Greek word · G3342

μεταξύ

metaxy

between/meanwhile

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

μεταξύ

(μετά + ξύν = σύν), [in LXX: Genesis 31:50, Judges 5:27, III Ki 15:6; 1 Kings 15:32, Wisdom of Solomon 4:10 16:19 18:23 * ;]

1. adv. of place and time (in NT time only);

(a) between: ἐν τῷ μ. (s.with χρόνῳ), John 4:31;

(b) in late writers (FlJ, Plut., al.), like μετά (adv.), after, afterwards: τὸ μ. σάββατον, Acts 13:42 (cf. Cl., Ro., I Co., 44, 2).

2. Prep. with genitive, between: of place, Matthew 23:35, Luke 11:51 16:26, Acts 12:6; of persons, as to mutual relation, Matthew 18:15, Acts 15:9, Romans 2:1-29 15:1-33.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 18:15 μεταξὺ between

    If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

    Here: 'Between you and him' sounds like the Hebrew idiom 'between me and between you'. It marks a private space shared by two people.

  2. Matthew 23:35 μεταξὺ between

    And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

    Here: "Between." It pinpoints the spot: in the priests' court, in the open space between the sanctuary building and the great altar.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 11:51 μεταξὺ between

    from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.

    Here: Places the killing precisely in the open court between the great altar and the temple building, one of the holiest spaces Israel had.

  2. Luke 16:26 μεταξὺ between

    And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

John · 1

  1. John 4:31 μεταξὺ meantime

    Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

    Here: With the article this means 'meanwhile'. It is the gap between the woman leaving for town (4:28–29) and the townspeople reaching Jesus (4:30, 39–40). John slots this conversation into that gap.

Acts · 3

  1. Acts 12:6 μεταξὺ between

    On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

    Here: Peter is physically wedged between his guards. He cannot move without waking them.

  2. Acts 13:42 μεταξὺ next

    As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the next Sabbath.

  3. Acts 15:9 μεταξὺ between

    He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.

    Here: 'Between'. It pictures a space or wall between two parties, here the line between Jews and Gentiles.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 2:15 μεταξὺ between

    So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them

    Here: Most likely 'between', as in the thoughts arguing back and forth with one another. The KJV takes it in its other sense, 'in the meanwhile'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.