BIBLE GREEK WORD STUDY
Oun — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Oun (G3767) is a Greek adverbial-conjunctive particle used to draw a conclusion or move a narrative forward, most often translated 'therefore,' 'then,' or 'so.'
Meaning of the word
Oun is one of the most common connective words in Koine Greek. It functions both as an adverb ('certainly, indeed') and, far more frequently, as a conjunction ('therefore, accordingly, then, so'). The lexical entry captures this dual role: adverbially it adds certainty or emphasis; conjunctionally it signals that what follows is a logical consequence of what precedes.
The word is not a content word carrying theological weight on its own. Its importance lies in showing how a New Testament writer reasons — that a command, question, or exhortation has been prompted by something just said. When Matthew opens a sentence with 'Therefore...,' he is inviting the reader to recall the teaching or situation that precedes and to see the next instruction as flowing from it.
Because oun is so frequent, its force varies with context. It can introduce a solemn conclusion (as in Matthew 5:48, 'Ye therefore shall be perfect'), a practical application (Matthew 6:2, 'When therefore thou doest alms'), or simply advance dialogue (John 1:21, 'What then?'). Readers should treat it as a signal to ask: 'What is the writer drawing out from what he has just said?'
Usage in Scripture
In the Gospel of Matthew, oun appears heavily in the Sermon on the Mount. Verses such as Matthew 5:19, 5:23, 5:48, and 6:2, 6:8, 6:9, 6:31, 6:34 show Jesus drawing practical conclusions from the character of God, from the laws He has just stated, or from the examples He has set. Each 'therefore' ties a new instruction back to a revealed premise.
In Matthew 7, the particle continues to gather Jesus' teaching into a unified challenge: 7:11 ('If ye then...') moves from human fatherhood to God's generosity; 7:12 ('All things therefore whatsoever...') sums up the law and the prophets; 7:24 ('Every one therefore that heareth...') applies the whole sermon to the listener's life. In John 1:21, the same word carries a simpler, conversational force — 'What then?' — moving an interview forward rather than drawing a theological conclusion.
Readers should keep in mind that 'therefore' in the Bible is rarely filler. When a New Testament writer uses oun, he is almost always asking the audience to carry the prior context into the next statement. Skipping the word can hide the reasoning that the author considered essential.
The word in detail
- G3767 Oun (G3767) is a particle that links clauses by drawing a conclusion or moving a narrative forward. It is adverbial ('certainly') when emphasizing and conjunctional ('therefore, then, so') when connecting reasoning. Its weight depends entirely on what precedes it; translators often render it 'therefore,' 'then,' 'so,' or even omit it in English.
Example verses
- Matthew 5:48 Here 'therefore' gathers Jesus' preceding teaching about love and perfection and presses it into a single command: be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. The particle shows the standard is a conclusion drawn from God's revealed character.
- Matthew 6:2 After warning against practicing righteousness to be seen, Jesus says 'When therefore thou doest alms.' The word ties the warning directly to the listener's next act of giving, making the warning a premise for action.
- Matthew 7:12 'All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you...' — the particle gathers the whole preceding teaching into the golden rule and identifies it as 'the law and the prophets.'
- John 1:21 In the priests' interrogation of John the Baptist, 'What then?' uses oun conversationally to press the dialogue forward, asking him to state his identity after each negative answer.
Common questions
Is oun a conjunction or an adverb?
The Greek lexicon describes it as doing double duty: as an adverb it adds certainty ('certainly, indeed'), and as a conjunction it draws conclusions ('therefore, accordingly'). Most of its roughly fifty New Testament uses are conjunctive.
Should 'therefore' in the Bible always be translated as a strong logical conclusion?
Not always. In passages like John 1:21 ('What then?') the word simply moves the conversation along. The strength of 'therefore' should be measured by the closeness of the logical link between what precedes and what follows in that specific sentence.
Why is oun so frequent in Matthew's Gospel?
Matthew organizes Jesus' teaching in tight logical blocks, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. Oun helps the evangelist move from premise to application, so commands about almsgiving, prayer, and judgment each carry an explicit 'because of what I have just said' marker.