Post on 03-Apr-2018
7/28/2019 Grammar - Genitive Absolute
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THE GENITIVE ABSOLUTE
! It is a phrase which is not connected syntactically with the rest of its sentence.
! Its subject is a NOUN or PRONOUN, and its verb is a CIRCUMSTANTIAL PARTICIPLE. Both of these are in the
GENITIVE CASE:
Mt 26:21 kai.evsqiontwn autwn ei=pen\ avmh.n le,gw umi/n o[ti ei-j evx umw/n paradw,sei meAnd while they were eating, he said, "Amen I say to you, that one of you will betray me."
! The rest of the genitive absolute phrase may include other elements and modifiers:
prepositional phrase
Mk 5:18 Kai.evmbai,nontoj autou eij to. ploion pareka,lei auvto.n o` daimonisqei.j i[na metV auvtou/ h=|And as he was embarking into the boat, the one who had been possessed begged him that he might be with him
dative of respect
2 Pt 4:1 Cristou oun paqontoj sarki. kai. umei/j th.n auvth.n e;nnoian opli,sasqeSince, therefore, Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention
direct object indirect object
Mt 9:18 Tauta autou lalountoj autoi/j( ivdou. a;rcwn ei-j evlqw.n proseku,nei auvtw/| le,gwn o[ti hquga,thr mou a;rti evteleu,thsen\ avlla. evlqw.n evpi,qej th.n cei/ra, sou evpV auvth,n( kai. zh,setaiWhile he was saying these things to them, behold, one leader came and reverenced him, saying,
"My daughter just died; but come lay your hand on her, and she will live."
object infinitive
Acts 19:30 Paulou de. boulome,nou eiselqei/n eij ton dhmon ouvk ei;wn auvto.n oi` maqhtai,Now, although Paul was wishing to enter into the populace, the disciples were not allowing him
! The verb functions like any other participle with respect to aspect and time (e.g., apresent participle has a
progressive/repeated aspect and usually indicates action simultaneous with the main verb of the sentence).
! The genitive absolute phrase can be used to indicate any of the 8 circumstances associated with all
circumstantial participles. Context will indicate which circumstance is the most appropriate. For example,
the temporal use makes the most sense in Mt 26:21 (above), but theoretically, it could be translated in any of
the following ways:
! Both Zerwick (#49) and Blass-Debrunner-Funk (#423) point out that the Semitic way of thinking favors
juxtaposing ideas against one another, while the Greek mind-set prefers to specificy how individual
elements are linked or subordinated to one another. Thus, in many instances where NT authors coming
from a Semitic context would tend to use the genitive absolute (in juxtaposition to the rest of the sentence),
Classical or Hellenistic writers would normally use a circumstantial participle agreeing in case, gender
and number with its antecedent, as in this example of good, literary Hellenistic prose:
accusative case
First Apology 10:2 Kai. pa,nta th.n avrch.n avgaqon onta dhmiourgh/sai auvto.n dedida,gmeqa(Justin Martyr) And we have been taught that in the beginning, he created all things because (he) is good
Temporal: "And when/while/as/after they were eating, he said"
Causal: "And because/since/as/inasmuch as they were eating, he said"
Purpose: "And for/in order for them to eat, he said" (more common with future participle)
Means: "And by/through/by means of their eating, he said"
Manner: "And with them eating, he said"
Condition: "And if/ as long as they were eating, he said"
Concessive: "And though/although they were eating, he said"
Attendant Circumstance: "They were eating, and he said"