Gif

According to the Old English Dictionary:

gif

Add: Conj, introducing a conditional clause. The indicative after gif implies the certain occurrence of a circumstance, the reality of a stale, &c., spoken of in the clause, admits the truth of the statement contained in the clause. Gyf þū wylt, þū miht (Mt. 8, 2); here it is implied that the person addressed is actually willing to act. Hū magon wē . . . gif þū his ne meaht ōr āreccan? (Dan. 133); here the inability on the part of the person addressed to give any account of the matter is taken as certain. Gif gē mē lufiad, healdad mīne beboda you do love me, so keep my commandments. The difference between the indicative and subjunctive after gif may be illustrated by the following passages :-- Gif cyning æt mannes hām drincæd and þǣr man lyswæs hwæt gedō. Ll. Th. i. 4, 1-2; here the entertainment of the king is an event sure to take place, so drincæd is indicative; but the wrong-doing is quite uncertain, so gedō is subjunctive. (See also 2, 8-9.) Gif man frīgne mannan ofsleahd, 4, 6; but gif in cyninges tūne man mannan ofsleá, 4, 4: for homicide was a certainty, but that it should take place in a king's town was not so. Cf. too gif frīg man frēum steld, 6, 2, with gif frīg man cyninge stele, 4, 3. Perhaps the different renderings of the same Latin words are intended to mark achange in the speaker's mind, token in Mt. 4, 3 si filius Dei es is translated gyf þū Godes sunu sȳ, while in the rendering is gyf þū Godes sunu eart. But sometimes the distinction seems not very clearly marked. Cf. with Ll. Th. i. 4, 1-2 (v. supra): Gif mon hafad spere ofer eaxle and hine mon on āsnāsed . . . Gif beforan eágum āsnāse, 84, 12-14: here on āsnāse (like gedō) might have been expected. Cf. too, gif mec deád nimed, B. 447, with gif mec hilde nime, 452, the reference is to the same peril in each: and gif gē syndon þegnas . . . . An. 344, with gif þú þegn sié . . . , 417, the evidence of thaneship is the same in both cases. Gif ceorl būton wīfes wīsdōme deóflum gelde . . . Gif būtwū deóflum geldad. . . , Ll. Th. i. 40, 4-6. Agif. . . ; gif þū . . . aldres rēce . . . þū sweltan scealt . . . , gif þū wyrnest, Gen. 2654 - 2660: here the certainty seems to belong rather to rēce than to wyrnest. See also in Mk. L. 12, 19: gef brōder deád sié l bid (mortuus fuerit). I. the conditional clause in the indic., and (l) present or future tense, (a) the principal clause present or future if, when :-- Ealle þās ic sylle þē, gyf þū feallende tō mē geeádmētst (adora-veris). Mt. 4, 9: Bl. H. 27, 18 : 13, 9: Jul. 169 : Jn. 8, 52 : 14, 14 : Gen. 2315: Exod. 560: 13, 1182. Gyf hē þē gehȳrd (audierit), þū gestadelast þīnne brōdor, Mt. 18, 15. Gif wē willaþ nū on Drihten ge-lȳfan, þonne beó wē sittende be þǣm wege, Bl. H. 23, 7: Bt. 3, 4; F. 6, 16: Sat. 251: Gen. 559: 2521: Sch. 35. Him (the blind man) bid mycel daru, gif hē hit geseón ne mæg, Bl. H. 21, 8. Þū ne bist unscyl-dig wid mē, gif þū on īdelnesse cȳst mīnne noman (cf. nec habebit in-sontem Dominus eum, qui assumpserit nomen Domini frustra, Ex. 20, 7) Ll. Th. i. 44, 8: Cri. 1310 : Mōd. 45 : An. 1570 : 1614. Meaht þū Adame gestȳran, gif þū his willan hæfst, Gen. 569: 570: 578: Cri. 78i: B. 1185 : 1822. Gyf gē þā lufiad (diligatis) þe eów lufiad (diligunt), hwylce mēde habbad gē?, Mt. 5, 46: 47. Hū mæg ǣnig man ryht-wīslīce ācsigan, gif hē nān grot rihtwīsnesse on him næfþ?, Bt. 35, I; F. 156, 6 : 7, 2 ; F. 18, 6: Met. 22, 46. Gief (gif, v. l.) wē donne habbad suā micle sorge . . . , donne hæbbe wē bēgen fēt gescōde untǣllīce, Past. 45, 10. Gif (gife, L.) þīn eáge bid mānfull, eal þīn līchama byd þȳsterfull, Mt. 6, 23: Lk. 12, 45. (a α) where the condition depends upon what is implied in the principal clause :-- Þū gehǣtst. . . ēce līf, gif wē sōd and ryht symle gelǣstad thy promise is that we shall have eternal life, if we ever do truth and right, Hy. 7, 75. (b) the principal clause im-perative :-- Gyf þīn brōdor syngad (syngige, R. L. , peccauerit) wid þē, gā and stȳr him. Mt. 18, 15 : 16 : 17. Gif gē Abrahames beam synt, wyrcead Abrahames weorc, Jn. 8, 39. Gif gē mē lufiad (diligitis), healdad mīne beboda, 14, 15. Gif man wid cyninges msegdenman geliged, .UNCERTAIN. scillinga gebēte, Ll. Th. i. 6, 4 (and often), (c) where the clause on which the condition depends is dependent :-- Ðæt wē gedōn, swā wē eáde magon, gif wē dā stilnesse habbad, Past. 7, 9. (d) the principal clause past :-- Gif hī