The Use of ἄλλος and έτερος in the New Testament
By Author & Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓
The Greek terms ἄλλος (allos) and ἕτερος (heteros) primarily mean “other,” or “another.” The standard koine Greek teaching that the definitions of the words ἄλλος and ἕτερος are qualitatively different has been taught throughout the world in many seminaries, universities, and Bible institutes. The difference between the two words is often explained as follows: állos means “another of the same kind,” whereas héteros means another “of a different kind.” Therefore, entrenched in Biblical scholarship is the notion that ἄλλος and ἕτερος are qualitatively *different* terms.
However, according to a published article by Dr. James Keith Elliott——Emeritus Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism at the University of Leeds——the terms ἄλλος and ἕτερος are essentially interchangeable and synonymous. Dr. Elliott writes:
Ετερος in Classical Greek is used of
division into two parts: in New Testament
Greek the sense of the dual has largely
disappeared and έτερος is often confused
with άλλος. Attempts by commentators and
grammars to differentiate the two words
are often strained. In the New Testament
the words are interchangeable and
synonymous as can be seen most clearly at
I Cor 12 10 … and Hbr 11 35-36.
(James Keith Elliott, “The Use of έτερος in
the New Testament,” Zeitschrift für die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft [Vol. 60,
Issue 1-2, 1969]).
What Dr. Elliott is saying is that the aforesaid distinction in Classical Greek largely disappeared in New Testament times. He insists that the “attempts by commentators and grammars to differentiate the two words are often strained.” He asserts that the two “words are interchangeable and synonymous.” Let’s take a look at one example which, he claims, proves this point. It is a passage where Paul enumerates the various charismatic gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to believers for the purpose of building up the “church.” 1 Cor. 12.10-11 (SBLGNT) reads:
ἄλλῳ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, ἄλλῳ
προφητεία, ἄλλῳ διακρίσεις πνευμάτων,
ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν, ἄλλῳ ἑρμηνεία
γλωσσῶν · πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν
καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ
καθὼς βούλεται.
Translation (NRSV):
to another the working of miracles, to
another prophecy, to another the
discernment of spirits, to another various
kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are
activated by one and the same Spirit, who
allots to each one individually just as the
Spirit chooses.
Notice that “all these [gifts] are activated by one and the same Spirit.” So we are not talking about qualitative differences “of a different kind.” Observe also that the two words ἄλλῳ and ἑτέρῳ are used as interchangeable and synonymous terms! The aforementioned distinction between ἄλλος “of the same kind” versus έτερος “of a different kind” doesn’t apply in this particular context. Let’s now look at the second example, which Dr. James Keith Elliott provides, namely, Heb. 11.35-36:
ἔλαβον γυναῖκες ἐξ ἀναστάσεως τοὺς
νεκροὺς αὐτῶν · ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτυμπανίσθησαν,
οὐ προσδεξάμενοι τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, ἵνα
κρείττονος ἀναστάσεως τύχωσιν · ἕτεροι δὲ
ἐμπαιγμῶν καὶ μαστίγων πεῖραν ἔλαβον, ἔτι
δὲ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῆς ·
Translation:
Women received their dead by resurrection.
Others were tortured, refusing to accept
release, in order to obtain a better
resurrection. Others suffered mocking and
flogging, and even chains and
imprisonment.
In this pericope, the author of Hebrews is praising the giants of faith who were all unquestionably “of one kind,” and “not of another.” But notice that in discussing the faith of the Patriarchs——who were afflicted, persecuted, and tortured——the words ἄλλοι and ἕτεροι are used interchangeably. The people thus described are not qualitatively different. On the contrary, they are of the same kind: the heroes of faith! Once again, the assumed qualitative distinction between ἄλλοι and ἕτεροι does not exist.
In many instances, Dr. James Keith Elliott says that “scribes simply replace έτερος by άλλος.” For example, at Mt 10.23 some manuscripts read έτέραν, “but most Greek witnesses read άλλην.“ Mt. 10.23 reads:
ὅταν δὲ διώκωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ,
φεύγετε εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν · ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω
ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ τελέσητε τὰς πόλεις τοῦ
Ἰσραὴλ ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
Translation:
When they persecute you in one town, flee
to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not
have gone through all the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.
