noun : represents a person, place, thing, or idea
pronoun: stands in for a noun (pronoun lesson)
---
some initial examples
1 Thes 1:1 Παῦ.λος καὶ Σι.λου.α.νὸς καὶ Τι.μό.θε.ος τῇ ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων ἐν θε.ῷ πα.τρὶ καὶκυ.ρί.ῳ Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρι.στῷ· χά.ρις ὑ.μῖν καὶ εἰ.ρή.νη.
A noun represents a:
- Person (for example: Παῦ.λος)
- Place (for example, in verse 7: Μα.κε.δο.νί.ᾳ)- Thing (for example: ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ), or
- Idea (for example: χά.ρις).
Nouns are blue. Verbs are red.
1 Thes 1:2 Εὐ.χα.ρι.στοῦ.μεν τῷ θε.ῷ...
We give thanks to God
The pronoun we is supplied by the verb form Εὐ.χα.ρι.στοῦ.μεν, which means we give thanks to or we thank.
The noun form θε.ῷ means God.
We give thanks to God.
Nouns are blue. Verbs are red. Participles are verb forms (red) with noun endings (blue).
1 Thes 1:6 ...δεξ.ά.με.νοι τὸν λό.γον...
receiving the Word
The participle (a verb form with a noun ending) δεξ.ά.με.νοι means receiving.
The article τὸν means the.The noun λό.γον means word.
---
noun endings
Each noun ending expresses three vital pieces of information: number, gender, and case.
number: one (singular) or two or more (plural)
A noun and that which describes a noun agree in number. For example:
1 Thes 1: 5 ...ἐν πνεύ.μα.τι ἁ.γί.ῳ...
in holy spirit
πνεύ.μα.τι is a singular noun.ἁ.γί.ῳ is a singular adjective.
The noun and its adjective agree in number: both are singular.
gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. No noun can be of more than one gender. Some masculine nouns (ἄν.θρω.πος) may be rendered in a way that is more inclusive (a person).
A noun and an adjective that describes it agree in gender. For example:
1 Thes 1: 5 ...ἐν πνεύ.μα.τι ἁ.γί.ῳ...
in holy spirit
πνεύ.μα.τι is a neuter noun.ἁ.γί.ῳ is a neuter adjective.
The noun and its adjective agree in gender: both are neuter.
case: indicates how a noun or pronoun functions within a sentence
There are four cases: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative.
Words that function in the same way within a sentence agree in case. For example:
1 Thes 1:1 Παῦ.λος καὶ Σι.λου.α.νὸς καὶ Τι.μό.θε.ος...
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy...
These three nouns function in the same way (as the subject) and agree in case (nominative).
The four cases occur a similar number of times within the NT text.
Let's consider them one at a time: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative.
---
nominative: subject
How to translate a single nominative.
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. Put it before the verb. It's the subject.
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:8 ...ἐξ.ή.χη.ται ὁ λό.γος...
the Word has been sounded forth
How to translate two nominatives, with a "being" or "becoming" verb.
1. Look up the words. Look for their context-specific meanings.
2. Check
- If one of the two nominatives is a pronoun, put it first; it's the subject.
- If one of the two nominatives has an article, put it first; it's the subject.
- Otherwise, try putting the first of the two nominatives first; it's the subject.
- Put the other nominative after the verb; it's the predicate nominative.
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:6 καὶ ὑ.μεῖς μι.μη.ταὶ ἡ.μῶν ἐ.γε.νή.θη.τε...
And you became imitators of us
1 John 4:8 ...ὁ θε.ὸς ἀ.γά.πη ἐ.στίν.
God is love.
How to translate two or more nominatives, without a "being" or "becoming" verb.
1. Look up the words. Look for their context-specific meanings.
2. Present them side-by-side (with articles, as needed, to convey the sense).
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
Sometimes nouns (or phrases) appear one after the other, functioning the same way within a sentence. The second one further identifies the first one. The second one is said to be in apposition (meaning, side-by-side).
1 Thes 1:1 ...ἐν θε.ῷ πατ.ρὶ...
in God Father
in God the Father
1 Thes 1:1 ...ἐν ... κυ.ρί.ῳ Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρισ.τῷ...
in Lord Jesus Christ
in the Lord Jesus Christ
---
genitive: object of a preposition, or "of _____"
How to translate
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it as a prepositional phrase: of _____
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:2 ...ἐ.πὶ τῶν προ.σευ.χῶν ἡ.μῶν.
in our prayers
1 Thes 1:1 ...Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων...
of Thessalonians
of the Thessalonians
If "of" seems out of place, it may be that the verb works with a genitive direct object; verify by checking the verb's definition.
