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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #1308 - διαφέρω
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- to bear or carry through any place
- to carry different ways
- to carry in different directions, to different places
- of people who are carried hither and thither in a ship, driven to and fro
- to differ, to test, prove, the good things that differ,
- to distinguish between good and evil, lawful and unlawful, to approve of things that excel, to differ from one
- to excel, surpass one
- impersonally, it makes a difference, it matters, is of importance
- to carry in different directions, to different places
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
διαφέρω,
fut. διοίσω S. OT 321, διοίσομαι h.Merc. 255, etc.: aor. 1 διήνεγκα, Ion. διήνεικα: aor. 2 διήνεγκον: —
I
1. carry over or across, δ. ναῦς τὸν Ἰσθμόν Th. 8.8; carry from one to another, διαφέρεις κηρύγματα E. Supp. 382; [ τὸ ἤλεκτρον] διαφέρεται εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας Arist. Mir. 836b6: metaph., γλῶσσαν διοίσει will put the tongue in motion, will speak, S. Tr. 323 codd.
2. of Time, δ. τὸν αἰῶνα, τὸν βίον, go through life, Hdt. 3.40, E. Hel. [10]; νύκτα Id. Rh. 600: abs., ἄπαις διοίσει ib. 982: — Med., live, continue, ὑγιηροὶ τἄλλα διαφέρονται Hp. Art. 56; σοῦ διοίσεται μόνος will pass his life apart from thee, S. Aj. 511; σκοπούμενος διοίσει X. Mem. 2.1.24 (cj. Dind. for διέσῃ).
3. bear through, bear to the end, σκῆπτρα E. IA 1195; γαστρὸς ὄγκον δ., of a woman, Id. Ion 15, cf. X. Mem. 2.2.5: hence,
4. bear to the end, go through with, πόλεμον Hdt. 1.25, Th. 1.11; but also, bear the burden of war, Id. 6.54; endure, support, with an Adv., ῥᾷστα γὰρ τὸ σόν τε σὺ κἀγὼ διοίσω τοὐμόν S. OT 321; δ. πότμον δάκρυσι E. Hipp. 1143 (lyr.): abs., of patients in disease, δ. ἕως τῶν εἰκοσιτεσσάρων ἡμερέων Hp. Int. 40; δ. φθειρόμενος ib. 12 (also ἡ νοῦσος δ. ἐννέα ἔτεα ibid.).
II
1. carry different ways, Ar. Lys. 570, etc.; δ. ἕκαστα εἰς τὰς χώρας τὰς προσηκούσας X. Oec. 9.8; toss about, ὅπλισμα.. διαφέρων ἐσφενδόνα E. Supp. 715; δ. τὰς κόρας to turn the eyes about, Id. Ba. 1087. Or. 1261 (lyr.): — Pass., to be drawn apart, disrupted, opp. συμφέρεσθαι, Heraclit. 10, Pl. Sph. 242e, Epicur. Nat. 908.2; to be tossed about, dub. in Str. 3.2.5; δ. ἐν τῷ Ἀδρίᾳ Acts 27:27, cf. Plu. Galb. 26.
2. δ. τινά spread his fame abroad, Pi. P. 11.60; εἰς ἅπαντας τὴν ἐκείνου μνήμην δ. D. 61.46: — Pass., φήμη διηνέχθη Plu. 2.163c.
3. tear asunder, E. Ba. 754; disjoin, Arist. Po. 1451a34 (Pass.): metaph., distract, τὰς ψυχὰς φροντίσιν Plu. 2.133d, cf. 97f(Pass.), D.Chr. 32.46 (Pass.).
4. δ. τὴν ψῆφον give one's vote a different way, i.e. against another, Hdt. 4.138, etc.; but also, give each man his vote, E. Or. 49, Th. 4.74, X. Smp. 5.8.
5. ἐράνους δ., = διαλύεσθαι, pay them up, discharge them, Lycurg. 22.
