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In this, the second essay dealing with basic Greek grammar, I will attempt to address as briefly and lucidly as possible, that part of speech commonly known as the ‘noun’.
‘Persons, places, things’
According
to the Macquarie Dictionary (rev. 3rd ed.), a noun “…comprises
words denoting person, places, things…” Briefly, it is reasonable to offer
that a noun in the Greek language is viewed in much the same way that a noun in
English would be. However, because Greek is a highly inflected
language (i.e. the form of words will change to indicate the role the word plays
in a sentence), a noun will alter its form based upon its relationship to other
words, and based on how it functions in any given sentence. In this respect a
Greek noun is markedly different to English ones.
Once
again, in common with the Greek verb, we find that the ‘stem’ of the noun
contains its basic meaning, whilst a suffix is added to indicate the noun’s
role in the sentence. Unlike the verb, however, the endings of nouns will change
according to prescribed patterns, or ‘declensions’, that indicate the
number, case, and gender of the noun form. To ‘decline’ a noun simply means
to analyse it, and to break it down into its basic parts according to number,
gender, and case.
'Declension' is a subset of the broader term ‘inflection’, in that it only
refers to nouns and pronouns but not to verbs.
Grammatical number of nouns
The
grammatical number of a noun can either be singular
or plural, the dual form (as
the word suggests, relating to ‘two’) of the ‘parent’ Attic dialect was
not carried across into its ‘child’ - koine
Greek. A noun that is in a singular form indicates ‘only one’, whilst a noun
that is in the plural form indicates ‘more than one’. In English, most nouns
change forms depending on whether it is singular or plural. However, some nouns
and pronouns do not change form for
singular or plural, such as ‘you’. The Greek language, however, always
makes a distinction between singular and plural forms.
Grammatical gender of nouns
Gender,
as it relates to nouns and other substantives (words that function as nouns) in
the Greek language, does not necessarily refer to either ‘male’ or
‘female’. It refers simply to grammatical gender, which is determined purely by grammatical
usage, and must be learned by observation and induction. Although nouns
referring to people or animals that are obviously male or female would normally
(however, not always) be classified as masculine or feminine accordingly, the
gender of most nouns seems to be somewhat arbitrary. Every noun must fall into
one of three categories of gender: masculine,
feminine, or neuter. The reality of gender, when considering a word solely in
isolation is of little real consequence to the student of New Testament Greek.
But, when analysing a sentence as a unit
of thought, gender may play a key role, especially when considered along with
the adjectives, pronouns and relative clauses that might be present. The outcome
of gender may indeed prove to be quite significant exegetically.
Consider
this as but one example: "…And receive...the sword
of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). The word sword
in Greek is given in the feminine gender, whilst Spirit
is neuter. So it becomes important in this sentence, to ascertain precisely what
is the antecedent of the relative pronoun which
(i.e. what is the which referring back
to?) The word translated which in this
sentence is neuter and, therefore,
refers to the word Spirit and not
sword. Consequently, the sentence
means: "…And receive...the sword of the Spirit which (Spirit) is the word
of God." It becomes obvious
that appreciating the grammar of this passage puts an entirely new ‘spin’ on
the proper meaning that the passage
seeks to convey.
Noun cases
The
term case relates to substantives
(nouns and pronouns), as well as to adjectives (including participles).
‘Case’ classifies their relationship to the other elements of the sentence.
It is by joining the ‘stem’ of the noun with an appropriate ‘ending’,
that noun cases are formed. The ending
of the word, therefore, identifies the particular case
form of the noun. There are four primary case
forms in the Greek. These are nominative,
genitive, dative and accusative. A
fifth form exists, the vocative;
however, it is so closely related to the nominative that it does, for all
intents and purposes, function in the same manner. As a caveat, it is important
to appreciate that the following definitions of each of the noun cases, refers
to nouns that are not in prepositional
phrases. When a noun is the object of a
preposition, it is the preposition that usually dictates the case, not the
noun.
Nominative case
A noun or pronoun that is the subject of the sentence is always in the nominative case. Likewise a noun that is in the predicate part of a sentence (i.e. a predicate nominative), and which contains a linking verb, should also be expected to be given in the nominative case.
Consider
this example: "…Christ loved the church and gave himself for her"
(Ephesians 5:25). The word Christ is in the nominative case in Greek and is, therefore, the subject
of this sentence. Galatians 5:22 says: "…But the fruit
of the spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering..." As the subject of
the sentence, the Greek word for ‘fruit’ is in the nominative case.
