φημί; imperfect 
ἔφην; (from 
φάω, to bring forth into the light (cf. 
Curtius, § 407)); hence (from 
Homer down) properly, 
to make known one's thoughts, to declare; to say: 
ἔφη, he said (once on a time), 
Matthew 26:61; historical writers, in quoting the words of anyone, prefix 
φησίν, 
ἔφη (Latin
ait, inquit): 
Luke 22:58; 
Acts 8:36, and often: 
φησίν and 
ἔφη are used of a person replying, 
Matthew 13:29; 
Luke 7:40; 
John 1:23; 
John 9:38; 
Acts 7:2, etc.; of one who asks a question, 
Matthew 27:23; 
Acts 16:30; 
Acts 21:37; 
ἔφη μεγάλη τῇ φωνή, 
Acts 26:24; 
ἀποκριθείς ἔφη, 
Matthew 8:8; (
φησίν is interjected into the recorded speech of another (cf. 
Winer's Grammar, § 61, 6), 
Matthew 14:8; 
Acts 25:5, 
22; 
Acts 26:25; also 
ἔφη, 
Acts 23:35; 
φησίν, like the Latin
ait, inquit, is employed especially in the later Greek usage with an indefinite subject (`impersonally') (cf.
man sagt, on dit, 
they say) (inserted in a sentence containing the words of another (cf. 
Winer's Grammar, as above)): 
2 Corinthians 10:10 where 
L Tr marginal reading 
WH marginal reading 
φασίν (cf. 
Passow, ii, p. 2238a; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 1); 
Buttmann, § 129, 19; (
Winer's Grammar, § 58, 9{b}. 
β.; § 64, 3)). 
φησίν namely, 
ὁ Θεός, 
1 Corinthians 6:16 (here Lachmann brackets 
φησίν); 
Hebrews 8:5; (
Winer's Grammar, 522 (486f)). The constructions of the verb are the following: 
ἔφη αὐτῷ, 
αὐτοῖς, he replied to him, to them, 
Matthew 4:7; 
Matthew 13:28; 
Matthew 21:27, etc.; Mark (
Mark 9:12 T Tr text 
WH); 
Matt. 14:29; 
Luke 7:44; 
Acts 26:32; 
ἀποκριθείς αὐτῷ ἔφη, 
Luke 23:3; 
ἔφη πρός τινα, 
Luke 22:70; 
Acts 10:28; 
Acts 16:37; 
Acts 26:1; with an accusative of the thing, 
1 Corinthians 10:15, 
19; followed by 
ὅτι, 
1 Corinthians 10:19; 
τοῦτο etc. 
ὅτι, 
1 Corinthians 7:29 (
Rec.bez elz; others omit 
ὅτι); 
1 Corinthians 15:50; followed by an accusative with an infinitive, 
Romans 3:8. (On its alleged omission, see 
Winer's Grammar, § 64, 7 a. Compare: 
σύμφημι.) 
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