6. defer, reserve for judgement, τὸν αἴτιον A. Ch. 68 (lyr., διασπαράσσει Sch.).
7. plunder, Herod. 7.90: — Pass., τῶν ἀπὸ [τῆς οἰκίας] φορτίων διενηνεγμένων PLond. 1.45.9 (ii B.C.).
8. excel, ἀρετῇ τοὺς ἄλλους D.S. 11.67, cf. 2.5; καλλιτεκνίᾳ πάσας γυναῖκας Stud.Pont. 3.123 (Amasia).
III intr.,
1. differ, φυᾷ δ. Pi. N. 7.54; ἆρ' οἱ τεκόντες διαφέρουσιν ἢ τροφαί; is it one's parents or nurture that make the difference? E. Hec. 599: c. gen., to be different from, Id. Or. 251, Th. 5.86, etc.; οὐδὲν διοίσεις Χαιρεφῶντος τὴν φύσιν Ar. Nu. 503, cf. Pl. Prt. 329d; τὸ δ'.. ἀφανίζειν ἱερὰ ἔσθ' ὅτι τοῦ κόπτειν διαφέρει; D. 21.147; δ. τὰς μορφάς Arist. HA 497b15; δ. εἴς τι, ἔν τινι, X. Hier. 1.2, 7; παρὰ τὴν Βεβρυκίαν App. Mith. 1; καθ' ὑπεροχὴν καὶ ἕλλειψιν Arist. HA 486a22; κατὰ τὴν θέσιν Id. Mete. 341b24; πρός τι Id. HA 505a21; τίνι δ. τὰ ἄρρενα τῶν θηλειῶν.. θεωρείσθω Id. PA 684b3: c. inf., μόνῃ τῇ μορφῇ μὴ οὑχὶ πρόβατα εἶναι δ. Luc. Alex. 15: with Art., τρεῖς μόναι ψῆφοι διήνεγκαν τὸ μὴ θανάτου τιμῆσαι three votes made the difference (i.e. majority) against capital punishment, D. 23.167; also διαφέρει τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ ἔργου makes a difference equal to half the effort expended, X. Oec. 20.17.
2. impers., διαφέρει it makes a difference, πλεῖστον δ. Hp. Aph. 5.22; βραχὺ δ. τοῖς θανοῦσιν εἰ.. E. Tr. 1248, etc.; οὐδὲν δ. it makes no odds, Pl. Phd. 89c, cf. Men. Epit. 193; σμικρὸν οἴει διαφέρειν; Pl. R. 467c: c. dat. pers., δ. μοι it makes a difference to me, Antipho 5.13, Pl. Prt. 316b, etc.; ἰδίᾳ τι αὐτῷ δ. he has some private interest at stake, Th. 3.42; εἰ ὑμῖν μή τι δ. if you see no objection, Pl. La. 187d; τί δέ σοι τοῦτο δ. εἴτε.. εἴτε μή; Id. R. 349a, cf. Grg. 497b, etc.: c. inf., οὐδέ τί οἱ διέφερεν ἀποθανεῖν Hdt. 1.85: with personal constr., πράγματά τινι διαφέροντα Plu. Caes. 65; to be of importance, πρός or εἴς τι, Gal. 15.420,428; τῷ ζῴῳ Id. UP 9.5.
3. τὸ δ. the difference, the odds, Pl. Phlb. 45d; = τὸ συμφέρον Antiph. 31; περὶ μεγίστων δὴ τῶν -όντων βουλεύεσθαι Th. 6.92, cf. Lys. 31.5, Isa 4.12; τὰ ἀναγκαιότερα τῷ ταμιείῳ δ. vital interests, PThead. 15.17 (iii A.D.); τὸ δ. μέρος τῶν ἀποφάσεων the essential part, POxy. 1204.11 (iii A.D.); τὰ δ. vital matters, Romans 2:18; ἐπιστάμενος τὰ δ. παραβαίνειν τολμᾷ And. 3.19 (but τὰ δ. also simply, points of difference, in character and the like, Th. 1.70, etc.).