Likewise, the words in the predicate part of the sentence, that are equated to
‘fruit’ by the copulative verb ‘is’, are also given in the nominative
case in Greek.
Genitive case
Generally
speaking, the genitive is often viewed as the case
of possession. In more technical terms, one noun in the genitive case helps
to qualify another noun by showing its ‘class’ or ‘kind’. Consequently,
the genitive case has considerably more uses than most other cases, but, roughly
speaking, a noun in the genitive case helps to limit the scope of another noun
by indicating its ‘kind’ or ‘class’. It is usually translated into
English with a prepositional phrase starting with the word ‘of’. The most
common use of the genitive is to show possession (although it does not
necessarily indicate actual, or literal ownership). For instance: "…the
servant of the high priest" (Mark
14:47). The words of the high priest
are given in the genitive case in Greek and function to modify the word servant.
(In Greek the word ‘of’ is not present, but it is supplied in English in the
translation of the genitive case). Here the genitive helps to qualify
‘which’ servant the writer is referring to. Also: "…But you have
received a spirit of sonship..."
(Romans 8:15). Again the word sonship
is in the genitive case, announcing just what kind of spirit it is that we have
received.
Dative case
The
dative is the case of the indirect object, or may also indicate the means by which something is done. The dative case also has a wide
variety of uses, with the principal idea being that of personal interest or reference.
It is used most often in one of three general categories: indirect object, instrument
(means), or location. Most commonly it
is used as the indirect object of a
sentence. It may also indicate the means
by which something is done or accomplished. Used as a dative of location, it can identify the ‘place’, ‘time’, or
‘sphere’ in which something may happen. For example: [1] (Indirect object): "…Jesus said to them", or "…he will give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask" (Luke 11:13). [2] (Instrument
or Means): "…Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by (by
means of) prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God" (Philippians 4:6). In this sentence, there is a single Greek
word translated into the phrase by prayer
showing the means by which to let our requests be made known to God. [3]
(Location): "... and on the third day
He will be raised up" (Matthew 20:19). The phrase the
third day is in the dative case, identifying the time in which Jesus will be
raised. In this sentence, there is no Greek word present that is translated into
the English word ‘on’; it is added simply to show the meaning of the dative
of location.
Accusative case
The
accusative case is the case of the direct object, which receives the action of the verb. Like the other
cases, the accusative has a wide variety of uses, but its main function is as
the direct object of a transitive verb. Therefore, the direct object will most
often be in the accusative case. For example: "…As newborn babes, long
for the pure milk of the word" (1
Peter 2:2). The word milk is in the
accusative case, and is functioning as the direct object of the transitive verb long
for.
Vocative case
The
vocative is the case of direct address. It is used when one person is speaking to another,
calling out or saying their name, or addressing them generally. With many nouns,
the case form of the vocative is the same as the nominative, but the context and
function leave no question as to whether the person is being addressed or,
alternatively, being spoken about. Obviously, therefore, the vocative is used
most often in conjunction with the second person form of the verb.
For example: "... Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). Here Stephen is directly addressing the
Lord, so the form of Lord Jesus is in
the vocative case. The verb receive is
likewise given in the second person, as would be expected.
Summary
To
properly (and to completely) comprehend the Bible involves more than simply
‘reading’ it. A degree of analysis of the grammatical features it contains
is fundamentally necessary, if one is ever to develop a mature understanding of
just what it is that the original authors (and who is, ultimately, God Himself)
intended for us to grasp. Unfortunately, more often than not, nowadays, we are
‘lazy readers’. We will often grasp, at best, merely the most obvious and
superficial of points because we read, at best, superficially.
However, and importantly, that is not
how the Apostles wrote. These men wrote in depth,
incorporating shades of nuance that they fully
expected their readers to grasp. Theology is not superficial and cannot be
approached simplistically. Importantly, theological truth cannot be written
simplistically.
The ultimate factor in understanding the Bible is one less of education, than it is of application, as one does not need to be highly educated in order to be highly analytical. The Apostle John was probably not particularly advanced so far as formal education was concerned, and yet he wrote some of the most deeply profound, and theologically mature, letters in the entire New Testament canon. I offer, therefore, that every Christian is capable of developing the analytical skills that are required to rightly divide, and properly handle the word of Truth.
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