---
dative: object of a preposition, or "twib _____"
How to translate
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it as a prepositional phrase: to|with|in|by (twib) _____
- It's an indirect object, indicating to whom an action is done.
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:5 ...ἐ.γε.νή.θη εἰς ὑ.μᾶς...it came to you
1 Thes 1:5 ...ἐ.γε.νή.θη.μεν ὑ.μῖν...
we became among you
Dative is also used at the start of a letter, indicating to whom it is addressed.
1 Thes 1:1 ...τῇ ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ...
to the church
Some verbs (trust, obey, serve, worship, thank, follow) expect a dative direct object.
1 Thes 1:2 Εὐ.χα.ρισ.τοῦ.μεν τῷ θε.ῷ...
We give thanks to God.
We thank God.
---
accusative: object of a preposition, or a direct object
How to translate.
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it.
- It's a direct object, indicating upon what an action is done.
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:8 ...πρὸς τὸν θε.ὸν...
toward God
1 Thes 4:2 ...πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας ἐ.δώ.κα.μεν ὑ.μῖν...
we gave commandments to you
---
4 cases: an example
---
4 cases: another example
Consider the nouns and pronouns in the following:
1 Thes 4:2-3
τί.νας πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας
- Translation: what commandments
- What it is: noun word group (specifically, a pronoun and a noun)
- Form: accusative plural feminine
- Functions as: direct object
- Describing: upon what the action is done | to whom the action is done
ὑ.μῖν
- Translation: to you
- What it is: personal pronoun
- Form: dative 2nd person plural ---
- Functions as: indirect object- Describing: upon what the action is done | to whom the action is done
δι.ὰ τοῦ κυ.ρί.ου Ἰ.η.σοῦ
- Translation: through the Lord Jesus
- What it is: prepositional phrase
- Form: genitiveτοῦ.το
- Translation: this
- What it is: demonstrative pronoun
- Form: nominative singular neuter
- Functions as: subjectθέ.λη.μα
- Translation: will
- What it is: noun
- Form: nominative singular neuter
- Functions as: predicate nominative, a description of the subject
τοῦ θε.οῦ
- Translation: of God
- What it is: article + noun- Form: genitive singular masculine
- Functions as: adjective, a description
οἴ.δα.τε γὰρ τί.νας πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας ἐ.δώ.κα.μεν ὑ.μῖν
δι.ὰ τοῦ κυ.ρί.ου Ἰ.η.σοῦ.
τοῦ.το γάρ ἐσ.τιν θέ.λη.μα τοῦ θε.οῦ...
For you know what commandments we gave you
by the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God
---
noun endings: a way to learn them
It's time now to consider a unified approach to learning noun endings.
For those who are "show me a picture, so I can get it" learners, you'll see four colorful characters:
- Nerd, representing the nominative case
- Girl, representing the genitive case
- Dog, representing the dative case
- Anteater, representing the accusative case.
For those who are "give me the facts in a table, so I can get it" learners, you'll see a single table, ready for you to analyze and commit to memory.
For those who are "sing it to me so I can get it" learners, you'll hear the music, below.
Here is the unified approach, presented in a single page: click here to get to the library (explore the folders, to find the supporting materials for the grammar lessons).
---
Now check out the 13 noun endings in this verse:
1 Thes 1:1
Παῦ.λος καὶ Σι.λου.α.νὸς καὶ Τι.μό.θε.ος τῇ ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων ἐν θε.ῷ πα.τρὶ καὶ κυ.ρί.ῳ Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρι.στῷ· χά.ρις ὑ.μῖν καὶ εἰ.ρή.νη.
Παῦ.λος, Σι.λου.α.νὸς, Τι.μό.θε.ος
- Form: nominative singular masculine
ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ
- Form: dative singular feminine
- The little iota marks this as dative.
Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων
- Form (upon looking at the ending): genitive plural m-f-n
- Form (upon looking up the gender): genitive plural masculine
---
exercise
Translate 1 Thes 1:1, using the advanced section at Bible GT.
---
Little Notes
Transitive verbs usually need a direct object ("I found ____") .
Intransitive verbs usually don't need a direct object ("I walk.")---
Direct-object exceptions
Some verbs insist upon working with a genitive or dative direct object, rather than with an accusative one. When you encounter one, let the context be your guide. You can cross-check what you are observing with a detailed lexical entry, for example, the "long definitions" at theGreat Treasures site.