4. to be different from a person: generally, in point of excess, surpass, excel him (cf. supr. 11.8), τινός v.l. for -όντως in Th. 3.39; τινί in a thing, Id. 2.39, Alex. 36.6; ἔν τινι Isoc. 3.39; εἴς τι Pl. Ap. 35b; κατὰ μέγεθος X. Lac. 1.10; πρός τι Aeschin. 1.181: c. inf., δ. τινὸς μεταβιβάζειν τινά Pl. Grg. 517b: sts. folld. by ἤ, πολὺ διέφερεν ἀλέξασθαι ἤ.. it was far better.. than.., X. An. 3.4.33, cf. Mem. 3.11.14, Vect. 4.25 (where it means to differ in point of diminution); also δ. μέγα τι παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις Plb. 10.27.5: abs., excel, ἐπί τινι Isoc. 10.12; τάχει Jul. Or. 2.53c; οἱ τόποι διαφέρουσι Thphr. CP 5.14.9; διαφέρον τι πεπραχέναι a remarkable achievement, Plb. 6.39.2.
5. prevail, ἐπὶ πολὺ διήνεγκε Th. 3.83.
6. quarrel, struggle, Telecl. 20; οἱ διαφέροντες the parties, litigants, PPar. 69 B10 (iii A.D.).
7. come between, intervene, ὁ διαφέρων χρόνος Antipho 5.94.
8. belong to, τινί, as property, Ph. 1.207, PLond. 3.940.23 (iii A.D.); of persons, belong to a household, PStrassb. 26.5 (iv A.D.); οἱ -φέροντες kinsfolk, Annuario 4 /5.476 (Bargylia); appertain to, τῇ ὠνῇ BGU 1062.21 (iii A.D.); τὰ εἰς τοῦτο -φέροντα πράγματα Mitteis Chr. 372v3 (ii A.D.). Med. and Pass., be at variance, quarrel, τινί Heraclit. 72, cf. Amphis 32, etc.; περί τινος Hdt. 1.173, Pl. Euthphr. 7b; δ. ἀλλήλοις differ with, ibid., cf. Antipho 5.42; τινὶ περί τινος Th. 5.31, cf. X. Oec. 17.4; πρὸς ἀλλήλους Lys. 18.17, cf. Hyp. Oxy. 1607 Fr. 1 iii 60, etc.; τὰ πρὸς ἀλλήλους Supp.Epigr. 1.363.5 (Samos, iii B.C.); ἀμφί τινος X. An. 4.5.17; διενεχθέντας γνώμῃ Hdt. 7.220; δ. ὡς.. maintain on the contrary that.., D. 56.46; οὐ διαφέρομαι, = οὔ μοι διαφέρει, Id. 9.8; μηδὲν διὰ τοῦτο διαφέρου let there be no dispute on this ground, Lys. 10.17; οἱ -φερόμενοι the litigants, SIG 685.29 (Crete, ii B.C.). — Not in
διαφέρω; 2 aorist διηνεγκον (but the subjunctive 3 person singular διενέγκῃ (Mark 11:16), the only aorist form which occurs, can come as well from 1 aorist διήνεγκα; cf Veitch, under the word φέρω, at the end); passive (present διαφέρομαι); imperfect διεφερομην; (from Homer (h. Merc. 255), Pindar down);
1. to bear or carry through any place: σκεῦος διά τοῦ ἱεροῦ, Mark 11:16.