Dr. Elliott argues that “In both places έτέραν is used in a non Classical way and is likely therefore to be what the original author wrote.” Elliott points to similar variants that occur for the same reasons in Lk. 10.1 (άλλους); Acts 8.34 (άλλον); Lk. 14.20 (άλλος); Lk. 4.43 (έτερος); Lk. 11.26 (ἕτερα); Lk. 22.65 (ἕτερα); and Jn 9.9 (ἄλλοι). In other words, in New Testament times, άλλην and έτέραν are seen as interchangeable and synonymous terms. Elliott writes:
At Lc 16 18 some mss. read άλλην for
an original έτέραν where assimilation to Mt
19 9 and Mc 10 11 may have been
responsible for the variant. This parallel
shows how easily έτερος and άλλος were
interchangeable within the New Testament
period itself.
If that’s the case, then let’s look at Lk. 16.18, which uses the word ἑτέραν:
Πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ
γαμῶν ἑτέραν μοιχεύει, καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην
ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς γαμῶν μοιχεύει.
Translation:
Anyone who divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery, and whoever
marries a woman divorced from her
husband commits adultery.
Now let’s compare Lk. 16.18 to a parallel passage, Mt 19.9, which uses the alternative term ἄλλην. Mt. 19.9 says thusly:
λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν
γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ γαμήσῃ
ἄλλην μοιχᾶται καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην
γαμήσας μοιχᾶται.
Translation:
And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife,
except for unchastity, and marries another
commits adultery.
Notice how ἑτέραν in Lk. 16.18 becomes ἄλλην in Mt. 19.9, which demonstrates that the two terms are indeed interchangeable. Let’s also follow Elliott’s advice and compare yet another parallel, namely, Mk. 10.11:
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς · Ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν
γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται
ἐπ’ αὐτήν.
Translation:
He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife
and marries another commits adultery
against her.’
Let’s now explore a different set of passages. Specifically, let’s look at Lk 8.6 and compare it to the parallel passage in Mk. 4.5. Lk 8.6 employs the term ἕτερον and reads as follows:
καὶ ἕτερον κατέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, καὶ
φυὲν ἐξηράνθη διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα.
Translation:
Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it
withered for lack of moisture.
However, the parallel passage in Mk. 4.5 uses the word ἄλλο instead. It reads:
καὶ ἄλλο ⸃ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ πετρῶδες ὅπου
οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθὺς
ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς ·
Translation:
Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did
not have much soil, and it sprang up
quickly, since it had no depth of soil.
Elliott also adds Mt. 13.5 (ἄλλα) to the mix as a counterpoint:
ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ
εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν
διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς.
Translation:
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where
they did not have much soil, and they
sprang up quickly, since they had no depth
of soil.
Let’s now examine a completely different set of parallel passages and verbal agreements. According to Elliott, “at Mt. 16.14b έτεροι is read where the parallel passages in Mc 8 28 and Lc 9 19 read άλλοι.” So, let’s take a quick look at these final examples before we end our study. Mt. 16.14 uses both words (ἄλλοι and ἕτεροι) and says:
οἱ δὲ εἶπαν · Οἱ μὲν Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν,
ἄλλοι δὲ Ἠλίαν, ἕτεροι δὲ Ἰερεμίαν ἢ ἕνα
τῶν προφητῶν.
Translation:
And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah
or one of the prophets.’
Notice that the parallel passage in Mk. 8.28 uses ἄλλοι in the same place where Mt. 16.14 used ἕτεροι. Mk 8.28 reads as follows:
οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες ⸃ ὅτι Ἰωάννην
τὸν βαπτιστήν, καὶ ἄλλοι Ἠλίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ
ὅτι εἷς ⸃ τῶν προφητῶν.
Translation:
And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist;
and others, Elijah; and still others, one of
the prophets.’
Lk. 9.19 is yet another parallel passage which uses the variant ἄλλοι. Lk. 9.19 reads:
οἱ δὲ ἀποκριθέντες εἶπαν · Ἰωάννην τὸν
βαπτιστήν, ἄλλοι δὲ Ἠλίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ ὅτι
προφήτης τις τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀνέστη.
Translation:
They answered, ‘John the Baptist; but
others, Elijah; and still others, that one of
the ancient prophets has arisen.’
Conclusion
Based on the numerous parallel passages that we studied, it is quite obvious that the Classical Greek qualitative distinction between άλλος and έτερος had largely disappeared in New Testament times. As can be seen from the previous New Testament examples, and from Dr. James Keith Elliott’s study, the words άλλος (allos) and έτερος (heteros) are interchangeable and synonymous terms!