---
Noun-ending exceptions
- Proper names often do not strictly follow the usual ending patterns. See the forms any time, by selecting a proper name and "Show NT forms" (or check a lexicon).
- Sometimes gender does not strictly follow the usual ending patterns. The two most common exceptions are these masculine nouns that appear to have feminine endings: μαθητής disciple and προφήτης prophet.
---
Genitive (more...): this case adds a description. Most of the time, using "of + noun" is a good translation of the relationship between the genitive noun and the verb it is describing. As part of your study, you may consider context to better understand the relationship between the genitive noun and the word it is describing. For example:
- of [owned by]
- of [related to]
- of [pertaining to]
- of [characterized by]
- at [location]
Here are some examples of how one might apply the question of "what kind of genitive is it" when considering the Scriptures.
Gal 3:22 ... ἐ.παγ.γε.λί.α ἐκ πί.στε.ως Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρι.στοῦ...
The promise of faith of [pertaining to] Jesus Christ...
Rom 1:1 Παῦ.λος δοῦ.λος Χρι.στοῦ Ἰ.η.σοῦ...
Paul, bond servant of [owned by] Jesus Christ
Heb 3:12 ... ἀ.πι.στί.ας...
Evil heart of [characterized by] sin
---
Vocative (a fifth case): This case is the one used in direct address. It occurs only rarely. It's easy to detect: first you notice the noun endings are somewhat different; the you remember vocative, notice that it's direct address, and keep reading. Here is an example, the word κύριε:
Rom 10:16... τίς ἐ.πί.στευ.σεν ἀ.κοῇ ἡ.μῶν;
..."Lord, who believed the report of us?"
..."Lord, who believed our report?"
Vocative plural forms are the same as nominative plural forms.
---
Ablout (ahb-lout): a vowel that is short in some form, long in others.
Substantive: a category spanning nouns and pronouns: those things that add substance to a sentence.
©2008-12 Bible GT. All rights reserved. Permission granted to print for individual use. Visit BibleGT.org
pronoun: stands in for a noun (pronoun lesson)
Ierte
wiuyr uweyr
Kfljfdjfkjsdf
kljsdlk s ;sd sd s sf
---
some initial examples
1 Thes 1:1 Παῦ.λος καὶ Σι.λου.α.νὸς καὶ Τι.μό.θε.ος τῇ ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων ἐν θε.ῷ πα.τρὶ καὶκυ.ρί.ῳ Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρι.στῷ· χά.ρις ὑ.μῖν καὶ εἰ.ρή.νη.
A noun represents a:
- Person (for example: Παῦ.λος)
- Place (for example, in verse 7: Μα.κε.δο.νί.ᾳ)- Thing (for example: ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ), or
- Idea (for example: χά.ρις).
Nouns are blue. Verbs are red.
1 Thes 1:2 Εὐ.χα.ρι.στοῦ.μεν τῷ θε.ῷ...
We give thanks to God
The pronoun we is supplied by the verb form Εὐ.χα.ρι.στοῦ.μεν, which means we give thanks to or we thank.
The noun form θε.ῷ means God.
We give thanks to God.
Nouns are blue. Verbs are red. Participles are verb forms (red) with noun endings (blue).
1 Thes 1:6 ...δεξ.ά.με.νοι τὸν λό.γον...
receiving the Word
The participle (a verb form with a noun ending) δεξ.ά.με.νοι means receiving.
The article τὸν means the.The noun λό.γον means word.
---
noun endings
Each noun ending expresses three vital pieces of information: number, gender, and case.
number: one (singular) or two or more (plural)
A noun and that which describes a noun agree in number. For example:
1 Thes 1: 5 ...ἐν πνεύ.μα.τι ἁ.γί.ῳ...
in holy spirit
πνεύ.μα.τι is a singular noun.ἁ.γί.ῳ is a singular adjective.
The noun and its adjective agree in number: both are singular.
gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. No noun can be of more than one gender. Some masculine nouns (ἄν.θρω.πος) may be rendered in a way that is more inclusive (a person).
A noun and an adjective that describes it agree in gender. For example:
1 Thes 1: 5 ...ἐν πνεύ.μα.τι ἁ.γί.ῳ...
in holy spirit
πνεύ.μα.τι is a neuter noun.ἁ.γί.ῳ is a neuter adjective.
The noun and its adjective agree in gender: both are neuter.
case: indicates how a noun or pronoun functions within a sentence
There are four cases: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative.
