Case vocative

Glossary

Vocative is the case used when addressing (speaking directly to) someone.

Example: MAT 8:2

Κύριε

ἐὰν

θέλῃς

δύνασαί

με

καθαρίσαι

Kyrie

ean

thelēs

dynasai

me

katharisai

Lord

if

willing

you are able

me

to make clean

Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean

Article

The vocative case is the case of direct address.
  • However, a noun in the vocative case preceded by the particle is used to add emphasis or to express emotion.

  • Caution: Do not confuse (the particle) with -the dative case relative pronoun, or with - the first person singular subjunctive form of εἰμί (which is identical to the particle ὦ in form).

Only 2.1% of the 28,599 nouns in the New Testament are in the vocative case.

Form

  1. Often it is easy to identify nouns in the vocative case by the context.

  2. The vocative case is identical to the nominative case in the plural.

  3. The vocative case is identical to the nominative case in the first declension (singular and plural).

  4. The vocative case of the singular second declension usually ends in an epsilon.

  5. The vocative case of the singular third declension is usually the bare stem of the word. However, the stem vowel may shorten, lengthen, or drop out entirely. This is known as ablaut.

Vocative – Direct Address

The vocative of direct address is the most frequent use of the vocative case.

Matthew 7:21

οὐ

πᾶς

λέγων

μοι

Κύριε

Κύριε

εἰσελεύσεται

εἰς

τὴν

Βασιλείαν

τῶν

Οὐρανῶν

ou

pas

ho

legōn

moi

Kyrie

Kyrie

eiseleusetai

eis

tēn

Basileian

tōn

Ouranōn

not

everyone

who

says

to me

Lord

Lord

he will enter

into

the

kingdom

of

heaven

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter into the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 8:2

Κύριε

ἐὰν

θέλῃς

δύνασαί

με

καθαρίσαι.

Kyrie

ean

thelēs

dynasai

me

katharisai.

Lord

if

you are willing

you are able

me

to (make) clean

“Lord”, if you are willing, you can make me clean.

Vocative – Emphasis/Emotion

The vocative case can also be used to express emotion or emphasis. The particle ὦ is used when the vocative case is used to add additional emphasis or emotion to the basic function of direct address. ὦ followed by a word in the vocative case only occurs 14 times in the New Testament.

Example of ὦ + vocative to add an emotional emphasis.

Mark 9:19

αὐτοῖς

λέγει

γενεὰ

ἄπιστος!

ἕως

πότε

πρὸς

ὑμᾶς

ἔσομαι?

autois

legei

ō

genea

apistos!

heōs

pote

pros

hymas

esomai?

to them

he says

Oh

generation

unbelieving

until

when

with

you

will I be?

and he said to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you?”

Note: The emotional emphasis can be difficult to reflect in a translation. The exclaimation mark is used in this example to reflect the emotion.

Example of ὦ + vocative to add emphasis.

I Timothy 6:11

σὺ

δέ

ἄνθρωπε

Θεοῦ

ταῦτα

φεῦγε

δίωκε

δὲ

δικαιοσύνην…

sy

de

ō

anthrōpe

Theou

tauta

pheuge

diōke

de

dikaiosynēn…

you

but

o

man

of God

these things

you flee

you pursue

but (instead)

righteousness

But you, man of God, flee from these things. Instead, pursue righteousness…

Note: The emphasis is lost in the English text.