Adjective

Summary

An adjective is a word that describes a person(s), place(s), or thing(s). Within a sentence, an adjective usually describes a noun.

Article

In Koiné Greek, adjectives generally match the noun they describe in gender and number. Attributive adjectives specifically must also match the noun they describe in case. Any Greek adjective can take the form of all three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Adjectives show these various forms by using the same kinds of word endings as nouns. Greek adjectives are listed in a lexicon according to the masculine nominative singular form.

Note

Adjectives change form according to the base form of the adjective itself, NOT the base form of the noun it is describing. For example, the feminine dative singular form of the adjective πάς is always πάςῃ. The form will not change when describing any feminine dative noun. This remains true regardless of the kind of feminine dative word ending that appears on the noun.

Form

Paradigm

Most adjectives in Koiné Greek use one of the following sets of word endings. However, there are more sets of word endings for adjectives in Greek than are listed here. See adjective_paradigms for more. See especially Master Table 1 and Master Table 2 Master Tables.

ἀγαθός, “good”

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular
Nominative	ἀγαθός	ἀγαθή	ἀγαθόν
Genitive	ἀγαθοῦ	ἀγαθῆς	ἀγαθοῦ
Dative	ἀγαθῷ	ἀγαθῇ	ἀγαθῷ
Accusative	ἀγαθόν	ἀγαθήν	ἀγαθόν
Vocative	ἀγαθέ	ἀγαθή	ἀγαθόν
Plural
Nominative	ἀγαθοί	ἀγαθαί	ἀγαθά
Genitive	ἀγαθῶν	ἀγαθῶν	ἀγαθῶν
Dative	ἀγαθοῖς	ἀγαθαῖς	ἀγαθοῖς
Accusative	ἀγαθούς	ἀγαθάς	ἀγαθά
Vocative	ἀγαθοί	ἀγαθαί	ἀγαθά

ἃγioς, “holy”

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular
Nominative	ἅγιος	ἁγία	ἅγιον
Genitive	ἁγίου	ἁγιάς	ἁγίου
Dative	ἁγίῳ	ἁγἰᾳ	ἁγίῳ
Accusative	ἃγιον	ἁγίαν	ἃγιον
Vocative	ἅγιε	ἁγία	ἅγιον
Plural
Nominative	ἃγιοι	ἃγιαι	ἃγια
Genitive	ἁγίων	ἁγίων	ἁγίων
Dative	ἁγίοις	ἁγίαις	ἁγίοις
Accusative	ἁγίους	ἁγίας	ἃγια
Vocative	ἃγιοι	ἃγιαι	ἃγια

ἂλλος, “other, another”

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular
Nominative	ἂλλος	ἂλλη	ἂλλο
Genitive	ἂλλου	ἂλλης	ἂλλου
Dative	ἂλλῳ	ἂλλῃ	ἂλλῳ
Accusative	ἂλλον	ἂλλην	ἂλλο
Plural
Nominative	ἄλλοι	ἄλλαι	ἂλλα
Genitive	ἂλλων	ἂλλων	ἂλλων
Dative	ἂλλοις	ἂλλαις	ἂλλοις
Accusative	ἂλλους	ἂλλας	ἂλλα

πᾶς, “all, every”

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular
Nominative	πᾶς	πᾶσα	πᾶν
Genitive	παντός	πάσης	παντός
Dative	παντί	πάσῃ	παντί
Accusative	πάντα	πᾶσαν	πᾶν
Plural
Nominative	πάντες	πᾶσαι	πάντα
Genitive	πάντων	πασῶν	πάντων
Dative	πᾶσι(ν)	πάσαις	πᾶσι(ν)
Accusative	πάντας	πάσας	πάντα

Examples

Ephesians 1:3, “who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing”

ὁ	εὐλογήσας	ἡμᾶς	ἐν	πάσῃ	εὐλογίᾳ	πνευματικῇ
ho	eulogēsas	hēmas	en	pasē	eulogia	pneumatikē
who	has blessed	us	with	every	blessing	spiritual

In the above example the adjectives πάςῃ and πνευματικῇ are in feminine singular form. They agree with the noun εὐλογιᾳ in gender and number. These adjectives are both attributive. Therefore, they also agree in case.

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd.”

ἐγώ	εἰμι	ὁ	ποιμὴν	ὁ	καλός.
Egō	eimi	ho	poimēn	ho	kalos.
I	I am	the	shepherd	the	good

The adjective always appears in the form that represents the true gender of the noun. The above example is a statement of Jesus (a man). The pronoun ἐγώ (“I”) is in masculine singular form. Therefore, any adjective describing ἐγώ must also appear in masculine singular form. In this example, the adjective ποίμην appears to be feminine because it ends with “ην”. However, the adjective ποίμην uses a different set of word endings than listed above. In this example, both ποιμήν and καλός are nominative masculine singular.

Ascriptive adjectives

An ascriptive adjective is an adjective that functions as an attributive adjective and is NOT paired with the definite article.

The noun being described by an ascriptive adjective may or may not be paired with the definite article.

1 John 2:7, “I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment…”

οὐκ		ἐντολὴν	καινὴν	γράφω	ὑμῖν	ἀλλ’		ἐντολὴν	παλαιὰν
ouk		entolēn	kainēn	graphō	hymin	all’		entolēn	palaian
not	commandment	new	I write	to you	but	commandment	old

Restrictive adjectives

A restrictive adjective is an adjective that functions as an attributive adjective and IS paired with the definite article

The noun being described by a restrictive adjective may or may not be paired with the definite article but is always a definite noun.

John 2:1, “and there was a wedding on the third day”

Καὶ	τῇ	ἡμέρᾳ	τῇ	τρίτῃ	γάμος	ἐγένετο
Kai	tē	hēmera	tē	trite	gamos	egeneto
And	the	on day	the	third	wedding	there was

Function

Describes a noun

The most common use of adjectives is to describe a noun directly. There are two kinds of adjectives that function in this way, attributive adjectives and predicative adjectives.

In Koiné Greek, an attributive adjective may come either before or after the noun it describes. Attributive adjectives are usually paired with the definite article, but not always. As state above, attributive adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, case, and number.

Matthew 12:35, “The good man from the good treasure”

ὁ	ἀγαθὸς	ἄνθρωπος	ἐκ	τοῦ	ἀγαθοῦ	θησαυροῦ
ho	agathos	anthrōpos	ek	tou	agathou	thēsaurou
the	good	man	out of	the	good	treasure

Predicative adjectives are adjectives that describe nouns using a linking verb. Often the linking verb is not present in the Hebrew text and must be supplied when translating into English. Like attributive adjectives, a predicative adjective usually has the same form as the noun it describes in both gender and number. Unlike attributive adjectives, however, a predicative adjective can be indefinite even if it describes a definite noun.

Note

Adjectives that function as predicative adjectives are classified as nouns (“NP”) in the UGNT.

Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”

Μακάριοι		οἱ	πτωχοὶ	τῷ	πνεύματι
makarioi		hoi	ptōchoi	tō	pneumati
Blessed	are	the	poor	the	in spirit

John 3:33, “God is true”

ὁ	θεὸς	ἀληθής	ἐστιν
ho	Theos	alēthēs	estin
the	God	true	he is

James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who endures testing.”

Μακάριος		ἀνὴρ	ὃς	ὑπομένει	πειρασμόν
makarios		anēr	hos	hypomenei	peirasmon
Blessed	is the	man	who	he endures	a trial

Functions as a noun

A nominal adjective is an adjective that itself functions as a noun in the sentence rather than describing a noun.

When an adjective itself functions as a noun in a sentence, the adjective is describing some unnamed person or object. It is NOT describing some other noun in the sentence. Therefore, there is no other noun with which the adjective can agree in gender, case, or number. When an adjective functions as a noun, its case word ending is determined by how the word functions within the sentence. Its gender and number word ending is determined by the actual unnamed person or object to which the adjective refers. In Koiné Greek, nominal adjectives are often paired with the definite article, but not always.

