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GENITIVE CASE:             The basic function of Genitive case is to show relationship, definition or description.  A word in genitive case usually modifies, defines, or limits some other noun by specifying it more precisely. Example: The phrase "a heart of unbelief" is essentially equivalent in meaning to "an unbelieving heart"

                     The following classification with NT examples exhibits some of the common ways in which the Genitive modifies or defines another word in particular contexts.  The examples may be used as models to help interpret the use of Genitive Case in similar contexts.

1.      Description or Quality              Can the Genitive modifier be easily converted into an adjective? Do none of the more specific ways of defining listed below seem to apply?

                     ἐν πνεύματι πραύτητος

                 in a spirit of gentleness (a gentle spirit)                 (Gal 6.1)

                     ὁ μαμωνᾶς τῆς ἀδικίας

                 the mammon of unrighteousness (unrighteous mammon) (Lk 16.9)

                     οἱ λόγοι τῆς χάριτος

                                 the words of grace (graceful words)                    (Lk 4.22)

                                 (perhaps: words that bring/enact grace, then see under #7)

2.      Possession      Does the genitive word tell who/what owns something?

                     καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς

                 and when she returned to the house of her                        (Mk 7.30)

                     οὗτος ὁ ἀνοίξας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ τυφλοῦ

                 this one who opened the eyes of the blind man                  (J 11.37)

3.      Relationship               Does the genitive word tell to whom the modified noun is related or belongs?

                     ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι

                                 God gave to them power to become the children of God              (J 1.12)

                     ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης

                 the daughter of her was made whole from that moment                 (Mt 15.28)

4.      Source/Origin    Does the genitive word tell where something comes from or originates?

                     ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκὸς... οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ πατρός         (1 J 2.16)

                 the desire of the flesh... is not from the father (for "flesh" see #8)

                     Παῦλος ἀπόστολος, οὐκ ἀπ ᾿ ἀνθρώπων

                 Paul, an apostle, not from human sources             (Gal 1.1)

           εἶπεν Ναθαναὴλ, ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι;

                 Nathanael said, can anything good come from Nazareth?              (J 1.46)

5.      Separation      Does the genitive word speak of putting distance between or moving away from?

                     καὶ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν

                 and a cloud took him away from the eyes of them             (Acts 1.9)

                     καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου

                 and when he entered a house away from the crowd ...      (Mk 7.17)

                     τεκνία, φυλάξετε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων

                 Little children, keep yourselves away from the idols                      (1 J 5.21)

6.      Partitive          Does the genitive word express the whole or unit of which something is a part?

                     εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με

                 One of you will betray me                        (J 13.21)

                     καὶ ἀπῆλθόν τινες τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον

                 and some of the ones with us went to the tomb                 (Lk 24.24)

                     καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν

                 and many of the rulers believed in him                   (J 12.42)

7.      Objective        Does the genitive word express the object, goal, end, or receiver of an action that is suggested by the noun it modifies? (Noun             Genitive = Verb            Object )

                     καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον

                 and the love of riches chokes the word (love      money)  (Mt 13.22)

                     ἡ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται            (Mt 12.31)

                 but the blasphemy of (against) the Spirit will not be forgiven (blaspheme   Spirit)

                     διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων

                 on account of fear of (for) the Jews (fear   Jews)             (J 7.13)

                     ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου

                 I am the light (of) that gives light to the world (light           world) (J 8.12)

                     ὁ οἶκός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται

                 My house shall be called a house (of) for prayer (house    prayer)            (Mk 11.17)

                     τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς

                 you do not have the love for God within you (love              God)  (J 5.42)

                     but see #8 below:

8.      Subjective       Does the genitive word express the actor, agent, or producer/source of an action that is suggested by the noun it modifies? (Genitive                            Noun  = Subject                      Verb )

                     τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς

                 you do not have the love (of) that God does within you (God          love ) (J 5.42)

                     ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν ἀπέσταλκεν

                 In this way the love that God exercised has been revealed, that God has sent the Son

                                 (God                   love)                (1 J 4.9)

           μνημονεύοντες ὑμῶν τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως

                 remembering your work of faith (you          work)(faith      work?)           (1 Thess 1.3)

                                 ("work" is Dir. Obj. of "remember" #16; for the genitive "faith," is it also subjective? (i.e. faith performs works) or possibly #4? or #7? i.e. work that has its source in faith, or produces faith?)

