Understanding the Significance of Arti in Greek

ἄρτι marks the present moment as the relevant time in a statement, whether in speech, narration, or prediction. In the passages below it can point to an immediate allowance, a newly arrived condition, a present boundary (“until now”), or a decisive “from now on” that frames what follows.

Occurrences

“But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.” (Matthew 3:15)

Here “now” presses for a present, time-specific permission. Jesus’ words make the requested action appropriate at this moment (“Allow it now”), tying the immediate act to a larger purpose (“to fulfill all righteousness”) without shifting the focus away from the present necessity.

“While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”” (Matthew 9:18)

“Now” (expressed in the ruler’s report as “has just died”) situates the crisis at the freshest point possible: death has occurred and the situation demands prompt attention. The adverb belongs to the urgency of the appeal—what has happened has happened immediately prior to this request.

“From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

“Until now” sets the endpoint of a time span that begins “from the days of John the Baptizer.” The phrase pulls the whole period up to the present moment of speaking, portraying the described condition (“suffers violence”) as extending right up to “now,” not as a merely past phenomenon.

“For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”” (Matthew 23:39)

“From now on” establishes a new boundary in time, marking a change that begins at the present and continues forward. The forward-looking line is further shaped by “until you say…,” so “now” functions as the start point of an interval of non-seeing that lasts to a specified future confession.

“But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”” (Matthew 26:29)

Again “from now on” marks the starting line of an abstention that begins immediately. “Now” is not merely descriptive; it anchors a decision (“I will not drink…”) in the present, while the “until that day” clause projects the next occasion into a defined future setting (“in my Father’s Kingdom”).

“Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)

“Even now” underscores present availability. The point is not only that such help could come, but that it could come at this very moment; the adverb heightens the immediacy of the hypothetical response (“send me more than twelve legions of angels”) in the midst of the current situation.

“Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.”” (Matthew 26:64)

In this saying the temporal focus is phrased as “after this,” yet the forward time orientation belongs to the same kind of framing that “now” regularly supplies in nearby contexts: a present moment that functions as the pivot into what will be seen later. The effect is to contrast what is happening “this” moment with what lies beyond it.

“He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”” (John 1:51)

“Hereafter” places the promise beyond the present moment while still relating it to the present conversation: what is being spoken now sets the expectation for what will occur later. This is “now” functioning as a threshold—speech in the present authorizes sight in the time that follows.

“and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!”” (John 2:10)

“Until now” highlights a surprising delay that reaches its endpoint in the present moment of tasting and discovery. The statement draws attention to the timing: the good wine has been reserved right up to “now,” in contrast to the usual sequence described earlier in the verse.

“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”” (John 5:17)

Although “now” is not overtly printed in this translation, the sense of present-time action is central: “is still working” and “I am working, too” express ongoing activity in the present. In contexts where ἄρτι appears as “now,” it serves precisely this function of anchoring claims about action to the current moment.

“and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”” (John 9:19)

Here “now” fixes attention on the current observable fact (“he now see”) against the asserted past condition (“was born blind”). The adverb sets up the question of transition: the parents’ claim and the present condition stand side by side, and “now” marks the latter as the point requiring explanation.

“He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”” (John 9:25)

“Now” compresses the man’s testimony into a stark before-and-after contrast within a single line: “though I was blind, now I see.” The adverb carries the weight of present certainty. Whatever debates surround him (“I don’t know if he is a sinner”), “now” identifies what is indisputable in the present.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages ἄρτι marks “now” in several related time-functions, each grounded in the immediate scene. In direct requests and commands, it can press for a present allowance or action. In Matthew 3:15, “Allow it now” frames a specific act as appropriate at this moment; the adverb is not decorative but gives the utterance its temporal force, placing obedience in the present rather than in delay.

In narrative reports and observed changes, “now” highlights a newly arrived or currently visible condition. The ruler’s “has just died” (Matthew 9:18) draws the event right up to the present conversation, building urgency. In John 9:19 and 9:25, “now” anchors the visible reality of sight, functioning as the decisive present fact placed against a remembered past (“was born blind,” “I was blind”).

In larger time spans and boundaries, “now” helps define the endpoint or starting point of an interval. “Until now” (Matthew 11:12; John 2:10) gathers what precedes into a single stretch of time that reaches its terminus in the present: violence has characterized the period up to the present; the good wine has been kept up to the present. Conversely, “from now on” (Matthew 23:39; 26:29) sets the present as the beginning of a forward-running period characterized by a new condition (not seeing; not drinking) and is often paired with an “until” clause that points to a specific future marker.

At times “now” sharpens the immediacy of possibility. “Even now” (Matthew 26:53) emphasizes that the present moment is not too late and not too early for decisive intervention; the temporal adverb makes the hypothetical aid feel near at hand. In future-oriented promises (“hereafter,” “after this,” John 1:51; Matthew 26:64), the present moment functions as the pivot from which future sight is announced: the speech-act happening in the present sets the timetable for what will follow.

Imagery

The imagery carried by “now” in these verses is often the image of a threshold. In some scenes it is the doorway into immediate obedience (“Allow it now,” Matthew 3:15). In others it is the edge of a timeline that has been running and has reached its present end (“until now,” Matthew 11:12; John 2:10). And in the testimony “though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25), “now” stands like a line on the ground between a former state and the present reality.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).