Case genitive¶
Summary¶
In Koiné Greek, the genitive case ending serves a wide variety of functions.
Most commonly, it expresses possession, meaning that the term containing the genitive case ending possesses (in some way) the word it describes.
However, it can also express other meanings as well.
Article¶
In Koiné Greek, the genitive case ending has potential to express the widest range of meanings of all the various case endings. The genitive case ending can express possession, description, kinship, apposition, separation, the subject of a verbal idea, the object of a verbal idea, and others. Often, a specific word with a genitive case ending may seem to fit into more than one category. In these cases, the final determination of the meaning must be based upon context.
| John 1:19 | ||||||
| καὶ | αὕτη | ἐστὶν | ἡ | μαρτυρία | τοῦ | Ἰωάννου |
| kai | hautē | estin | hē | martyria | tou | Iōannou |
| and | this | it is | the | testimony | of the | John |
This is the testimony of John; or This is John’s testimony
In this example, the relationship expressed is that of possession and/or source.
Form¶
The Genitive case is formed by adding the Genitive case ending to the stem of a word (often with a connecting vowel). Usually, the word in the Genitive case usually follows the word that it is modifying. When the word in the Genitive case occurs before the word it is modifying, the word in the Genitive case is being given more attention by the author.
| Genitive Case Ending | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First and Second Declension | Third Declencion | |||||
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine/Feminine | Neuter | ||
| Singular | ||||||
| Genitive | υ | ς | υ | ος | ος | |
| Plural | ||||||
| Genitive | ων | ων | ων | ων | ων | |
See NounParadigm for a complete listing of the noun paradigms and AdjectiveParadigm for the adjective paradigms.
Possession¶
A word with a possession genitive case ending owns or possesses (in some way) the object that is being described.
This kind of genitive is often translated into English using the word “of.”
need example here
However, the most common way a speaker/writer expresses possession is by using a personal pronoun in the genitive case. In these cases, the personal pronoun is translated into English using English possessive pronouns (“my,” “your,” “their,” etc.).
| John 20:28 | |||||||||||
| ἀπεκρίθη | Θωμᾶς | καὶ | εἶπεν | αὐτῷ | ὁ | Κύριός | μου | καὶ | ὁ | Θεός | μου! |
| apekrithē | Thōmas | kai | eipen | autō | ho | Kyrios | mou | kai | ho | Theos | mou! |
| he answered | Thomas | and | he said | to him | the | Lord | my | and | the | God | my |
| *Thomas answered and said to him |
|
Sometimes a possessive pronoun is used to express possession. Some common possessive pronouns in Koiné Greek include ἐμός (“my”), σός (“your”), ἡμέτερος (“our”), ὑμέτερος (“your”), or ἵδιος (“his”) are sometimes used In these cases, the possessive pronouns will look like any other adjective and will agree with the noun they are describing in case and gender.
Attributive¶
A word with an attributive genitive case ending functions very much like a typical adjective.
The word with the genitive case ending expresses some general attribute (or description) of the word it is describing.
This kind of genitive is often translated into English using the word “of.”
| Mark 1:4 | ||||||||
| ἐγένετο | Ἰωάννης | … | κηρύσσων | βάπτισμα | μετανοίας | εἰς | ἄφεσιν | ἁμαρτιῶν |
| egeneto | Iōannēs | … | kēryssōn | baptisma | metanoias | eis | aphesin | hamartiōn |
| he came | John | preaching | a baptism | of repentance | into/for | forgiveness | of sin | |
| *John came | … preaching a baptism* of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. |
Material¶
A word with a material genitive case ending indicates either (1) the substance of which an object is made or (2) something which an object contains.
In both cases, the “object” is the word being described by the term containing the genitive case ending.
This kind of genitive is often translated into English using the words “of,” “with,” or “by.”
| Acts 2:4 | ||||
| καὶ | ἐπλήσθησαν | πάντες | Πνεύματος | Ἁγίου |
| kai | eplēsthēsan | pantes | Pneumatos | Hagiou |
| and | they were filled | all | with Spirit | Holy |
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
Kinship¶
A word with a kinship genitive case ending describes some kind of kinship relationship.
In most cases, this kind of genitive refers someone who is the physical descendent (son or daughter) of another person.
However, it can refer to someone who is a descendant several generations later, or even someone who is a descendant in a relational sense and not a physical sense.
For example, in Luke 13:16 the woman is called a “daughter of Abraham” even though many centuries had passed since Abraham died.
The woman was still considered to be a daughter of Abraham.
This kind of genitive is often translated into English using the word “of.”
| Matthew 4:21 | ||||
| Ἰάκωβον | τὸν | τοῦ | Ζεβεδαίου | |
| Iakōbon | ton | tou | Zebedaiou | |
| James | the | (son) | of | Zebedee |
| James the son of Zebedee |
| Luke 24:10 | ||||
| καὶ | Μαρία | ἡ | Ἰακώβου | |
| kai | Maria | hē | Iakōbou | |
| and | Mary | the | (mother of) | James |
| and Mary the mother of James |
Apposition¶
A word with an apposition genitive case ending describes in some way the preceding word (which also has a genitive case ending).