                     διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἀνὰ κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ

                 I press on toward the prize of the upward calling of God (God          calls) (Ph 3.14)

                     ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος

                 It will result in deliverance through your prayer and the help of the spirit     (Ph 1.19)

                                 (you           pray) (spirit              helps)

9.      Comparison       Is the genitive word used to show comparison with a comparative adjective?

                     σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν ᾿Ιακώβ;

                 Are you greater than our father Jacob?                 (J 4.12)

                     ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων;

                 Do you love me more than these ?                        (J 21.15)

                     οὔκ ἐστιν δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ

                 a servant is not greater than his master                  (J 13.16)

                     [Note: comparison may also be expressed with ἤ instead of genitive case]

                     ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς

                 People loved the darkness more than the light                   (J 3.19)

10.    Price                Does the genitive word express the price or value of something?

                     διὰ τί τοῦτο τὸ μύρον οὐκ ἐπράθη τριακοσίων δηναρίων;

                 Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii ?                       (J 12.5)

11.    Material         Does the genitive word indicate what something is made of?

                     οὐδεὶς ἐπίβλημα ῥακους ἀγνάφου ἐπιράπτει ἐπὶ ἱματvιον παλαιόν

                 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment                        (Mk 2.21)

12.    Contents         Does the genitive word tell what something is full of or filled with?

                     καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ... πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας

                 And we saw his glory.... full of grace and truth                  (J 1.14)

                     γεμίσατε τὰς ὑδρίας ὕδατος

                 Fill the jars with water                  (J 2.7)

13.    Time                Does the genitive word tell the time during which or the time when?(the latter often with οὗ , the Genitive of the relative pronoun and ἕως, "until")

                     οὗτος ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτός

                 This one came to him during the night time                        (J 3.2)

                     τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοῶντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός

                 of his chosen ones who keep calling to him during the day and night                      (Lk 18.7)

                     καθίσατε ἐν τῇ πόλει ἕως οὗ ἐνδύσησθε δύναμιν

                 Wait in the city until when you clothe yourselves with power                     (Lk 24.49)

14.    Place/Location   Does the genitive word express a location or a place where or to which? (the latter often with οὗ , the Genitive of the relative pronoun)

                     καὶ στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ

                 And he will station the sheep at his right hand                    (Mt 25.33)

                     ἦλθον εἰς τὰ κλίματα τῆς Συρίας καὶ τῆς Κιλικίας

                 I went into the regions of Syria and of Cilicia                    (Gal 1.21)       

                     καὶ ἤγγισαν εἰς τὴν κώμην οὗ ἐπορεύοντο

                 And they drew near to the village to which they were traveling                  (Lk 24.28)

15.    Apposition      Does the genitive word rename or designate more precisely the noun that it modifies?

                     νήφωμεν ἐνδυσάμενοι θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης

                 Let us live soberly, putting on the breastplate of (i.e.) faith and love           (1 Thess 5.8)

                     ὁ δοὺς ἡμῖν τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος

                 ...the one who has given to us the downpayment of (i.e.) the Spirit                        (2 Cor 5.5)

16.    With Various Verbs and Adjectives                 Is the genitive word an object of certain special verbs that express ideas such as separation, source, content, sense perception, memory, partaking of, attaining, reaching, filling, emptying or lacking, ruling  or exercising authority over, or is it object of a compound verb whose preposition takes a Genitive object (e.g. καταγινώσκω "condemn, know something against," because of the preposition κατά "against")?

                     ἐμνήσθησαν τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτοῦ                          ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει

           They remembered the words of him (Lk 24.8)                                          The world hears them (1 J 4.5)

                     οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θανάτου                                             μή μου ἅπτου

                 He shall never taste death (J 8.52)                                                            Do not touch me (J 20.17)

                      ἵνα βάψῃ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ δακτύλου ... ὕδατος

                 In order that he may dip the tip of his finger ... in water                 (Lk 16.24)

                     θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει

                 Death no longer rules over him                 (Rom 6.9)

                     μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν        

                 Do not think that I will condemn you                    (J 5.45)

17.    Miscellaneous Uses of Genitive Case

         a.         With Various Prepositions and Adverbs                      Is the genitive word used as object of a preposition with one of the meanings noted above or is it used as object of an Adverb?

                     ἐκ - out of, from                                                                        ἀπό   -     away from, from

                     παρά  -       from, from beside                                 ἐγγὺς τῆς πόλεως  - near the city (Adverb) (J 19.20)

         b.         Genitive Absolute                     Is the genitive word agreeing with a genitive participle in the predicate position? A predicate circumstantial participle and the noun or pronoun with which it agrees can be written in the Genitive case so as to separate or subordinate the circumstantial (adverbial) clause in which they stand (much like a comma does in English). See under Participle, p. 13)

         c.         Articular Infinitive        Is the genitive word a definite article in the genitive case used with an infinitive?           An Articular Infinitive in the Genitive case is frequently used to express ideas of purpose or result.  (See under Infinitive, p. 14, # 1 & 2)