Noun – Genitive: all parts

SyntaxSyntax-semantics: Noun – Genitive case (1 – Relational; 2 – Argument)

Like the dative, the genitive case (abbreviated gen) is also notorious for being exceptionally broad in its functions, but the nature of the surrounding nouns and verbs usually disambiguate it. Two main functions of the genitive are introduced here: it can relate two nouns (similar to of and –‘ s) and it can be marked as the argument of some verbs. The relationship between the two nouns can receive various interpretations:

fromLesson 3.2: Noun – Genitive singular

SemanticsSemantics: Noun – Genitive (3 – Possession)

One of the most common functions of the genitive is to mark possession.

fromLesson 7.2: Noun – Genitive plural

SemanticsSemantics: Noun – Gen (2 – Relating two nouns, expanded)

We have said that the genitive can relate two nouns (3.2.3.2), be used as an argument of some verbs (also 3.2.3.2), and indicate possession (7.2.3.2). When we introduced the first use, we said that the relationship was determined by the meaning of the nouns, but we can be more precise about this. Certain nouns are inherently relational and require an argument, just like verbs can require an argument. A verb like τρέχω ‘run’ requires someone to be the runner; similarly, nouns like ἀδελφή ‘sister’ require another person to be in a sibling relationship–a sister is always a sister of someone. With these relational nouns, the following genitive provides the argument of the noun.

If the relationship of the genitive is determined by the relationship that relational nouns encode, how do we determine the relationship of the genitive for non-relational nouns? The genitive relation is still determined at least in part by the semantics of the noun. For example, a noun like βιβλίον has certain properties. It is a physical object that can be owned. When the noun in the genitive is a prototypical possessor, this is normally the default interpretation, as in τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ ἱερέως ‘the priest’s scroll.’ When the noun in the genitive contains content of some kind, it represents the contents of the scroll, as in τὸ βιβλίον τοῦ νόμου ‘the scroll of the law.’ Many other relationships are possible depending on the meaning of βιβλίον and the following noun, but crucially, many are excluded. The genitive following βιβλίον cannot represent a sibling relationship or a parent-child relationship. The noun βιβλίον disallows this. Although this may seem obvious, it has important implications for how we go about determining the relationship of the genitive.

fromLesson 26.3: Noun – 3rd Declension -ις

SemanticsSemantics: Noun – Genitive (4 – Temporal)

The genitive can be used in a temporal phrase to refer to the nature of the time when an eventuality took place:

This use of the genitive is almost always found with the words νυκτός and ἡμέρας. The reason is that these words do not refer to mere temporal intervals, but to temporal intervals with certain qualities. Generic words like χρόνος ‘time’ are not used in this kind of construction because they do not refer to a time interval with a quality. The common phrase νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ‘night and day’ amounts to ‘all the time,’ since a given time period must necessarily be in the nighttime or the daytime.

fromLesson 28.4: Noun – 3rd Declension -ηρ/ωρ

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Noun – Genitive (6 – Eventuality participants)

Some nouns refer to eventualities. A genitive following such an eventuality-referring noun may refer to a participant in that eventuality. When this is the case, the genitive is interpreted in the same way as a subject or object in the verb that relates to the eventuality-noun. The verb ἀποκάλυπτω and the corresponding noun ἀποκάλυψις demonstrate this:

• Who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace to reveal his son in me

In Gal 1:16, the verb ἀποκαλύπτω takes an accusative argument, and this direct object refers to the thing revealed. In 1 Pet 4:13, the phrase ‘in the revelation of his glory’ refers to the event of Jesus’ glory being revealed. The thing revealed, ‘his glory’, corresponds to the object of the verb ἀποκαλύπτω, but in the absence of a verb, the thing revealed is given in the genitive case rather than the accusative. This kind of genitive is, therefore, called an objective genitive.

Based on this description, there are two conditions for classifying a genitive as an objective genitive. First, the noun must refer to the same eventuality as the verb from which it is derived. This means not only that the noun must be related to a verb but also that the noun must refer to an eventuality in that particular instance. Second, the semantic role of the verb’s object must match the semantic role of the genitive associated with the corresponding noun. In the examples above, the thing revealed is both the direct object of the verb and the genitive that follows the nominalization. This description also allows us to define what a subjective genitive is: a genitive that corresponds to the subject of a verb that is related to an eventuality-noun.

fromLesson 40.2: Noun – 3rd Declension -υς