Greek word · G3634

οἷος

hoios

such as

A set biblical formula for incomparability: 'such as has not been... nor ever will be'. οἷος means 'of the kind that'. The negated past and the emphatic negated future together claim that this event has no equal.

Appears 14 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

οἷος, -α, -ον

relat. pron., qualitative (related to ὅς as qualis to qui), what sort or manner of, such as, in NT usually without its correl. τοιοῦτος : Matthew 24:21, Mark 9:3, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 2 Timothy 3:11, Revelation 16:18; before τοιοῦτος, 1 Corinthians 15:48 15:2 2 Corinthians 10:11; id. redundant, Mark 13:19; τ. αὑτὸν . . . σἷον, Philippians 1:30; οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι, elliptically, but it is not as though (RV), Romans 9:6.†

(AS)

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

In depth

From the study of Matthew 24:21

Range of meaning: A set biblical formula for incomparability: 'such as has not been... nor ever will be'. οἷος means 'of the kind that'. The negated past and the emphatic negated future together claim that this event has no equal.
Against the English: KJV/ESV 'such as has not been... no, nor ever shall be' follow the Greek closely. BSB 'unseen... never to be seen again' and NIV 'unequaled... never to be equaled again' turn it into a smooth superlative. NLT changes it into an explicit comparison of size ('greater anguish than at any time').
How it drifted: Modern readers tend to take a superlative as a statistical claim that can be checked against casualty figures. In Hebrew and Jewish idiom the formula marks something as supremely terrible or supremely great, and the same formula can be applied to more than one event.
Used elsewhere in the period: Exod 11:6 (the cry in Egypt 'such as has never been, nor will be again'); Exod 10:14 (the locusts); Joel 2:2 ('such as has never been from of old, nor will be after it'); Dan 12:1; Ezek 5:9; 1 Macc 9:27 ('great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time prophets ceased'). The kings formula is a telling case: Hezekiah had no equal 'before him or after him' (2 Kgs 18:5), and so did Josiah (2 Kgs 23:25). Josephus opens his Jewish War (1.12) saying that the misfortunes of all peoples since the world began fall short of what the Jews suffered in the war of AD 66–70.

From the study of Mark 13:19

Range of meaning: A fixed biblical way of saying 'unprecedented and unrepeatable.' It denies anything like it in the past (perfect tense) and in the future (ou mē with the subjunctive, the strongest future denial in Greek).
Against the English: Most versions keep both halves. BSB's 'unseen … never to be seen again' changes 'happen' to 'be seen.' NLT turns it into a comparison ('greater anguish … never be so great again'). YLT's 'may not be' sounds like a wish or a possibility, when the Greek is a firm denial.
Used elsewhere in the period: The same formula appears in Exodus 9:18, 24 (hail 'such as had not been in Egypt since it became a nation'), Exodus 11:6 (a cry 'such as has not been, nor ever will be again'), Joel 2:2, Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1. It is also used outside of disasters, for example of kings who had no equal before or after (2 Kings 18:5; 23:25). First Maccabees 9:27 uses it of Israel's distress after Judas Maccabeus died. Josephus opens his Jewish War (preface, 1.12) by saying that the misfortunes of all peoples since the world began were small compared with those of the Jews in the war against Rome.

From the study of Romans 9:6

Range of meaning: οἷος means "of what kind, such as". In classical Greek οὐχ οἷον followed by an infinitive meant "it is not possible that". οὐχ ὅτι meant "not that…". Paul's phrase appears to blend the two.
Against the English: Most versions: "It is not as though…". YLT follows the classical idiom: "it is not possible that the word of God hath failed". That is stronger, and it is grammatically debatable because Paul uses ὅτι with a finite verb, not an infinitive.
Used elsewhere in the period: BDAG (the standard Greek–English lexicon of the New Testament) and Blass–Debrunner's grammar (§304) treat Romans 9:6 as a mixed construction meaning "it is by no means as though". It is the only New Testament occurrence.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

Matthew 24:21 οἵα such as

For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

Here: Brings in a comparison of kind and degree: distress of a sort that has had no equal. It echoes word for word the Greek of Daniel 12:1.

Mark · 2

Mark 9:3 οἷα such as

His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.

Here: 'Such as…cannot': a whiteness of a kind no human craftsman produces. It brings in the comparison with the fuller.
Mark 13:19 οἵα such as

For those will be days of tribulation unseen from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again.

Here: Brings in the comparison: distress of a kind that... It is picked up again by 'the like' (toiautē) a few words later.

Romans · 1

Romans 9:6 οἷον as

It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Here: Combined with οὐχ and ὅτι it makes an idiom: "the situation is not of the kind that…", i.e. "it is not as though…". It denies that this is the right way to describe what has happened.

1 Corinthians · 2

1 Corinthians 15:48 οἷος οἷος As, as

As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

2 Corinthians · 3

2 Corinthians 10:11 οἷοί such as

Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.
2 Corinthians 12:20 οἵους οἷον such as

For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

Here: 'The kind of people'. The concern is their character and condition, not only their behaviour on one day.

Philippians · 1

Philippians 1:30 οἷον such as

since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Here: 'The kind which'. It agrees with 'contest' and links the Philippians' struggle to the one they watched Paul go through.

1 Thessalonians · 1

1 Thessalonians 1:5 οἷοι what

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.

Here: 'What sort of people': their character and conduct, not just where they lived or how long they stayed.

2 Timothy · 2

2 Timothy 3:11 οἷά οἵους such as, what manner of

my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

Here: 'The kind of things that…'. It introduces the specific, known examples Timothy would remember.

Revelation · 1

Revelation 16:18 οἷος such as

And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake.

Here: Opens the comparison 'such as never…'. This is the language Scripture uses for something that has never happened before (Exod 9:18, 24; Dan 12:1).

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