Lexicon
κἄν
kan
G2579
G:COND Greek

and/even if

16
Occurrences
8
Books
Greek
Language

kan marks a stated outcome as holding even under a proposed condition or at an emphatic limit.

The dominant use introduces a condition, often one presented as an extreme or conceding circumstance, while a smaller group of clauses uses it to press an example, object, or time to an emphatic limit.

Senses in use

  1. A condition allowed for or pressed to an extreme · dominant

    In clauses tagged Adverb or Conjunction, the form frames an outcome despite a proposed circumstance: in John 11:25 the APB renders life following the condition “even if he dies,” and in Matthew 26:35 Peter's refusal to deny is stated alongside dying with Jesus. Hebrews 12:20 applies the condition to a beast touching the mountain, while James 5:15 places forgiveness alongside the possibility that the weak person “has committed sins.”

  2. Emphasis on a minimal or further instance · occasional

    The form also occurs where the clause focuses on a further or minimal instance. In Acts 5:15 the APB describes Peter's shadow falling “on some of them”; in Mark 6:56 it describes touching “even the fringe of his garment,” and in Luke 12:38 it includes the “third watch” after the second.

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the clauses with “even if,” “if,” “even,” and “at least,” as in John 11:25, James 5:15, Mark 6:56, and Acts 5:15. These renderings indicate the clauses' overall conditional or emphatic force rather than a fixed English equivalent.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture