Noun – Dative: all parts

SyntaxSyntax-semantics: Noun – Dative case (1 – Recipient; 2 – Instrument; 3 – Alternations)

The dative may appear in a variety of places in the clause, though it often appears close to the verb. It may introduce a recipient (20) or an instrument (21), among other functions that will be learned later on:

fromLesson 3.1: Noun – Dative singular

SemanticsSemantics: Noun – Dative (3 – Temporal Expressions)

Words that refer to a certain time may be used in the dative to refer to when something takes place:

The event of Jesus’s disciples saying something to him occurs within the time period referred to by the dative noun, namely the first day of unleavened bread. The preposition ἐν may also be used with this meaning.

fromLesson 30.1: Noun – 3rd Declension -ων

SyntaxSyntax: Noun – Dative (8 – Perspectival)

The perspectival dative is used to introduce someone who believes the statement to be true, such as To Jane, the cliff was very high. The assertion that the cliff was very high is not necessarily reflecting the perspective of the speaker; it is reflecting the perspective of the person introduced by the dative, i.e. Jane.

The initial dative ἐμοί limits the assertion of ‘to live is Christ.’ Other people might not think that living is Christ, but Paul uses the dative to limit the assertion to his perspective. This use is often found with stative verbs.

fromLesson 46.1: Noun – 3rd Declension -ην