It functions very much like an adjective, except it is usually not an adjective, but a noun instead.
Apposition is the term used when a noun describes (or gives more information about) another noun.
This kind of genitive can be translated into English a variety of different ways, depending on the specific context.
Some common ways of translation an apposition genitive into English include “who is,” “which is,” “namely,” a simple comma, or sometimes not translated at all.
In the example below, the noun “mother” is in genitive case and is in apposition to the noun “Mary.”
The apposition genitive indicates that Mary is the mother of the child specified in the sentence.
| Matthew 2:11 | |||||||
| εἶδον | τὸ | παιδίον | μετὰ | Μαρίας | τῆς | μητρὸς | αὐτοῦ |
| eidon | to | paidion | meta | Marias | tēs | mētros | autou |
| they saw | the | child | with | Mary | the | mother | of him. |
| They saw the young child with Mary his mother. |
Separation/Source (or Ablative)¶
A word with a separation/source genitive case ending indicates some kind of separation from, movement away from, or the source of some object.
Some grammars call this specific kind of genitive case ending the “ablative” case ending.
However, there is no difference in form between the “genitive” case ending and the “ablative” case ending.
They appear exactly the same.
As might be expected, the prepositions έκ (“out of”) and ἀπό (“from”) require their object to have the genitive case ending.
This kind of genitive can also be used to express a comparison between two objects (as a function of a “separation” of the two objects in view).
| 2 Corinthians 3:3 | |||
| ὅτι | ἐστὲ | ἐπιστολὴ | Χριστοῦ |
| hoti | este | epistolē | Christou |
| because | you are | a letter | from Christ |
that you are a letter from Christ
| Matthew 2:1 | |||||
| μάγοι | ἀπὸ | ἀνατολῶν | παρεγένοντο | εἰς | Ἱεροσόλυμα |
| magoi | apo | anatolōn | paregenonto | eis | Hierosolyma |
| Magi | from | (the) east | they came | into | Jerusalem |
learned men from the east arrived in Jerusalem
| Luke 19:8 | ||||||||
| τὰ | ἡμίσιά | μου | τῶν | ὑπαρχόντων | Κύριε | τοῖς | πτωχοῖς | δίδωμι |
| ta | hēmisia | mou | tōn | hyparchontōn | Kyrie | tois | ptōchois | didōmi |
| the | half | of my | of | possessions/goods | Lord | to the | poor | I give |
| *Lord | the half of my* goods I give to the poor |
Note: In this example “of goods” is a Genitive of Source. “My” is a Genitive of possession.
| John 13:16 | ||||||
| οὐκ | ἔστιν | δοῦλος | μείζων | τοῦ | κυρίου | αὐτοῦ |
| ouk | estin | doulos | meizōn | tou | kyriou | autou |
| not | he is | a slave | greater | than | lord | his |
| a servant is not greater than his master |
Note: In this example we see the comparative function for the Genitive of Separation.
Subject/Object¶
A word with a subject/object genitive case ending indicates either the subject or object of a verbal idea.
In the example below, the word παρουσία (“coming”) refers to a verbal idea.
The subject of this verbal idea is τοῦ Υἱοῦ (“the Son”).
The genitive case ending for the term τοῦ Υἱοῦ indicates that “the Son” is the one who is “coming.”
| Matthew 24:27 | |||||||
| οὕτως | ἔσται | ἡ | παρουσία | τοῦ | Υἱοῦ | τοῦ | Ἀνθρώπου |
| houtōs | estai | hē | parousia | tou | Huiou | tou | Anthrōpou |
| thus | it will be | the | coming | of the | Son | of | Man |
| so will be the coming of the Son of Man |
In the example below, the term τὸ μαρτύριον refers to the verbal idea of “testifying.” The object of this verbal idea is τοῦ Χριστοῦ (“the Christ”). The genitive case ending for the term indicates the “the Christ” is the one about whom someone is “testifying.”
| 1 Corinthians 1:6 | |||||||
| καθὼς | τὸ | μαρτύριον | τοῦ | Χριστοῦ | ἐβεβαιώθη | ἐν | ὑμῖν |
| kathōs | to | martyrion | tou | Christou | ebebaiōthē | en | hymin |
| just as | the | testimony | of | Christ | has been confirmed | in | you |
| just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed [as true] among you |
The Genitive case is primarily the case of description.
The Genitive case may be used to attribute
- a basic quality to the noun, or [see Genitive-Attributive ]
- to show the material from which it was formed or material that it contains. [see Genitive_Material]
The Genitive case may also express a relationship to the subject noun (or substantive-a substantive is a noun or any word or group of words functioning like a noun)
- of kinship, [see Genitive_Kinship]
- possession, [see Genitive_Possession]
- apposition, or [see Genitive_Apposition]
- separation (or source). [see Genitive_Separation]
A word in the genitive case may also serve as the subject or object of the head noun. [see Genitive_Subject/Object]