φημί

φημί 2 sg. φῄς (Just.), 3 sg. φησίν, 3 pl. φασίν Ro 3:8; 2 Cor 10:10 v.l.; 3 sg. of impf. and 2 aor. ἔφη (s. Kühner-Bl. II 210), 3 pl. ἔφασαν (Esth 10:31; Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 5 Jac. [Eus., PE 9, 29, 16]); fut. φήσω (Just.); 1 aor. 3 sg. ἔφησεν 2 Macc 3:27 al. (Hom.+).

① to state someth. orally or in writing, say, affirm w. direct discourse

ⓐ w. interchange of first and third persons in dialogue Hv 2, 4, 1; 3, 2, 1; 3, 3, 1f and oft.

ⓑ introducing direct discourse

α. preceding it ὁ δέ φησιν• οὔ, μήποτε … Mt 13:29. Cp. 26:61; 27:11, 23; Mk 10:29; J 9:38; 18:29; Ac 7:2; 8:36; 10:30 al. Oft. w. dat. of the pers. addressed ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς• πάλιν γέγραπται … Mt 4:7. Cp. 13:28; 21:27; Mk 9:12; 14:29; Lk 7:44; Ac 26:32. Also πρός τινα (TestAbr A 15 p. 96, 7 [Stone p. 40]) Lk 22:70; Ac 10:28; 16:37; 26:1.—Used w. a ptc. to denote the nature of the statement ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔφη• κύριε … Mt 8:8. Cp. Lk 23:3, 40.

β. inserted after the first word or words of the direct discourse (Oenomaus in Eus., PE 6, 7, 8 ἀγγελῶ, νὴ Δία, φήσει τις, …; TestJob 34:4; JosAs 24:8; Just., D. 1, 3) δός μοι, φησίν, ὧδε … Mt 14:8. ποίας; φησίν 19:18 v.l. Cp. Lk 7:40 (here φησίν stands at the close of a direct quot. consisting of only two words; cp. Just., D. 3, 7 οὐ γάρ, φημί); Ac 2:38 v.l.; 23:35; 25:5, 22; 26:25. ὡς ἔφην Papias (2:15) (ApcMos 42).

ⓒ without a subj., where it is self-evident ὅρα γάρ φησιν ποιήσεις πάντα for see to it, (God) says (Ex 25:40; Just., D. 126, 6; Mel., P. 12, 78; Ath. 32, 1), you must make everything Hb 8:5. But φησίν is also used impersonally, it is said, so that it can also go w. a plural subject that makes a statement (cp. Demosth. 23, 31; ViJer 8 [p. 72, 12 Sch.]; Epict., Enchir. 24, 2; Maximus Tyr. 5, 4a) αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ μέν, φησίν, βαρεῖαι 2 Cor 10:10 (the subject of this statement is the opposition to Paul in the Corinthian church; hence the v.l. φασίν). οὐ δεῖν, φησίν (i.e. gnostics) προφήταις χρῆσθαι AcPlCor 1:10. W. scripture quotations φησίν it says (φησίν abs. w. a quot. fr. Aratus: Synes., Prov. 2, 5 p. 125a) 1 Cor 6:16; 1 Cl 30:2; 2 Cl 7:6; B 7:7.

ⓓ φησίν, in introducing scripture quot., can be pred. to a wide variety of subjects (cp. φησὶν ὁ λόγος Pla., Phil. 51c; Maximus Tyr. 22, 5b; Just., D. 93, 3) φησὶν ὁ ἅγιος λόγος 1 Cl 13:3. (τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον) 16:2. αὐτός (=ὁ κύριος) φησιν 16:15. ὁ θεός 33:5. ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς Δαυίδ 52:2.

② to say someth. that provides a fuller explanation of a statement, mean by one’s statement (Artem. 1, 67 p. 62, 16 φημὶ δὲ ἐγώ=but I mean), w. acc. (Diod S 37, 29, 5 Κράσσον φημί; Syntipas p. 10, 12) τοῦτο 1 Cor 7:29; cp. 10:15, 19. Foll. by ὅτι 1 Cor 10:19 (Caecil. Calact., Fgm. 103 p. 93, 18 ἀλλὰ τί φημι; ὅτι κτλ.); τοῦτο ὅτι 15:50. Foll. by acc. and inf. (Synes., Kingship 15 p. 14c) Ro 3:8; Papias (3:2).—HFournier, Les verbes ‘dire’ en Grec ancien ’46. B. 1257. DELG. M-M.