phemi marks a person's stated words, whether a reply, declaration, question, or reported claim.

The occurrences consistently introduce or frame what a person states: direct replies and declarations, questions, instructions, and reported allegations. The present and imperfect forms occur in these speech settings without a clearly separate lexical use.

1. State or introduce spoken words · dominant

   The form introduces a speaker's words in direct exchanges: in Acts 16:37 Paul states the public beating and imprisonment, and in Matthew 19:21 Jesus gives a sequence of instructions. It also frames claims and denials, as in Luke 22:58, and a reported allegation in Romans 3:8; in 1 Corinthians 15:50 the first-person present form introduces a declaration about flesh and blood.

   Acts 16:37Matthew 19:21Luke 22:58Romans 3:81 Corinthians 15:50Acts 10:28

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the verses, the APB variously uses “said,” “asserted,” “declared,” “replied,” and similar speech wording. Because it translates whole verses rather than aligning individual words, these renderings show the speech context but do not establish separate meanings.