ἤ, a disjunctive conjunction (cf. Winer’s Grammar, § 53, 6). Used

1. to distinguish things or thoughts which either mutually exclude each other, or one of which can take the place of the other: or (Latinaut,vel);

a. to distinguish one thing from another in words of the same construction: Mat 5:17 (τόν νόμον ἤ τούς προφήτας), Mat 5:36 (λευκήν ἤ μέλαιναν); Mat 6:31; Mat 7:16; Mar 6:56; Mar 7:11; Luk 2:24; Luk 9:25; Joh 7:48; Joh 13:29; Act 1:7; Act 3:12; Act 4:7; Rom 1:21; Rom 3:1; 1Co 4:3; 1Co 5:10; 1Co 10:19; Gal 1:10, etc.

b. after an interrogative or a declarative sentence, before a question designed to prove the same thing in another way: Mat 7:4; Mat 7:9; Mat 12:29; Mat 16:26; Mat 26:53; Mar 8:37; Luk 13:4; Luk 14:31; Luk 15:8; Rom 9:21; Rom 14:10; 1Co 6:16.

c. before a sentence contrary to the one just preceding, to indicate that if one be denied or refuted the other must stand: Mat 20:15 (i. e. or, if thou wilt not grant this, is thine eye etc.); Rom 3:29; 1Co 9:6; 1Co 10:22; 1Co 11:14 (Rec.); ; 2Co 11:7; ἤ ἀγνοεῖτε etc., Rom 6:3; Rom 7:1 (cf. Rom 6:14); ἤ οὐκ ὀικατε etc., Rom 11:2; 1Co 6:9; 1Co 6:16; 1Co 6:19.

d. ἤ ... ἤ, either ... or, Mat 6:24; Mat 12:33; Luk 16:13; Act 24:20; 1Co 14:6.

2. in a disjunctive question it corresponds to the Latinan afterutrum;

a. preceded by πότερον, Joh 7:17; cf. Klotz ad Dev. 2:2, p. 574f; preceded by the interrogative μή, 1Co 9:8; preceded by μήτι, 2Co 1:17.

b. without an intertog. particle in the first member of the interrogation: τί ἐστι εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν ... ἤ εἰπεῖν, Mat 9:5; Mar 2:9; Luk 5:23; add, Mat 21:25; Mat 23:17; Mat 23:19; Mat 27:17; Mar 3:4; Luk 7:19; Act 8:34.

c. ἤ ... ἤ ... ἤ, Mar 13:35.

3. as a comparative conjunction, than;

a. after comparatives: Mat 10:15; Mat 11:22; Luk 9:13; Luk 16:17; Joh 3:19; Joh 4:1 (Tr marginal reading omits; WH brackets ἤ); Act 4:19; Rom 13:11, and often. ἤ is lacking after πλείους followed by a noun of number: Mat 26:53 T Tr WH; Act 4:22; Act 23:13; Act 23:21; Act 24:11 (where Rec. adds ἤ); cf. Matthiae, § 455 note 4; Kühner, ii., p. 847; (Jelf, § 780 Obs. 1); Winers Grammar, 595 (554); (Buttmann, 168 (146)); Lob. ad Phryn., p. 410f.

b. after ἕτερον: Act 17:21.

c. πρίν ἤ, before that, before, followed by accusative with an infinitive (cf. Buttmann, § 139, 35; Winer’s Grammar, § 44, 6, also, p. 297 (279)): Mat 1:18; Mar 14:30; Act 2:20 R G WH marginal reading; Act 7:2; followed by the aorist subjunc, Luk 2:26 Tr text omits; WH brackets ἤ; R G (others ἕως); followed by present optative, Act 25:16.

d. after θέλω equivalent to to prefer: 1Co 14:19 (followed by ἤπερ, 2Ma 14:42); examples from Greek authors are given in Klotz ad Devar. 2:2, p. 589f; Winers Grammar, § 35, 2 c.; (Buttmann, § 149, 7); Kühner, ii., p. 841; (Jelf, § 779 Obs. 3).

e. after οὐ: Joh 13:10 R G, where after οὐ χρείαν ἔχει the sentence goes on as though the writer had said οὐκ ἄλλου τίνος χρείαν ἔχει, (cf. Winers Grammar, 508 (478)).

f. after positive notions, to which in this way a comparative force is given: after καλόν ἐστι (it is good ... rather than) equivalent to it is better, Mat 18:8; Mar 9:43; Mar 9:45; Mar 9:47; cf. Menander’s saying καλόν τό μή ζῆν, ἤ ζῆν ἀθλιως, and Plautus rud. 4, 4, 70 tacita mulier est bona semper, quam loquens; similar examples in the O. T. are Gen 49:12; Psalm 117:8 (); Jon 4:3; Jon 4:8; Tob 6:13 Tob 12:8; Sir 20:25 Sir 22:15; 4Ma 9:1; also after λυσιτελεῖ (it is gain ... rather than) equivalent to it is better (Tob 3:6), Luk 17:2; after χαρά ἐστι (there will be joy ... more than), Luk 15:7; see examples from Greek authors in Alexander Buttmann (1873) Gram. § 149, 7; (Buttmann, p. 360 (309)); Winer, Kühner, others, as above.

4. with other particles;

a. ἀλλ’ ἤ, see ἀλλά, I. 10, p. 28a.

b. ἤ γάρ, see γάρ, I. at the end c. ἤ καί (cf. Winer’s Grammar, § 53, 6 note), α. or even, or also (Latinautetiam,veletiam): (Mat 7:10 L T Tr WH); Luk 11:11 G L T Tr WH; Luk 11:12; Luk 18:11; Rom 2:15; 1Co 16:6; 2Co 1:13. β. or also (Latinanetiam) (in a disjunctive question): Luk 12:41; Rom 4:9.

d. ἤπερ, than at all (Latinquamforte; German alsetwa), after a comparitive (cf. Jelf, § 779 Obs. 5): Joh 12:43 (L ἤ περ, WH marginal reading ὑπέρ) (2Ma 14:42; Homer, Hesiod).

e. ἤτοι ... ἤ, either indeed (cf. Kühner, § 540, 5) ... or: Rom 6:16 (Wis 11:19; Herodotus and following).