4); Mt 23:10; Lk 18:19.—EBishop, ET 49, ’38, 363–66.

③ an unspecified entity, some/one=τὶς, whereby εἷς can mean exactly the same thing as the indef. art. (Aristoph. et al. [Av. 1292 εἷς κάπηλος]; Περὶ ὕψους 33, 4 p. 62, 18 V. [the rdg. of cod. Paris], εἷς ἕτερος w. μή ‘for no other reason’; Strabo 5, 3, 2, 230c ἐπηγγείλατο ἕνα ἀγῶνα ἱππικόν; Syntipas p. 29, 3 μία γαλῆ; Appian, Liby. 117 §554 νυκτὸς μιᾶς=one night; Marc. Diac. 27, 5 ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ=on a certain day; SIG 1170, 15 [160 A.D.] μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ; UPZ 162 I, 27 [117 B.C.]; PAmh 30, 28 [II B.C.] Κονδύλου ἑνὸς τῶν ἁλιείων; BGU 1044, 6; Gen 21:15; Jdth 14:6; 1 Esdr 3:5. B-D-F §247, 2; Mlt. 96f; Rob. 674f; Mlt-Turner 195f; EBruhn, RhM 49, 1894, 168–71; JWackernagel, Syntax II² 1928, 151; MBlack, An Aramaic Approach³, ’67, 104–6).

ⓐ someone, anyone Mt 18:24; 19:16; Mk 10:17; εἷς ὀνόματι Κλεοπᾶς Lk 24:18. Oft. w. partitive gen. foll. (Alexis 220, 5; Diod S 20, 107, 5 εἷς τῶν φίλων; Epict. 4, 2, 9; Dio Chrys. 71 [21], 15 εἷς τῶν Σπαρτῶν; TestJob 26:6 μίαν τῶν … γυναικῶν; Jos., Ant. 9, 106) ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν (some) one of the prophets Mt 16:14 (a diminishing term? s. Reader, Polemo p. 257). ἕνα τ. συνδούλων 18:28. ἐν μιᾷ τ. πόλεων Lk 5:12. ἐν μιᾷ τ. ἡμερῶν on one of the days vs. 17; cp. 15:19, 26; 22:47.

ⓑ as indef. art. (s. at 3 above beg.) εἷς γραμματεύς a scribe Mt 8:19. συκῆν μίαν a fig tree Mt 21:19; cp. 26:69; Mk 12:42. παιδάριον ἕν J 6:9 v.l.; ἑνὸς ἀετοῦ Rv 8:13; cp. 18:21; 19:17; ἄρχων εἷς ἐλθών Mt 9:18. εἷς στέφανος ApcPt 3:10; ἓν σῶμα AcPlCor 2:26.

ⓒ used w. τὶς (Pla., Thu., et al.; Jdth 2:13) εἷς τις νεανίσκος a certain young man Mk 14:51 v.l. W. partitive gen. foll. (Trypho Alex. [I B.C.] in Athen. 3, 78a ἕνα τινὰ τ. Τιτάνων; Aesop, Fab. 300 H./30 P. and H-H.; Hierocles 27, 484; IG XII/5, 445, 12 [III B.C.] ἕνα τινὰ αὐτῶν; Ael. Aristid. 29, 14 K.=40 p. 755D.: εἷς τις τ. χορευτῶν) εἷς τις τῶν παρεστηκότων a certain one of the bystanders vs. 47 (on the v.l. without τις s. PDickerson, JBL 116, ’97, 302); also εἷς τις ἐξ αὐτῶν (Jos., Vi. 290) Lk 22:50; J 11:49.

④ marker of someth. that is first, the first

ⓐ perh. Hebraistic (cp. Num 1:1 ἐν μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τ. δευτέρου; 2 Esdr 10:17; Esth 1:1a; Jos., Ant. 1, 29.—But s. also Lydus, Mens. 3, 4 W. τὴν κεφαλὴν τ. χρόνου οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι οὐχὶ πρώτην ἀλλὰ μίαν ὠνόμασαν; Callim., Fgm. 550 P. [482 Schneider] πρὸ μιῆς ὥρης=before the first hour of the day) is its use w. expressions denoting time instead of the ordinal number εἰς μίαν σαββάτων on the first day of the week Mt 28:1; cp. Lk 24:1; Mk 16:2; J 20:1, 19; Ac 20:7; also κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου 1 Cor 16:2 (cp. Just., D. 41, 4 τῇ μίᾳ τῶν σαββάτων ἡμέρᾳ; 27, 5 [here w. πρό and μετά resp., in accordance with Latin usage]).

