Lexical Summary
hote: when, at the time that
Original Word: ὅτε
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: hote
Pronunciation: ho'-te
Phonetic Spelling: (hot'-eh)
KJV: after (that), as soon as, that, when, while
NASB: when, after, while, soon
Word Origin: [from G3739 (ὅς - which) and G5037 (τέ - both)]
1. at which (thing) too, i.e. when
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
after that, as soon as, when
From hos and te; at which (thing) too, i.e. When -- after (that), as soon as, that, when, while.
see GREEK hos
see GREEK te
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
hos, and
teDefinitionwhen
NASB Translationafter (5), soon (1), when (90), while (4).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3753: ὅτεὅτε, a particle of time (from
Homer down),
when;
1. with the indicative (Winers Grammar, 296f (278f)); indicative present (of something certain and customary, see Herm. ad Vig., p. 913f), while: John 9:4; Hebrews 9:17; with an historical present Mark 11:1. with the imperfect (of a thing done on occasion or customary); Mark 14:12; Mark 15:41; Mark 6:21 R G; John 21:18; Acts 12:6; Acts 22:20; Romans 6:20; Romans 7:5; 1 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 4:3; Colossians 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Peter 3:20. with an indicative aorist, Latinquom with pluperfect (Winers Grammar, § 40, 5; (Buttmann, § 137, 6)): Matthew 9:25; Matthew 13:26, 48; Matthew 17:25 (R G);
2. with the aorist subjunctive: ἕως ἄν ἥξῃ, ὅτε εἴπητε (where ὅταν, might have been expected), until the time have come, when ye have said, Luke 13:35 (R G (cf. Tr brackets)); cf. Matthiae, ii., p. 1196f; Bornemann, Scholia in Lucae evang., p. 92; Winers Grammar, 298 (279); (Bernhardy (1829), p. 400; cf. Buttmann, 231f (199)).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scope Ὅτε is the New Testament’s principal temporal conjunction, introducing clauses that fix events within time (“when,” “at the time that”). Its 103 appearances weave a chronological thread through redemptive history, anchoring doctrine to concrete moments.
Old Testament Background
Hebrew narrative likewise secures theology in time (Genesis 4:8; Exodus 12:29). Septuagint translators frequently used ὅτε to render Hebrew בְּהִ֣י and כִּי, providing the linguistic bridge that New Testament writers naturally crossed. Thus, the Gospel writers inherit a storytelling pattern in which God’s acts are dated and therefore verifiable.
Narrative Usage in the Gospels
1. Marking the Completion of Teaching: “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching” (Matthew 7:28). Ὅτε closes the Sermon on the Mount, transitioning from doctrine to response.
2. Heralding Miraculous Intervention: “When the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand” (Matthew 9:25). The conjunction ushers the reader from anticipation to fulfillment.
3. Framing Passion Events: “When they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe…” (Mark 15:20). Each “when” underlines prophecy met in real time.
Christological Moments Marked by ὅτε
• Incarnation Witnessed: Luke records, “When eight days had passed… He was named Jesus” (Luke 2:21).
• Revelation of Glory: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17).
• Final Victory: The Lamb opens each seal “when” the time arrives (Revelation 6:1–12), affirming Christ’s sovereign pacing of history.
Ecclesiological Turning Points in Acts
• Mission Expansion: “When they believed Philip as he preached the gospel… they were baptized” (Acts 8:12).
• Gentile Inclusion: “When Peter came up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him” (Acts 11:2). The conjunction frames the Church’s wrestling with its widening mandate.
• Providential Protection: “When we came to Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself” (Acts 28:16), a temporal marker that reassures readers of God’s governance over apostolic mission.
Soteriological Insights in Pauline Epistles
Paul uses ὅτε to contrast former bondage with present grace:
• Personal Testimony: “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb… was pleased” (Galatians 1:15).
• Cosmic Fulfillment: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4).
• Ethical Transformation: “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness” (Romans 6:20). Each clause hinges salvation on divinely timed intervention, underscoring both chronology and causality.
Pastoral Perspective in General Epistles
• Eschatological Sobriety: “For you know very well that when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would suffer persecution” (1 Thessalonians 3:4).
• Apostolic Warning: “For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). Ὅτε moves congregations from abstract teaching to impending reality, encouraging vigilance.
Eschatological Frame in Revelation
The Apocalypse piles up temporal clauses to signal successive stages of judgment and victory. Each opening seal, sounding trumpet, or spoken oracle is tethered to a precise “when,” assuring the Church that end-time events will unfold neither late nor early but exactly on schedule (Revelation 6; 10; 12; 22).
Theological Significance
1. Historicity: By locating doctrine in time, ὅτε protects the gospel from mythologizing.
2. Providence: The conjunction highlights God’s sovereignty over chronology—every redemptive milestone occurs “when” He wills (Romans 13:11).
3. Accountability: Temporal markers remind readers that revelation elicits timely response—obedience is not deferred but “when you hear His voice” (echoing Hebrews 3:15).
Ministry Application
Preachers and teachers may leverage ὅτε to underscore that biblical truth is anchored in real history. Counsellors can draw on its past-present contrasts to assure believers of transformation. Evangelists can point to the divinely appointed “when” of Christ’s incarnation and atonement, inviting hearers to seize the present “day of salvation.”
Summation
Ὅτε testifies that the God of Scripture acts within measurable moments. Each appearance synchronizes heaven’s purpose with earthly chronology, reinforcing faith’s foundation in space-time reality and urging timely obedience as history moves toward its consummation.
Forms and Transliterations
οτε ότε ὅτε hote hóte ote
Links
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Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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