οὖν a conjunction indicating that something follows from another necessarily; (others regard the primary force of the particle as confirmatory or continuative, rather than illative; cf. Passow, or Liddell and Scott, under the word; Kühner, § 508, 1 ii., p. 707ff; Bäumlein, p. 173ff; Krüger, § 69, 52; Donaldson, p. 571; Rost in a program Ueber Ableitung, as above, p. 2; Klotz, p. 717; Hartung 2:4). Hence, it is used in drawing a conclusion and in connecting sentences together logically, then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so ((Klotz, Rost, others, have wished to derive the word from the neuter participle ὄν (cf. ὄντως); but see Bäumlein or Kühner, as above); cf. Winer's Grammar, § 53, 8): Matthew 3:10; Matthew 10:32 (since persecutions are not to be dreaded, and consequently furnish no excuse for denying me (cf. Winer's Grammar, 455 (424))); Matthew 18:4; Luke 3:9; Luke 16:27; John 8:38 (καί ὑμεῖς οὖν, and ye accordingly, i. e. 'since, as is plain from my case, sons follow the example of their fathers'; Jesus says this in sorrowful irony (Winer's Grammar, 455 (424))); Acts 1:21 (since the office of the traitor Judas must be conferred on another); Romans 5:9; Romans 6:4; Romans 13:10; 1 Corinthians 4:16 (since I hold a father's place among you); 2 Corinthians 5:20; James 4:17, and many other examples As respects details, notice that it stands
a. in exhortations (to show what ought now to be done by reason of what has been said), equivalent to wherefore (our transitional therefore): Matthew 3:8; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 9:38; Luke 11:35; Luke 21:14, 36 (R G L marginal reading Tr marginal reading); Acts 3:19; Acts 13:40; Romans 6:12; Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 16:11; 2 Corinthians 8:24; Ephesians 5:1; Ephesians 6:14 Philippians 2:29; Colossians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:8; Hebrews 4:1, 11; Hebrews 10:35; James 4:7; James 5:7; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 Peter 5:6; Revelation 1:19 (G L T Tr WH); Revelation 3:3, 19, and often; νῦν οὖν, now therefore, Acts 16:36.
b. in questions, then, therefore (Latin igitur);
α. when the question is, what follows or seems to follow from what has been said: Matthew 22:28; Matthew 27:22 (Winer's Grammar, 455 (424)); Mark 15:12; Luke 3:10; Luke 20:15, 33; John 8:5; τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Romans 6:1; Romans 7:7; Romans 9:14; τί οὖν φημί; 1 Corinthians 10:19; τί οὖν; what then? i. e. how then does the matter stand? (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 64, 2 a.), John 1:21 (here WH marginal reading punct. τί οὖν σύ;) Romans 3:9; Romans 6:15; Romans 11:7; also τί οὖν ἐστιν; (what is it then?) Acts 21:22; 1 Corinthians 14:15, 26.
β. when it is asked, whether this or that follows from what has just been said: Matthew 13:28; Luke 22:70; John 18:39; Romans 3:31; Galatians 3:21.
γ. when it is asked, how something which is true or regarded as true, or what someone does, can be reconciled with what has been previously said or done: Matthew 12:26; Matthew 13:27; Matthew 17:10 (where the thought is, 'thou commandest us to tell no one about this vision we have had of Elijah; what relation then to this vision has the doctrine of the scribes concerning the coming of Elijah? Is not this doctrine confirmed by the vision?'); Matthew 19:7; Matthew 26:54; Luke 20:17; John 4:11 (Tdf. omits οὖν); Acts 15:10 (νῦν οὖν, now therefore, i. e. at this time, therefore, when God makes known his will so plainly); Acts 19:3; Romans 4:1 (where the meaning is, 'If everything depends on faith, what shall we say that Abraham gained by outward things, i. e. by works?' (but note the critical texts)); 1 Corinthians 6:15; Galatians 3:5.
