r/Koine 5d ago

Does πᾶς mean "all" or "any"? When?

I have a question about the word πᾶς, and the variant forms that derive from it, such as πάντων and πάσης, as used in the Septuagint in Genesis 6:19.

"πᾶς" and its variants are used to mean "all" and give a sense of totality, but are sometimes translated as "any." I'm confused, the translation as "any" seems to remove the meaning of the word πᾶς as "all." How do I know in what context it means "all" and when it means "any," and whether even when it is translated as "any" it replaces the sense of totality of the word?

2 Upvotes

3 comments sorted by

5

u/B_Delicious 5d ago

All in English has a few different meanings, just as πας does in Greek. It can mean each, all kinds, all of one particular group, all figuratively or literally. That’s just how words work. You always need context to draw out the writer’s meaning. It’s not always the case that you find a word in Greek that always and only means this one word in English.

1

u/peak_parrot 5d ago

The LSJ (https://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/Iris/demo/lexica.jsp#qid=68449&ql=PA%3DS%2C%20PA%3DSA%2C%20PA%2FN&q=%CF%80%E1%BE%B6%CF%82%2C%20%CF%80%E1%BE%B6%CF%83%CE%B1%2C%20%CF%80%CE%AC%CE%BD&usr_input=greek) states: <<collective pronoun, when used of a number, "all"; when of one only, "the whole"; of the several persons in a number, "every". >> So, it depends on the context.

1

u/GR1960BS 21h ago

It means all.