Words that function in the same way within a sentence agree in case. For example:
1 Thes 1:1 Παῦ.λος καὶ Σι.λου.α.νὸς καὶ Τι.μό.θε.ος...
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy...
These three nouns function in the same way (as the subject) and agree in case (nominative).
The four cases occur a similar number of times within the NT text.
Let's consider them one at a time: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative.
---
nominative: subject
How to translate a single nominative.
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. Put it before the verb. It's the subject.
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:8 ...ἐξ.ή.χη.ται ὁ λό.γος...
the Word has been sounded forth
How to translate two nominatives, with a "being" or "becoming" verb.
1. Look up the words. Look for their context-specific meanings.
2. Check
- If one of the two nominatives is a pronoun, put it first; it's the subject.
- If one of the two nominatives has an article, put it first; it's the subject.
- Otherwise, try putting the first of the two nominatives first; it's the subject.
- Put the other nominative after the verb; it's the predicate nominative.
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:6 καὶ ὑ.μεῖς μι.μη.ταὶ ἡ.μῶν ἐ.γε.νή.θη.τε...
And you became imitators of us
1 John 4:8 ...ὁ θε.ὸς ἀ.γά.πη ἐ.στίν.
God is love.
How to translate two or more nominatives, without a "being" or "becoming" verb.
1. Look up the words. Look for their context-specific meanings.
2. Present them side-by-side (with articles, as needed, to convey the sense).
3. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
Sometimes nouns (or phrases) appear one after the other, functioning the same way within a sentence. The second one further identifies the first one. The second one is said to be in apposition (meaning, side-by-side).
1 Thes 1:1 ...ἐν θε.ῷ πατ.ρὶ...
in God Father
in God the Father
1 Thes 1:1 ...ἐν ... κυ.ρί.ῳ Ἰ.η.σοῦ Χρισ.τῷ...
in Lord Jesus Christ
in the Lord Jesus Christ
---
genitive: object of a preposition, or "of _____"
How to translate
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it as a prepositional phrase: of _____
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:2 ...ἐ.πὶ τῶν προ.σευ.χῶν ἡ.μῶν.
in our prayers
1 Thes 1:1 ...Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων...
of Thessalonians
of the Thessalonians
If "of" seems out of place, it may be that the verb works with a genitive direct object; verify by checking the verb's definition.
---
dative: object of a preposition, or "twib _____"
How to translate
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it as a prepositional phrase: to|with|in|by (twib) _____
- It's an indirect object, indicating to whom an action is done.
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:5 ...ἐ.γε.νή.θη εἰς ὑ.μᾶς...it came to you
1 Thes 1:5 ...ἐ.γε.νή.θη.μεν ὑ.μῖν...
we became among you
Dative is also used at the start of a letter, indicating to whom it is addressed.
1 Thes 1:1 ...τῇ ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ...
to the church
Some verbs (trust, obey, serve, worship, thank, follow) expect a dative direct object.
1 Thes 1:2 Εὐ.χα.ρισ.τοῦ.μεν τῷ θε.ῷ...
We give thanks to God.
We thank God.
---
accusative: object of a preposition, or a direct object
How to translate.
1. Look up the word. Look for its context-specific meaning.
2. If a preposition comes before it, use the case-specific meaning of the preposition.
3. Otherwise, translate it.
- It's a direct object, indicating upon what an action is done.
4. Take into account the verse, its context, and other passages.
1 Thes 1:8 ...πρὸς τὸν θε.ὸν...
toward God
1 Thes 4:2 ...πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας ἐ.δώ.κα.μεν ὑ.μῖν...
we gave commandments to you
---
4 cases: an example
ὁ θε.ὸς ἀ.γα.πᾷ ἡ.μᾶς.
ἡ.μεῖς ἐσ.μεν τέκ.να τοῦ θε.οῦ.
ἡ.μεῖς δί.δω.σιν ἔ.παι.νον τῷ θε.ῷ.
ἡ.μεῖς ἀ.γα.πῶ.σιν τὸν θε.όν.
---
4 cases: another example
Consider the nouns and pronouns in the following:
1 Thes 4:2-3
οἴ.δα.τε γὰρ τί.νας πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας ἐ.δώ.κα.μεν ὑ.μῖν
δι.ὰ τοῦ κυ.ρί.ου Ἰ.η.σοῦ.
τοῦ.το γάρ ἐσ.τιν θέ.λη.μα τοῦ θε.οῦ...