2. to carry different ways, i. e., a. transitive, to carry in different directions, to different places: thus, persons are said διαφέρεσθαι, who are carried hither and thither in a ship, driven to and fro, Acts 27:27 (Strabo 3, 2, 7, p. 144; σκάφος ὑπ' ἐναντίων πνευμάτων διαφερόμενον, Philo, migr. Abr. § 27; Lucian, Hermot. 28; often in Plutarch) metaphorically, to spread abroad: διεφέρετο ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου δἰ ὅλης τῆς χώρας, Acts 13:49 (ἀγγελιας, Lucian, dial. deor. 24, 1; φήμη διαφέρεται, Plutarch, mor., p. 163 d.).
b. intransitive (like the Latindiffero) to differ: δοκιμάζειν τά διαφέροντα, to test, prove, the things that differ, i. e. to distinguish between good and evil, lawful and unlawful, Romans 2:18; Philippians 1:10 (διάκρισις καλοῦ τέ καί κακοῦ, Hebrews 5:14); cf. Thol. Commentary on Romans, p. 111 edition 5.; Theophilus of Antioch ad Autol., p. 6, Otto edition δοκιμάζοντες τά διαφέροντα, ἤτοι φῶς, ἤ σκότος, ἤ λευκόν, ἤ μέλαν κτλ.); (others, adopting a secondary sense of each verb in the above passages, translate (cf. A. V.) to approve the things that excel; see Meyer (yet, cf. Weiss edition) on Romans, the passage cited; Ellicott on Philippians, the passage cited). διαφέρω τίνος, to differ from one, i. e. to excel, surpass one: Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:31; Matthew 12:12; Luke 12:7, 24 (often so in Attic authors); τίνος ἐν τίνι, 1 Corinthians 15:41; (τίνος οὐδέν, Galatians 4:1).
c. impersonally, διαφέρει, it makes a difference, it matters, is of importance: οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει, it matters nothing to me, Galatians 2:6 (Plato, Prot., p. 316 b. ἡμῖν οὐδέν διαφέρει, p. 358 e.; de rep. 1, p. 340 c.; Demosthenes 124, 3 (in Philippians 3, 50); Polybius 3, 21, 9; Aelian v. h. 1, 25; others; (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 394; Wetstein (1752) on Galatians, the passage cited)).
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δια -φέρω ,
[in LXX for H8133 (Daniel 7:1-28 only); 1 Samuel 17:39, Ezra 3:13, al.;]
1. trans.,
(a) to carry through: seq. διά , Mark 11:16;
(b) to carry about, spread abroad: pass., Acts 13:49; Acts 27:27.
2. Intrans.,
(a) to differ: τὰ διαφέροντα , Romans 2:18, Philippians 1:10 (R, mg., but v. infr.); impers., διαφέρει , it makes a difference, it matters: Galatians 2:6;
(b) to excel: c. gen. Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:31; Matthew 12:12, Luke 12:7; Luke 12:24, 1 Corinthians 15:41, Galatians 4:1; τὰ διαφέροντα , Romans 2:18, Philippians 1:10 (R, txt.; for discussion and reff. v. ICC on Ro, Phi, ll. c.).†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
It may be well to illustrate at length the varying shades of meaning which this common verb exhibits. In P Lond 45.9 (B.C. 160–59) (= I. p. 36) a certain Ptolemy addresses a petition to King Ptolemy Philometor stating that his house had been sacked, and goods valued at twenty talents had been ";carried off";—τῶν ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς φορτίων διενηνεγμένων. For δ. = ";differ"; cf. P Tor I. 1viii. 15 (B.C. 116) μηδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐργασίαν ἐπιτελεῖν, διαφέρειν δὲ τὴν τούτων