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Bible Dictionaries
Means
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words
or an adverb from pas, "all," denoting "wholly, altogether, entirely," is used in 1 Corinthians 9:22 , "by all means." When the Apostle says, "I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some," he is simply speaking of his accommodating himself to various human conditions consistently with fidelity to the truth, with no unscriptural compliance with men, but in the exercise of self denial; "by all means" refers to the preceding context from 1 Corinthians 9:18 , and stresses his desire to be used in the salvation of some. It is found in Acts 21:22 , RV, "certainly." Some mss. have the word in this sense in Acts 18:21 (AV). See ALTOGETHER , B, No. 1.
"at all, somehow, in any way," is used after the conjunction (a) ei, "if," meaning "if by any means," e.g., Acts 27:12; Romans 1:10; 11:14; Philippians 3:11; (b) me, "lest, lest by any means," e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:9; 9:27; 2 Corinthians 2:7 , RV (AV, "perhaps"); 2 Corinthians 9:4 , RV (AV, "haply"); 11:3; 12:20, RV; Galatians 2:2; 4:11 , RV (AV, "lest"); 1 Thessalonians 3:5 (AV, "lest by some means").
"out of, from, by," suggesting "the source from which something is done," is sometimes rendered "by means of," e.g., Luke 16:9 , RV, "by means of (the mammon of unrighteousness);" AV, "of;" 2 Corinthians 1:11 , "by (the) means of (many)."
"by, by means of," when followed by the genitive case, is instrumental, e.g., 2 Peter 3:6 , RV, "by which means" (AV, "whereby").
an interrogative adverb (different from No. 2), "how, in what way," Luke 8:36 , AV, "by what means," RV, "how;" so John 9:21; cp. Note (4) below.
Notes: (1) In Luke 5:18 the AV adds the word "means" in italics. (2) The word tropos, "a manner, way," is sometimes used in a prepositional phrase, e.g., 2 Thessalonians 2:3 , AV, "by any means," RV, "in any wise, lit., "in any manner;" 3:16, AV, "by all means," RV, "in all ways," lit., "in every manner." (3) The double negative ou me, i.e., "no not," "not at all," is translated "by no means," Matthew 5:26; in Luke 10:19 , "by any means," AV (RV, "in any wise"); Luke 12:59 , RV, "by no means" (AV, "not). (4) In Acts 4:9 , the phrase en, "in" or "by," with tini (from tis, "who"), lit., "in whom" (RV, marg.), is translated "by what means." (5) In Hebrews 9:15 , RV, the verb ginomai, "to come to be, become, take place," used in its 2nd aorist participle, is rightly translated "(a death) having taken place;" AV, "by means of (death)." (6) In Revelation 13:14 , RV, dia, followed by the accusative case, is rightly translated "by reason of," i.e., "on account of" (AV, wrongly, "by the means of").These files are public domain.
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Means'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/m/means.html. 1940.
