Bible Dictionaries
Now

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

is used (a) of time, the immediate present, whether in contrast to the past, e.g., John 4:18; Acts 7:52 , or to the future, e.g., John 12:27; Romans 11:31; sometimes with the article, singular or plural, e.g., Acts 4:29; 5:38; (b) of logical sequence, often partaking also of the character of (a), "now therefore, now however," as it is, e.g., Luke 11:39; John 8:40; 9:41; 15:22,24; 1 Corinthians 5:11 , RV marg., "as it is."

Note: Under (a) comes the phrase in 2 Corinthians 8:14 , with kairos, "a time," all governed by en, "in," or "at," AV, "now at this time" (RV, "at this present time").

a strengthened form of No. 1, is used (a) of time, e.g., Acts 22:1 (in the best mss.); 24:13; Romans 6:22; 15:23,25; (b) with logical import, e.g., Romans 7:17; 1 Corinthians 13:13 , which some regard as temporal (a); but if this is the significance, "the clause means, 'but faith, hope, love, are our abiding possession now in this present life.' The objection to this rendering is that the whole course of thought has been to contrast the things which last only for the present time with the things which survive. And the main contrast so far has been between love and the special [then] present activity of prophecy, tongues, knowledge. There is something of disappointment, and even of bathos, in putting as a climax to these contrasts the statement that in this present state faith, hope, love abide; that is no more than can be said of [the then existing] prophecies, tongues and knowledge. If there is to be a true climax the 'abiding' must cover the future as well as the present state. And that involves as a consequence that nuni must be taken in its logical meaning, i.e., 'as things are,' 'taking all into account' ... This logical sense of nuni ... is enforced by the dominant note of the whole passage" (R. St. John Parry, in the Camb. Greek Test.).

It is certain that love will continue eternally; and hope will not cease at the Parousia of Christ, for hope will ever look forward to the accomplishment of God's eternal purposes, a hope characterized by absolute assurance; and where hope is in exercise faith is its concomitant. Faith will not be lost in sight.

denotes "already, now already," "the subjective present, with a suggested reference to some other time, or to some expectation" (Thayer), e.g., Matthew 3:10; 14:24; Luke 11:7; John 6:17; Romans 1:10; 4:19; 13:11; Philippians 4:10 .

expressing "coincidence," and denoting "strictly present time," signifies "just now, this moment," in contrast (a) to the past, e.g., Matthew 11:12; John 2:10; 9:19,25; 13:33; Galatians 1:9,10; (b) to the future, e.g., John 13:37; 16:12,31; 1 Corinthians 13:12 (cp. No. 2 in ver. 13); 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Peter 1:6,8; (c) sometimes without necessary reference to either, e.g., Matthew 3:15; 9:18; 26:53; Galatians 4:20; Revelation 12:10 .

sometimes written separately, ap'arti, i.e., apo, "from," and No. 4, denotes "from now, henceforth," John 13:19; 14:7; Revelation 14:13 . See HENCEFORTH.

the neuter of loipos, "the rest, from now," is used adverbially with the article and translated "now" in Mark 14:41 .

"therefore, so then," is sometimes used in continuing a narrative, e.g., Acts 1:18; 1 Corinthians 9:25; or resuming it after a digression, usually rendered "therefore," e.g., Acts 11:19; 25:1 , RV (AV, "now"). In the following it is absent from the best mss., Mark 12:20; Luke 10:36; John 16:19; 18:24; 19:29 .

Note: In 2 Corinthians 5:20 oun is simply "therefore," as in RV (AV, "now then").

"but, and, now," often implying an antithesis, is rendered "now" in John 19:23; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 15:50; Galatians 1:20; Ephesians 4:9; in Acts 27:9 (1st part), RV, "and" (AV, "now"); in Galatians 4:1 , RV, "but" (AV "now").

a consecutive particle, giving stress to the word or words to which it is attached, sometimes with hardly any exact Eng. equivalent, is translated "now" in Luke 2:15 , in the words of the shepherds; in Acts 15:36 , RV (AV, "and"). Some mss. have it in 2 Corinthians 12:1; see RV marg.

Notes: (1) In 1 Corinthians 4:7 , AV, B, No. 2, followed by kai, and, is translated "now" (RV, "but"). (2) In Romans 14:15 and Philemon 1:16 , AV, ouketi, "no longer," is translated "now ... not" and "not now" (RV, "no longer"); cp. John 4:42; 21:6 , "now ... not." (3) The particle ara, "then," expressing a more informal inference than oun (B, No. 1 above), is often in Paul's Epistles coupled with oun, the phrase meaning "so then," as AV and RV in Romans 7:3,25; 9:16; 14:12; in RV only (AV, "therefore"), Romans 5:18; 8:12; 9:18; 14:19; Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:15 . In Ephesians 2:19 the AV renders it "now therefore." (4) In 1 Timothy 1:4 , the RV "so do I now" (AV, "so do") is added to complete the sentence. (5) In Hebrews 9:9 , RV, the perfect participle of enistemi, "to be present," is translated "(the time) now present" (AV, "then present," which misses the meaning). See COME , (AT) HAND, PRESENT.