τοῦ.το γάρ ἐσ.τιν θέ.λη.μα τοῦ θε.οῦ...
τί.νας πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας
- Translation: what commandments
- What it is: noun word group (specifically, a pronoun and a noun)
- Form: accusative plural feminine
- Functions as: direct object
- Describing: upon what the action is done | to whom the action is done
ὑ.μῖν
- Translation: to you
- What it is: personal pronoun
- Form: dative 2nd person plural ---
- Functions as: indirect object- Describing: upon what the action is done | to whom the action is done
δι.ὰ τοῦ κυ.ρί.ου Ἰ.η.σοῦ
- Translation: through the Lord Jesus
- What it is: prepositional phrase
- Form: genitiveτοῦ.το
- Translation: this
- What it is: demonstrative pronoun
- Form: nominative singular neuter
- Functions as: subjectθέ.λη.μα
- Translation: will
- What it is: noun
- Form: nominative singular neuter
- Functions as: predicate nominative, a description of the subject
τοῦ θε.οῦ
- Translation: of God
- What it is: article + noun- Form: genitive singular masculine
- Functions as: adjective, a description
οἴ.δα.τε γὰρ τί.νας πα.ραγ.γε.λί.ας ἐ.δώ.κα.μεν ὑ.μῖν
δι.ὰ τοῦ κυ.ρί.ου Ἰ.η.σοῦ.
τοῦ.το γάρ ἐσ.τιν θέ.λη.μα τοῦ θε.οῦ...
For you know what commandments we gave you
by the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God
---
noun endings: a way to learn them
It's time now to consider a unified approach to learning noun endings.
For those who are "show me a picture, so I can get it" learners, you'll see four colorful characters:
- Nerd, representing the nominative case
- Girl, representing the genitive case
- Dog, representing the dative case
- Anteater, representing the accusative case.
For those who are "give me the facts in a table, so I can get it" learners, you'll see a single table, ready for you to analyze and commit to memory.
For those who are "sing it to me so I can get it" learners, you'll hear the music, below.
Here is the unified approach, presented in a single page: click here to get to the library (explore the folders, to find the supporting materials for the grammar lessons).
---
Now check out the 13 noun endings in this verse:
Παῦ.λος, Σι.λου.α.νὸς, Τι.μό.θε.ος
- Form: nominative singular masculine
ἐκ.κλη.σί.ᾳ
- The little iota marks this as dative.
Θεσ.σα.λο.νι.κέ.ων
- Form (upon looking up the gender):
---
exercise
Translate 1 Thes 1:1, using the advanced section at Bible GT.
Little Notes
Transitive verbs usually need a direct object ("I found ____") .
Intransitive verbs usually don't need a direct object ("I walk.")---
Direct-object exceptions
Some verbs insist upon working with a genitive or dative direct object, rather than with an accusative one. When you encounter one, let the context be your guide. You can cross-check what you are observing with a detailed lexical entry, for example, the "long definitions" at theGreat Treasures site.
---
Noun-ending exceptions
- Proper names often do not strictly follow the usual ending patterns. See the forms any time, by selecting a proper name and "Show NT forms" (or check a lexicon).
- Sometimes gender does not strictly follow the usual ending patterns. The two most common exceptions are these masculine nouns that appear to have feminine endings: μαθητής disciple and προφήτης prophet.
Genitive (more...): this case adds a description. Most of the time, using "of + noun" is a good translation of the relationship between the genitive noun and the verb it is describing. As part of your study, you may consider context to better understand the relationship between the genitive noun and the word it is describing. For example:
- of [owned by]
- of [related to]
- of [pertaining to]
- of [characterized by]
- at [location]
Gal 3:22
The promise of faith of [pertaining to] Jesus Christ...
Rom 1:1
Paul, bond servant of [owned by] Jesus Christ
Heb 3:12
Evil heart of [characterized by] sin
---
Vocative (a fifth case): This case is the one used in direct address. It occurs only rarely. It's easy to detect: first you notice the noun endings are somewhat different; the you remember vocative, notice that it's direct address, and keep reading. Here is an example, the word κύριε:
Rom 10:16
..."Lord, who believed the report of us?"
..."Lord, who believed our report?"
Vocative plural forms are the same as nominative plural forms.
---
Ablout (ahb-lout): a vowel that is short in some form, long in others.
Substantive: a category spanning nouns and pronouns: those things that add substance to a sentence.
©2008-12 Bible GT. All rights reserved. Permission granted to print for individual use. Visit BibleGT.org