Note

Adjectives that function as nominal adjectives are classified as nouns (“NS”) in the UGNT.

Romans 1:17, “as it has been written, ‘But the righteous will live by faith.’”

καθὼς	γέγραπται	ὁ	δὲ	δίκαιος		ἐκ	πίστεως	ζήσεται
kathōs	gegraptai	ho	de	dikaios		ek	pisteōs	zēsetai
as	it has been written	the	but	righteous [man/person]	by	faith	he will live

Functions as an adverb

An adverbial adjective is an adjective that functions as an adverb, meaning that it describes a verb instead of a noun.

When an adjective is used as an adverb, usually the adjective will have the neuter accusative (or sometimes neuter dative) word ending. The most common of these adjectives that used adverbs include: βραχύ (“short”), ἲδιον (“one’s own”), μίκρον (“small”), ὀλίγον (“little”), μόνον (“alone”), πολύ (“many”), πρῶτον (“first”), ὕστερον “(second”).

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom”

ζητεῖτε	δὲ	πρῶτον	τὴν	βασιλείαν
zēteite	de	proton	tēn	basileian
you seek	but	first	the	kingdom

Other uses of adjectives

adjectives that compare two or more items

A comparative adjective expresses a comparison between two or more items.

In Koiné Greek, a comparative adjective is often formed by adding a specific kind of word ending to the base form of that adjective. These comparative adjective word endings differ according to gender: -τερος (masculine), -τερα (feminine), or -τερον (neuter).

(Some irregular adjectives take the suffixes -(ι)ων or -ον instead.)

Note

Some adjectives use the comparative word ending to indicate a superlative adjective instead. You must always be observant of the context and take it into account when translating an adjective with a comparative word ending.

John 13:16, “a servant is not greater than his master”

οὐκ	ἔστιν	δοῦλος	μείζων	τοῦ	κυρίου	αὐτοῦ
ouk	estin	doulos	meizōn	tou	kyriou	autou
not	he is	a slave	greater	than	master	his

adjectives with stronger meaning

An intensive adjective has a stronger degree of meaning than a typical adjective.

Note

Sometime both/either comparative and/or superlative word endings can be used to express an intensive meaning to that particular adjective rather than either a comparative meaning or a superlative meaning.

Mark 4:1, “and a large crowd gathered around him”

καὶ	συνάγεται	πρὸς	αὐτὸν	ὄχλος	πλεῖστος
kai	synagetai	pros	auton	ochlos	pleistos
and	it is gathered	to	him	crowd	very large

Luke 1:3, “most excellent Theophilus”

κράτιστε	Θεόφιλε
kratiste	Theophile
most excellent	Theophilus

adjectives with strongest meaning

A superlative adjective has a meaning strengthened to its greatest degree.

In Koiné Greek, a comparative adjective is often formed by adding a specific kind of word ending to the base form of that adjective. These comparative adjective word endings differ according to gender: -τατος (masculine), -τατη (feminine), and -τατον (neuter), OR -ιστος (masculine), -ιστη (feminine), and -ιστον (neuter).

Note

Some adjectives use the superlative word ending to indicate a comparative adjective instead. You must always be observant of the context and take it into account when translating an adjective with a comparative word ending.

1 Corinthians 15:9, For I am the least of the apostles.

ἐγὼ	γάρ	εἰμι	ὁ	ἐλάχιστος	τῶν	ἀποστόλων
egō	gar	eimi	ho	elachistos	tōn	apostolōn
I	for	I am	the	least	of the	apostles

John 10:11
ἐγώ	εἰμι	ὁ	ποιμὴν	ὁ	καλός
egō	eimi	ho	poimēn	ho	kalos
I	I am	the	shepherd	the	good

I am the good shepherd…