λειτουργίαν. From this is naturally developed the meaning ";surpass, excel,"; common in NT. For this see P Tebt I. 27.6 (B.C. 113) τῶν οὖν ἐν τοῖς καθ᾽ ἡ [μᾶ ]ς (l. ὑ [μᾶ ]ς) τόποις πίστει καὶ ἀσφαλείαι δι [α ]φ [ε ]ρ [όν ]των. . . τὰς κατ᾽ ἄνδρα γραφάς, ";the lists of individuals in your district who are conspicuous for honesty and steadiness"; (Edd.), so again.51, P Oxy VII. 1061.12 (B.C. 22) διαφέρετε γὰρ τοῦ Πτολεμαίου ἐμπειρίᾳ, ";for you are superior to Ptolemaeus in experience"; (Edd.), Syll 365.9 (A.D. 37) θεῶν δὲ χάριτες τούτῳ διαφέρουσιν ἀνθρωπίνων διαδοχῶν, ᾧ ἢ νυκτὸς ἥλιος κτλ. Out of ";differing"; comes also the meaning ";be at variance."; So P Lille I. 16.5 (iii/B.C.) σοί τε οὐ βούλεσθαι διαφέρεσθαι περὶ τούτου, ";qu’il ne voulait pas entrer en désaccord là-dessus avec toi"; (Ed.), P Oxy III. 496.8 (a marriage contract—A.D. 127) ἐ [ὰ ]ν δέ τι διαφέρωντα [ι ] πρὸς ἀλλήλους, of a husband and wife, P Par 69B. .10 (A.D. 233) ὁ στρατηγὸς πρὸς τῷ λογιστ [ηρίῳ τοῖς ] διαφέρουσι ἐσχόλασεν, of granting an audience to ";litigants,"; P Lond 232.7 (c. A.D. 346) (= II. p. 296) διαφέρι μοι διαφέρι δὲ καὶ. . . Παύλῳ, ";has a difference with me and has a difference also with Paul,"; and from the inscrr. Syll 929.29 (? B.C. 139) διηκούσαμεν τῶν διαφερομένων. For the subst. in the same sense, cf. the marriage-contract BGU I. 251.5 (A.D. 81) where certain provisions are made—ἐ ]ὰν δὲ διαφορᾶς [γενομένης χωρίζωνται ἀπ᾽ ἀλλή ]λων, so ib. 252.7 (A.D. 98), and P Ryl II 154.24 (A.D. 66). There remains the well attested meaning ";belongs to,"; as of property, for which LS quote only Philo—P Lond 940.28 (A.D. 226) (= III. p. 118) ἀδήλου ὄντος εἰ ὑμῖν διαφέρει ἡ κληρονομία αὐτοῦ, P Strass I. 22.22 (iii/A.D.) τοῦ νομίζοντος αὑτῷ διαφέρειν, ";since he thinks that it belongs to himself,"; ib. 26.5 (iv/A.D.) σπούδασον παρασχεῖν Ἑρμῆτι τῷ ἐμοὶ διαφέροντι τὰ δύο νομίσματα, ἃ χρεωστεῖς μοι, ";pay as soon as possible to Hermes, who belongs to my household, the two coins, which you are owing to me."; With this may be compared P Tebt II. 288.11 (A.D. 226) ὡς τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ ὑμεῖν [αὐ ]τοῖς ἅμα ἐκείνοις διοίσοντος ἐάν τι φανῇ [κε ]κακουργημέ [νο ]ν ἢ οὐ δεόντως πεπρ [α ]γμένον, ";since you not less than they will incur the risk if any misdemeanour or irregularity be proved to have occurred"; (Edd.). So P Thead 8.24 (A.D. 306), P Gen I. 62.6 (iii/A.D.), Chrest. II. 88i..30 (ii/A.D.), BGU IV. 1062.21 (A.D. 237), etc. See also CR xxiv. p. 12. The editor’s rendering of P Oxy IX. 1204.11 (A.D. 299) ὧν τὸ διαφέρον μέρος καὶ τῶν ἀποφάσεων οὕτως ἔχει, ";the essential part of the proceedings and the judgement being as follows,"; with reference to certain legal proceedings, may be taken as supporting Moffatt’s translation of Romans 2:18 καὶ δοκιμάζεις τὰ διαφέροντα, ";and with a sense of what is vital in religion"; (cf. Philippians 1:10) : τὰ διαφέροντα would thus offer a positive counterpart in popular usage to the negative τὰ ἀδιάφορα. We set with this passages where διαφέρει = Lat. interest, as P Thead 15.17 (A.D. 280–1) τὰ ἀναγκαιότερα τὰ τῷ ταμιείῳ διαφέροντα, ";most vital interests of the Treasury.";
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