4571. se
Lexical Summary
se: you (singular)

Original Word: σέ
Part of Speech: Pronoun
Transliteration: se
Pronunciation: seh
Phonetic Spelling: (seh)
KJV: thee, thou, X thy house
Word Origin: [accusative case singular of G4771 (σύ - yourselves)]

1. thee

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
you

Accusative case singular of su; thee -- thee, thou, X thy house.

see GREEK su

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
acc. sing. of su, q.v.

Topical Lexicon
Form and Function

σέ is the accented accusative singular of the second-person pronoun. The accent marks it as emphatic, drawing focused attention to the person addressed. While the unaccented form σε appears hundreds of times across the New Testament, the accented σέ itself is not recorded in the extant New Testament text. Its meaning is identical—“you” as direct object—but the accent signals verbal stress, the equivalent of saying “you in particular” or “you yourself.”

Biblical Context

Because the New Testament manuscripts do not exhibit the accented form, σέ must be studied primarily through:

1. The ubiquitous unaccented σε in the New Testament, whose syntactic role mirrors σέ; and
2. The Septuagint (LXX), where σέ often stands at the head of a clause or in other emphatic positions, shaping the rhetoric of praise, lament, and prophetic address.

Emphatic Nuance

Koine speakers could heighten personal address by adding an accent to otherwise enclitic pronouns. When a psalmist exclaims, “In You I trust,” the accented σέ makes God the unmistakable object of dependence. The Gospel writers achieve the same emphasis by relocating σε to the beginning of a clause or by pairing it with particles such as σὺ (nominative emphatic). In practical exegesis, an emphatic object pronoun alerts the reader to a relational or theological spotlight.

Linguistic and Textual Considerations

Accents were added to manuscripts centuries after the autographs. An early copyist hearing the text read aloud might have recognized auditory stress and chosen to write σε without an accent; a later scribe, aware of the same stress, could write σέ. Thus the absence of σέ in the New Testament reflects scribal convention, not a different spoken usage.

Septuagint Usage

The LXX, the Bible of the early Church, contains many clear examples. A few representative passages in Berean Standard Bible wording:
Psalm 25:2 — “In You, my God, I trust.” (ἐπὶ σέ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα)
Psalm 31:1 — “In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge.” (ἐπὶ σέ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα)
Psalm 145:15 — “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season.” (οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πάντων εἰς σέ ἐλπίζουσιν)

These occurrences make the personal dimension of worship unmistakable: God is not an abstract force but the One to whom individuals speak directly.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Relationship: Emphatic address underscores the personal bonds promised in Scripture—“I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
2. Accountability and Invitation: When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” the implied second-person object carries the same weight as σέ: the summons is directed to each hearer individually (Matthew 4:19; John 21:22).
3. Intercession and Lament: Israel’s prophets and poets frequently place σέ before verbs of hope or complaint, modeling candid prayer. Such forms teach believers to bring every joy and burden directly to the Lord.

Pastoral Application

• Prayer: Accented σέ encourages believers to pray with specificity—naming God as “You” rather than speaking about Him in the third person.
• Preaching: A sermon may highlight the personal directness of the gospel by pointing out how the text singles out the hearer (“Christ died for you”).
• Discipleship: Emphasizing the pronoun helps coach new believers in relational rather than merely ritual faith.

Relation to Other Pronouns

σέ belongs to a family that includes:
• σύ (nominative, often emphatic)
• σου (genitive)
• σοι (dative)

Each case supplies a different relational angle—identity, possession, benefit—while σέ focuses on direct action toward the person addressed.

Conclusion

Though σέ does not appear in the printed New Testament text, its emphatic force permeates Scripture through the unaccented σε and through countless LXX passages familiar to the apostles. Recognizing this nuance strengthens exegesis, underscores the personal nature of God’s dealings with His people, and enriches both private devotion and public ministry.

Forms and Transliterations
σε σέ σὲ se sé sè
Links
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