δ. in general, it serves simply to subjoin questions suggested by what has just been said: Romans 3:27; Romans 4:9f.; Romans 6:21; 11:11; 1 Corinthians 3:5, etc.
c. in epanalepsis, i. e. it serves to resume a thought or narrative interrupted by intervening matter (Matthiae, 2, p. 1497; (Winers Grammar, 444 (414))), like Latin igitur, inquam, our as was said, say I, to proceed, etc.; Mark 3:31 (R G) (cf. Mark 3:21); Luke 3:7 (cf. Luke 3:3); John 4:45 (cf. John 4:43); John 6:24 (cf. John 6:22); 1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Corinthians 11:20 (cf. John 11:18); add, Mark 16:19 (Tr marginal reading brackets οὖν); Acts 8:25; Acts 12:5; Acts 13:4; Acts 15:3, 30; Acts 23:31; Acts 25:1; Acts 28:5. It is used also when one passes at length to a subject about which he had previously intimated an intention to speak: Acts 26:4, 9.
d. it serves to gather up summarily what has already been said, or even what cannot be narrated at length: Matthew 1:17; Matthew 7:24 (where no reference is made to what has just before been said (?), but all the moral precepts of the Serm. on the Mount are summed up in a single rule common to all); Luke 3:18; John 20:30; Acts 26:22.
e. it serves to adapt examples and comparisons to the case in hand: John 3:29; John 16:22; — or to add examples to illustrate the subject under consideration: Romans 12:20 Rec.
f. In historical discourse it serves to make the transition from one tiring to another, and to connect the several parts and portions of the narrative, since the new occurrences spring from or are occasioned by what precedes (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 60, 3): Luke 6:9 R G; numberless times so in John, as John 1:22 (Lachmann omits); John 2:18; 4:9 (Tdf. omits); John 6:60,67; 7:6 (G T omit), John 7:25,28,33,35,40; John 8:13,19,22,25,31,57; 9:7f,10,16; 11:12,16,21,32,36; 12:1-4; 13:12; 16:17,22; 18:7,11f,16,27-29; 19:20-24,32,38,40; 21:5-7, etc.
g. with other conjunction οὖν, so then, Latin hinc igitur, in Paul; see ἄρα, 5. εἰ οὖν, if then (where what has just been said and proved is carried over to prove something else), see εἰ, III. 12; (εἰ μέν οὖν, see μέν, II. 4, p. 398{b}). εἴτε οὖν... εἴτε, whether then... or: 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Corinthians 15:11. ἐπεί οὖν, since then: Hebrews 2:14; Hebrews 4:6; for which also a participle is put with οὖν, as Acts 2:30; Acts 15:2 (T Tr WH δέ); Acts 17:29; 19:36; 25:17; 26:22; Romans 5:1; Romans 15:28; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 4:14; Hebrews 10:19; 1 Peter 4:1; 2 Peter 3:11 (WH Tr marginal reading οὕτως). ἐάν οὖν, if then ever, in case then, or rather, therefore if, therefore in case (for in this formula, οὖν, although placed in the protasis, yet belongs more to the apodosis, since it shows what will necessarily follow from what precedes if the condition introduced by ἐάν shall ever take place): Matthew 5:23 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 455 (424)); Matthew 6:22 (here Tdf. omits οὖν); Matthew 24:26; Luke 4:7; John 6:62; John 8:36; Romans 2:26; 1 Corinthians 14:11, 23; 2 Timothy 2:21; ἐάν οὖν μή, Revelation 3:3; so also ὅταν οὖν, when therefore: Matthew 6:2; Matthew 21:40; Matthew 24:15, and R G in Luke 11:34. ὅτε οὖν, when (or after) therefore, so when: John 13:12, 31 ((30) Rec.bez elz L T Tr WH); John 19:30; 21:15; equivalent to hence, it came to pass that, when etc., John 2:22; John 19:6, 8. ὡς οὖν, when (or after) therefore: John 4:1, 40; John 11:6; John 18:6; John 20:11; John 21:9; ὡς οὖν, as therefore, Colossians 2:6. ὥσπερ οὖν, Matthew 13:40. μέν οὖν, followed by δέ (cf. Buttmann, § 149, 16), Mark 16:19 (Tr marginal reading brackets οὖν); John 19:25; Acts 1:6; Acts 8:4, 25; 1 Corinthians 9:25, etc.; without an adversative conjunc. following, see μέν, II. 4. νῦν οὖν, see above under a., and b. γ.
h. As to position, it is never the first word in the sentence, but generally the second, sometimes the third (sometimes even the fourth, Winer's Grammar, § 61, 6); as (περί τῆς βρώσεως οὖν etc. 1 Corinthians 8:4); οἱ μέν οὖν, Acts 2:41, and often; πολλά μέν οὖν, John 20:30.
i. John uses this particle in his Gospel far more frequently ((more than two hundred times in all)) than the other N. T. writers; in his Epistles only in the following passages: 1 John 2:24 (where G L T Tr WH have expunged it); 1 John 4:19 Lachmann; 3 John 1:8. ((From Homer down.))

BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's