nu gōde sint, þonne wǣron hī swā gesceapene, Bt. 14, 2 ; F. 42, 36. (2) in the past tense, and the principal clause (pres. or fut.) indic, or imper. :-- Gif ic þwōh eówre fēt, gē sceolon þweán eówer ǣlc ōdres fēt, Jn. 13, 14. Gif þū . . . gesealdest, hit is riht. Bt. 7, 2; F. 18, 33. Nǣnig mon ne sceal gēman his gesibbes, gif hē hine ǣrost āgǣlde Godes þeówdōmes, Bl. H. 23, 17. Gif ic dyde dis. . . gif ic āgald dǣm geldendum . . . , ic gefallu. Ps. Srt. 7, 4-5. II. the conditional clause in the subjunctive, and (l) present tense, (a) the principal clause imperative :-- Gif þū sié Godes sunu, cweþ ꝥ þā stānas tō hlāfum geweorþan, Bl. H. 27, 7:12. Be don gif mon ōdres godsunu ofsleá. Gif hwā ōdres sunu sleá . . . , sié sió mǣgbōt and sió manbōt gelīc, Ll. Th. i. 150, 11-14 (and often). Gif þē þæt gelimpe . . . , þonne þū gecȳd, El. 441. Gib Eádwald leng lifige . . . geselle et dēm londe .x. dūsenda, C. D. i. 256, 5. Gief hwā hit ābrecan wille, hæbbe him wid God gemǣne, iii. 168, 25: 180, 22. (b) the principal clause indic. (pres. or fut.) :-- Gif hwylc gōd man from gōde gewīte, donne ne bid hē þe mā fullīce gōd. Bt. 37, 3; F. 190, 28. Gif hit eówer ǣnig mæge gewendan, . . . sōna hié him þe lādran beód, Gen. 427. (c) where the clause on which the condition depends is dependent, and (α) present :-- Āhycgan, þæt wē on Adame, gif wē mægen, . . . andan gebētan, Gen. 398. (β) past with pres. or fut. sense :-- God hæfde getiohhod . . . gif hī done frȳdōm teala gehealdon, ꝥ hē hī wolde weorþian, Bt. 41, 3; F. 248, 10. (d) where the condition does not apply directly to the principal clause, but must be inferred :-- Gif þū dā nȳdþearfe witan wille, þonne is þæt mete and drync and clāþas if you want to know what is needful, [I will tell you;] it is meat and drink and clothes, Bt. 14, l; F. 42, 4. (2) past tense with future sense, and principal clause in indic. (pres. or fut.) :-- Gif ic sōd sprǣce, þonne sceal heó sweltan, Cri. 190. III. with both clauses in subjunctive, (l) with conditional clause in past subjunctive with present or future sense :-- Swā þæt hē mehte ǣgþerre gerǣcau, gif hié ǣnigne feld sēcan wolden, Chr. 894; P. 84, 26. Gif God wǣre eówre fæder, witodlīce gē lufedon mē si Deus pater uester essei, diligeretis utique me, Jn. 8, 42. Gif se weorþscipe þām welan gecynde wǣre . . . oþþe eft se wela þæs welegan āgen wǣre, þonne ne mihte hē hine forlǣtan, Bt. 27, 3 ; F. 98, 24. Eálā ꝥte dis moncyn wǣre gesǣlig, gif heora mōd wǣre riht, 21: F. 74, 40. Gif eall þisses middaneardes wela cōme tō ānum men, hū ne wǣron þonne ealle ōþre men wǣdlan?, 13; F. 38, 20. Hū wolde þē nū līcian, gif hwilc cyning wǣre . . . ?, 41, l; F. 244, 24 : [2) conditional clause in plupert. subj. with past sense :-- Gif þū wǣre hēr, nǣre mīn brōdor deád si fuisses hic, frater nuns non fuisset mortuus, Jn. ll, 21 : 32. Gif ꝥ deófol hine ne gesāwe on ūre gecynde, ne costode hē hine . . . Gif hē nǣre sōþ God, nā him englas ne þegnodon, Bl. H. 33, 35- 35, 2 : 29, 4 : Hex. 22, 27 : Gen. 643 : 787 : B. 592 : El. 777 : Bt. 7, ; F. 18, II : 40, 6 ; F. 242, 7. Gif hié þā blōtan mehten, hié woldon secgean þæt him hiera godas gehulpan quam si antspices celebrassent, diis gloriam vindicassent, Ors. 5, 2 ; S. 218, 5. ¶ with the present tense in the clause on which the conditional depends :-- Hē teohhode gif hī hwæt gesyngoden, thorn-bar; hī hit eft gebēton, Bt. 41, 3; F. 248, 14. IV. implying that an unfavourable point is conceded, even if, suppose or fronted that :-- Hwider hweorfad wē, . . . gif wē swīcad þē? suppose we do leave you, where shall we go? An. 407. Ac is wunder mycel, . . . gif þū hit sylfa wāst it is a great wonder, even if it is granted that you know it yourself, Hy. 3, 20. V. the conditional clause alone used as an exclamation :-- Eálā gif þū wistest on þyssum þīnum dæge be dē tō sybbe synt, Lk. 19, 42. Eálā gif ic hæfde þīne synna āna, Hml. S. 3, 521. VI. introducing a noun-clause depending on verbs of know-ing, learning, doubting, &c., whether :-- Gefrægn hine gif l huoeder l (si) huoelchuoego gesēge, Mk. L. 8, 23. Huoeder l gif si, Lk. L. 23, 6. Man ne gehȳrde gif ǣnig scyphere wǣre būton āgenre leóde, Hml. S. 21, 448. Secgaþ gif gē willad þām cāsere gehȳrsumian, 29, 226. Þū scealt cȳd, gif þū his ondgitan ǣnige hæbbe, An. 1523. Geseoh gif ic on unrihte eóde, Ps. Th. 138, 21. Ic wille fundigan, gif hié synna fremmad Gen. 2412. gif

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