ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τός, τή, τό, (as is evident from the forms τοί, ταί for οἱ, αἱ in Hom. and the Ionic writ.), correspondes to our definite article
the (Germ.
der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.
I. As a
Demonstronstrative Pronoun; Lat.
hic, haec, hoc; Germ.
der, die, das, emphatic; cf. W. § 17, 1; B. 101 (89) sq.;
1. in the words of the poet Aratus, τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν, quoted by Paul in
Acts xvii. 28.
2. in prose, where it makes a partition or distributes into parts: ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ,
that . . . this, the one . . . the other Mt. xiii. 23 R G Tr [here the division is threefold];
Gal. iv. 23 [here L WH Tr mrg. br. μέν]; οἱ μὲν . . . οἱ δέ,
Acts xxviii. 24;
Phil. i. 16 sq.; οἱ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ,
Heb. vii. 5 sq. 20 (21), 23 sq.; τοὺς μὲν . . . τοὺς δέ,
Mark 12:5 R G;
Eph. iv. 11; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δὲ (Lchm. οἱ δὲ) . . . ἔτεροι δέ,
Mt. xvi. 14 cf.
Jn. vii. 12; τινές foll. by οἱ δέ,
Acts xvii. 18; ὃ (see ὅ I.) μέν foll. by ὁ δέ,
Ro. xiv. 2; οἱ δέ stands as though οἱ μέν had preceded,
Mt. xxvi. 67;
xxviii. 17.
3. in narration, when either two persons or two parties are alternately placed in opposition to each other and the discourse turns from one to the other; ὁ δέ,
but he, and he, (Germ.
er aber):
Mt. ii. 14;
iv. 4;
xxi. 29 sq.;
Mk. i. 45;
xii. 15;
Lk. viii. 21,
30,
48;
xxii. 10,
34;
Jn. ix. 38, and very often; plur.,
Mt. ii. 5,
9;
iv. 20;
Mk. xii. 14 [R G L mrg.],
16 [L br. οἱ δέ];
Lk. vii. 4;
xx. 5,
12;
xxii. 9,
38,
71;
Acts iv. 21;
xii. 15, and often; οἱ μὲν οὖν, in the Acts alone:
i. 6,
v. 41;
xv. 3,
30; ὁ μὲν οὖν,
xxiii. 18;
xxviii. 5..