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Home , Genitive case

The in the New Testament^

J. Harold Greenlee

In a majority of cases the EngHsh prep thought of as being directed toward the osition "of" furnishes a serviceable trans in the genitive case. John 2 :6 speaks lation for the Greek genitive case. This is of six stone water jars sitting "according a convenience for is translating to the cleansing of the Jews." The italicized from Greek into English; but is a seri phrase may be interpreted as a subjective ous fallacy for the translator to assume genitive referring to a cleansing which the that this translation necessarily makes Jews customarily performed, .e., action clear, either to his readers or to himself, proceeding from the Jews. On the other the meaning of the passage. On the con hand, 2 Corinthians 10:5 refers to leading trary, both the English preposition and the every thought captive to "the obedience of Greek case have a large number of mean Christ," which is apparently an objective ings; fortunately (or unfortunately) the genitive, the obedience to be derected to range of meaning of "of" corresponds Christ. A phrase which may variously be largely to the range of meaning of the interpreted as either a subjective or object Greek genitive case. Webster's Collegiate ive genitive is "the love of God." Scholars Dictionary lists fourteen meanings for "of" ; differ in their interpretation of specific grammarians would give varying numbers passages, but the following examples may of uses of the genitive case (genitive and cautiously be suggested : 2 Cor. 13 :14 reads, ablative cases, according to some scholars), "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and but the number would be approximately the love of God, and the fellowship of the equal to the number of uses of the English Holy Spirit, be with all." These bless preposition. speak of "the kingdom of ings seem to be spoken of as being be God," "the love of God" (which has two stowed by the Persons of the Trinity, so possible meanings), "the city of /^rw^-a/^w/' that here "the love of God" is the love to name but a few examples of the Greek which comes from God to man�a subject genitive case. What, then, are the possible ive genitive. I John 5 :3 reads, "For this meanings conveyed by the English "of" is the love of God, that we keep his com as well as the instances when it is other mandments. ..." To keep God's command wise translated? ments is the test of our love for God, not Genitive of God's love for us; hence this is the The most commonly recognized use of objective genitive. That this is the proper the genitive case is to express . interpretation seems to be borne out also The possessive genitive in the New Test by the fact that the sentence immediately ament, in such expressions as "his dis preceding speaks of our loving God and ciples," "my ," "the house of Simon," keeping His commandments. is so obvious and common as to require no Genitive of Source further comment. A source or author may be expressed by a case. Paul of "in Subjective and Objective Genitive genitive speaks being Somewhat different is the twofold use perils of rivers, in perils of robbers" (II Cor. to rivers and rob of the genitive case, which may be desig 11:26), referring bers as sources of his that in nated as the "subjective" and "objective" dangers; is, rivers and robbers. genitives. With a subjective genitive, an perils from from John "And shall all be action or idea is set forth as proceeding 6:45, taught of case with an from the noun in the genitive ; t Reprinted by permission from The Bible objective genitive, the idea or action is Translator, Vol. I, No. 2, April 1950. THE GENITIVE CASE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 109

God," refers to God as the author of the the first member. The New Testament stu teaching, the words "of God" being in the dent may regret that the author did not use genitive case. it in this passage. The difficulty is that Genitive of Material "these" in the genitive plural has the same The material of which a thing is made form for masculine, feminine, and neuter, may also be expressed by the genitive case. and the question of Jesus could, grammatic Examples of this usage are found in Mark ally, be either "Do you love me more than 2:21, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk these other disciples love me?" "Do you "

� cloth an . . . . upon old garment and John love me more than you love these things 7:38, "rivers of living water." Somewhat your boat and nets?" (or even: "Do you related is the genitive, the genitive love me more than you love these other case naming the whole from which only a disciples?") If the other construction had part is to be considered. Similar to the been used in the Greek, the word "these" former example is Luke 24: 42, "and they would have had a different form to ex gave him a piece of broiled fish." More press each of the three questions, and com common, however, are such instances as mentators would have been spared a great "some of the scribes" (Matt. 9:3), and deal of time debating this phase of the in "the half of my goods" (Luke 19:8). Also terpretation of this passage. related to the genitive of material is the Temporal Genitive genitive case used to express apposition, Time within which an event takes place where the noun in the genitive further is also expressed by the genitive case. In identifies another noun or tells of what it John 3 :2, which tells us that Nicodemus consists. Apposition, in Greek as in English, came to Jesus "by night," the time is ex is usually expressed by placing the two pressed by the single word "night" written in the same case, as "James the son" in the genitive case. or "Paul the servant" ; but in some usages Miscellaneous Uses of tpie Genitive the noun in apposition is placed in the gen Price and penalty are written in the gen itive case. Examples are John 2:21, "But itive case, as in Matt. 10:29, "Are not two was speaking concerning the sanctuary sparrows sold for a farthing?" Fulness or of his body" (the sanctuary was his body), lack is expressed by the genitive, as, John and the series of figures of speech in Eph. 2:7, "Fill the water jars with ivater," 6:14-17, "... .the breastplate of righteous expressing a mental perception, e.g. hear

ness, .... the shield of faith, .... the hel ing, tasting, touching, may take a genitive

met of salvation,. . . .", among others. case, parallel to the English phrase "to Comparative Genitive taste of the food." Finally, the genitive case Not all the uses of the Greek genitive is often used to express a loose relation case, however, are translated by the English ship which often cannot be specifically cat prepositional phrase with "of." A compar egorized. Examples are John 1:15, "he was ison, for instance may be expressed in first (in respect) of me"; Mark 1 :4, "a bap Greek by using the genitive case for the tism of repentance" (a baptism which had second member of the . Perhaps reference to repentance) ; and Rom. 7 :2, one of the most notable examples of this " is freed from the law of her husUand" construction in the New Testament is found (the law which defines that relationship). in John 21 :15, where Jesus says, "Simon, Translation is by no means the mere son of John, lovest me more than copying of constructions from one language these?"�the italicized words being ex into their exact equivalents in another pressed in Greek by the word "these" in language, nor is the interpretation of a pas the genitive case, no word being necessary sage the mere mechanical application of ob in the Greek for the word "than." There jective rules. It is therefore only by continu is, however, an alternate construction in ally seeking a more thorough understanding Greek to express a comparison, namely, to of the language, the style, the of use the Greek word for "than" with both the New Testament that one can fit himself members of the comparison in the case of to translate or interpret its riches.