ⓑ not Semitic (Hdt. 4, 161 μία, ἄλλη, τρίτη; Ael. Aristid. 36, 40 K.=48 p. 453 D.: ἕν, δεύτερον, τρίτον, τέταρτον; JosAs 2:17) εἷς καὶ δεύτερος a first and second Tit 3:10 (cp. Alciphron, Ep. 1, 9, 2; Galen XII 746 K.: ὕδωρ ὄμβριον ἔγχριε μέχρι μιᾶς καὶ δευτέρας ἡμέρας; Maximus Tyr. 28, 2h μίαδευτέρα; EpArist 143; Jos., Ant. 11, 150; 16, 350 πεσόντος ἑνός καὶ δευτέρου). S. also ἡ οὐαὶ ἡ μία Rv 9:12.—ἓν τριάκοντα Mk 4:8, 20 is prob. to be considered an Aramaism thirtyfold (B-D-F §248, 3; EKautzsch, Gramm. d. bibl. Aram. 1884 §66, 2; JHudson, ET 53, ’41/42, 266f).

⑤ special combinations:

ⓐ εἷς … εἷς (Hom. et al. εἷς μὲν … εἷς δέ: X., Cyr. 1, 2, 4; Aristot., Rhet. 2, 20, 1393a; pap in Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 50, 11 and 13 [III B.C.] ἓν μὲν … ἓν δέ; II/2, 372 V, 14 [II A.D.] ὁ εἷς … ὁ εἷς; POxy 1153, 14 [I A.D.] ἓν μὲν … καὶ ἕν; 2 Km 12:1; Sir 34:23f εἷς … καὶ εἷς; Esth 10:3g δύο, ἕνα τῷ λαῷ … καὶ ἕνα τ. ἔθνεσιν; TestJob 51:3 μιᾶς ὑποσειμιούσης τῇ μιᾷ) (the) one … the other Mt 20:21; 24:40f; 27:38; J 20:12; Gal 4:22; B 7:6f. εἷς τὸν ἕνα one another (=ἀλλήλους) 1 Th 5:11 (cp. Theocr. 22, 65 εἷς ἑνί; TestJob 27:3 εἷς τόν ἕνα κατέρραξαν ‘threw each other to the ground’).

ⓑ εἷς … εἷς … εἷς one … another … a third Mt 17:4 (cp. 1 Km 10:3; 13:17, 18).

ⓒ εἷς ἕκαστος every single, strengthening ἕκαστος, adj. Eph 4:16. Mostly subst.; s. ἕκαστος b.

ⓓ ὁ εἷς … ὁ ἕτερος the one … the other (Aristot., De Rep. Ath. 37, 1; Hyperid. 5, 14f; UPZ 161, 39; 43; 46 [119 B.C.]; PGen 48, 6ff μίαν μὲν … τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν; BGU 194, 15f; Esth 5:1a; TestAbr A 11 p. 88, 29 [Stone p. 24]; Just. D. 49, 2 al.) Mt 6:24; Lk 7:41; 16:13; 17:34f; 18:10 al.; also ὁ εἷς … ὁ ἄλλος Rv 17:10.

ⓔ distrib. (1 Ch 24:6 εἷς εἷς; AscIs 3:27 εἷς καὶ εἷς καὶ εἷς ἐν τόποις καὶ τόποις) καθʼ ἕνα, καθʼ ἕν (Hdt., Pla. et al.; 1 Esdr 1:31; 4 Macc 15:12, 14; Jos., Bell. 4, 240, Ant. 12, 191; Ath. 25, 3 καθʼ ἕνα καὶ κατὰ ἔθνη) ITr 12:2; καθʼ ἕνα πάντες all, one by one 1 Cor 14:31 (cp. Ps.-Xenophon, Cyn. 6, 14). ὑμεῖς οἱ καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστος each one of you Eph 5:33. καθʼ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθʼ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III B.C.]; PTebt 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθʼ ἓν ἕκαστον (X., Cyr. 1, 6, 22, Ages. 7, 1; EpArist 143) Ac 21:19. ἓν καθʼ ἕν (Aesop, Fab. 274 P.; PLeid II, X 1, 22) each one Rv 4:8. In this pass. the second ἕν could be an undeclined nom. as in εἷς κατὰ εἷς (cp. Lucian, Sol. 9; 3 Macc 5:34. Other exx. in W-S. §26, 9; 11 and Wetstein I 627) one after the other Mk 14:19; J 8:9. τὸ καθʼ εἷς opp. οἱ πολλοί individually Ro 12:5; but κατὰ ἕνα = ἕκαστον Hs 9, 3, 5; 9, 6, 3 (B-D-F §305). ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος each one Rv 21:21.

ⓕ ἀπὸ μιᾶς s. ἀπό 6 (as idiom w. noun to be supplied Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 46, 15 [338 A.D.] μίαν ἐκ μιᾶς, i.e. ἡμέραν=day after day).—B. 937; 1007f. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.