Noun – Accusative: all parts

SemanticsSemantics: Noun – Accusative Case (1 – Direct object)

The accusative case normally marks the direct object of the sentence. The idea of “objecthood” is a difficult concept to define, but direct objects are normally affected by the action of the verb in some way. To illustrate, in ὁ ἄνθρωπος τύπτει τὴν ἀδελφήν ‘the person is hitting the sister,’ the person being ‘hit’ is in accusative case (the sister), and she is affected by the action of the verb, namely the hitting.

fromLesson 1.3: Noun – Accusative singular

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Noun – Accusative (2 – Double accusative)

The verb ποτίζω σε τήν is an example of the double accusative. This verb selects for two arguments, and though both are in accusative case, they have separate roles in the sentence. In the form ποτίζω σε τήν, we can see that one of the arguments is marked as a person, since it is represented by σε, and the other is not necessarily a person, it being marked as τήν. This is typical for these kinds of double accusative constructions where one argument is a person and the other is a thing. The verb means to provide a drink, so the drink is represented by τήν and the person who receives the drink by σε. Although this pattern is not uncommon, most animate arguments that refer to recipients are in the dative case, as in βάλλω σοι τήν. You will have to memorize whether the verb takes a recipient argument in the accusative case or the dative.

fromLesson 20.1: Noun – 3rd Declension -δ/θ/τ

SyntaxSyntax-semantics: Accusative (3 – Adverbial use of neut acc adjective)

When a noun in accusative case is used as an object, it is selected by the verb (see 1.3.2 and 20.1.3.2). In the temporal use of the accusative, it is not selected by the verb, and the same is true for the adverbial use of the neuter accusative. To be used adverbially means to modify the eventuality itself rather than to modify or refer to a participant in the eventuality. Neuter adjectives in accusative case are used for this function:

There are three neuter adjectives in Luke 7:47. In the clause ἠγάπησεν πολύ, the neut acc adjective πολύ cannot be referring to a participant nor modifying a participant in the eventuality. It is not as if the woman loved ‘many’ people or a particular individual who was ‘much.’ Rather, πολύ modifies the degree to which she loved, i.e. it modifies how the sinful woman loved.

The next neuter adjective is ὀλίγον, which is morphologically ambiguous between nominative and accusative case. There are semantic, syntactic, and contextual reasons why this is not an adverbial accusative. Semantically, the event of forgiving requires both someone to be forgiven and something to be forgiven. The person forgiven is referred to by ᾧ. Because the verb is a medio-passive, the one who is doing the forgiving is implicit, but what is being forgiven is still missing. The only option for this is ὀλίγον. This suggests that ὀλίγον is not referring to how something is forgiven (i.e. it is not about doing a small amount of forgiveness), but to what is being forgiven. The neuter is used because it refers to a generic “thing,” so it is referring to a participant in the event. This is confirmed by the syntax as well. Whenever the medio-passive of ἀφίημι is used, the subject, when expressed, is in nominative case and refers to whatever is forgiven. Therefore, ὀλίγον must be nominative and the subject of the sentence. Finally, the previous sentence speaks of sins being forgiven. This allows us to easily supply what kind of thing would be forgiven, namely a sinful thing.

Finally, the last neuter adjective ὀλἰγον must also be taken adverbially for all the reasons we gave for πολύ. It modifies the degree to which someone loves and cannot be modifying or referring to an eventuality participant. Despite ὀλίγον appearing identical in the last two clauses, it is functioning very differently in each clause, both syntactically and semantically. Identifying the adverbial accusative, then, involves not just the form of the word but also the syntax and semantics of the verb in the clause where the neuter adjective is found.

fromLesson 47.1: Noun – 3rd Declension -ψ