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Dative case in Greek
1. Dative case in Greek
2. Cases
Some languages have more
cases than others. Here are some cases.
| N |
Nominative |
| D |
Dative |
| A |
Accusative |
| G |
Genitive |
| V |
Vocative |
|
... |
The Greek word for
"case" comes from the ancient Greek word
"πτώση" ≈ "fallen, dropped". A similar phrase is used in English is a reference to a
"lower class" or
"low life" or
"culturally abused". This Greek word is related to the Greek word for
"poor" or
"beggar" but is a word used by Jesus to refer to those who need the "
Good News".
In grammar, the word means a
"case" such as nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, etc. In a logical syllogism, it can mean an arrangement of terms.
3. Matthew 7:24,26 House built on sand
4. Matthew 7:25,27 House built on sand
House on
rock of Christ:
Matthew 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. [kjv]
και κατεβη η βροχη και ηλθαν οι ποταμοι και επνευσαν οι ανεμοι και προσεπεσαν τη οικια εκεινη και ουκ επεσεν τεθεμελιωτο γαρ επι την πετραν [gnt]
House on
sand of man:
7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. [kjv]
και κατεβη η βροχη και ηλθαν οι ποταμοι και επνευσαν οι ανεμοι και προσεκοψαν τη οικια εκεινη και επεσεν και ην η πτωσις αυτης μεγαλη [gnt]
The "
rain", "
rivers" and "
wind"
"falls" on the "
house" built on the "
rock". However, the "
rain", "
rivers" and "
wind"
"cut off" (different word) the "
house" built on "
sand". The ancient Greek word
"προσκόπτω" ≈ "cut towards/off". The "
house" is
"cut off". Perhaps they "
cut off" themselves as in separating themselves from the love of Christ - as the lost sheep that goes on the mountain.
5. Matthew 7:27 House built on sand
Matthew 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. [kjv]
και κατεβη η βροχη και ηλθαν οι ποταμοι και επνευσαν οι ανεμοι και προσεκοψαν τη οικια εκεινη και επεσεν και ην η πτωσις αυτης μεγαλη [gnt]
The "
house" built on "
rock" does
not "fall". However, the "
house" built on "
sand" is
"cut off" and has a
"great" (size or number)
"fall". The ancient Greek word
"πτῶσις" ≈ "falling" and, in grammar, is a case or inflection. The ancient Greek word
"πίπτω" ≈ "fall". A related word is
"πτωχός" ≈ "beggar" and means, literally, one who has fallen. Jesus often refers to the
"poor" as those who are
"fallen" and need the
"Gospel" or
"Good News" which is the source of the English word
"evangelical".
Might there be a play on words of the "
great"
"fall" with the "
many" or "
city" in the (false) "
house" on the "
mountain" following the (false) "
light" who need the
"Good News" but, due to "
birds" and "
pigs" (who work for the "
birds") get
"cut off" and never got to hear (or were misled about) that
"Good News"?
6. Dative case in Greek
The ancient Greek
dative case as an
indirect object in a sentence covers a number of possibilities including
plain/generic dative,
locative dative and
vocative dative.
The
locative and
vocative ideas come from the ancestor
PIE (Proto Indo-European) language which had these cases. In many languages, such as Greek, the
locative and vocative
merged with the
dative. In modern Greek, the
dative has merged with the
accusative case.
The general idea of the
dative in Greek can be thought of as the somewhat awkward "
with respect to the" for just "
the" where context indicates any inferred/added words in an English translation. Proofs in computer science often use the abbreviation
wrt for "
with respect to".
In each dative case, the meaning must be assumed or determined from context. This becomes a translation issue when there are more than one meaning that makes sense
and where no preposition is present that can help disambiguate the meaning.
7. Evolutionary perspective
From an evolutionary perspective, the primary question is not that most languages have simplified over time. The primary question is how the original languages, with no apparent ancestors, come into existence in a very complex form.
8. Indefinite article
Ancient Greek has no indefinite article like the English "a" or "an", coming from "one". The definite article is much like the English "the", coming from "that".
9. Table of definite articles
| * |
Masc.
Sing. |
Masc.
Plural |
Fem.
Sing. |
Fem.
Plural |
Neuter
Sing. |
Neuter
Plural |
| Nom. |
ὁ |
οί |
ἡ |
αί |
τό |
τά |
| Gen. |
τοῦ |
τῶν |
τῆς |
τῶν |
τοῦ |
τῶν |
| Dat. |
τῷ |
τοῖς |
τῇ |
ταῖς |
τῷ |
τοῖς |
| Acc. |
τόν |
τούς |
τήν |
τάς |
τό |
τά |
Note that there are duplications in the table. In such cases, the Greek is not always unambiguous. Aristotle points out how such ambiguities can be used for deceptive purposes.
Note the
iota subscript in the dative singular as
τῷ and
τῇ. This "
iota", or "
jot", represented a sound that was originally pronounced but then disappeared and became indistinguishable from the letter to which it had been previously associated.
10. Legend
Rows: N G D A
1. Case:
N=Nom.=Nominative
G=Gen.=Genitive
D=Dat.=Dative
A=Acc.=Accusative
Columns: MS MP FS FP NS NP
2. Number:
S=Sing.=Singular
P=Plural
3. Gender:
M=Masc.=Masculine
F=Fem.=Feminine
N=Neuter
11. Modern Greek dative case
In modern Greek (in recent times) the
dative case has disappeared (except in some common phrases) having been replaced by the accusative case (using a word order assumption similar to English).
12. Matthew 5:3 Poor in spirit
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [kjv]
μακαριοι οι πτωχοι τω πνευματι οτι αυτων εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων [gnt]
| Matthew 5:3 |
| Strong |
Used |
Unique |
Word |
Part of speech |
The word
"in" is inferred from the
dative case and replaces the
"the".
... the poor the spirit
... the poor (in) the spirit
... the poor (with respect to) the spirit
13. Matthew 5:8 Pure in heart
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. [kjv]
μακαριοι οι καθαροι τη καρδια οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται [gnt]
beati mundo corde … videbunt [v]
| Matthew 5:8 |
| Strong |
Used |
Unique |
Word |
Part of speech |
The word
"in" is inferred from the
dative case and replaces the
"the".
... the pure the heart
... the pure (in) the heart
... the pure (with respect to) the heart
14. Romans 6:2,2
Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? [kjv]
μη γενοιτο οιτινες απεθανομεν τη αμαρτια πως ετι ζησομεν εν αυτη [gnt]
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? [kjv]
μη γενοιτο οιτινες απεθανομεν τη αμαρτια πως ετι ζησομεν εν αυτη [gnt]
The Greek phrase translated as "
God forbid" is that of "
may it never happen" (expecting a negative result).
The word
"to" is inferred from the
dative case and replaces the Greek
"the".
... the sin
... (to) the sin
...( with respect to) the sin
15. Romans 6:2
KJV: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Greek: μη γενοιτο οιτινες απεθανομεν τη αμαρτια πως ετι ζησομεν εν αυτη
16. John 6:33
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. [kjv]
ο γαρ αρτος του θεου εστιν ο καταβαινων εκ του ουρανου και ζωην διδους τω κοσμω [gnt]
… mundo [v]
The word
"unto" is inferred from the
dative case and is added before the Greek
"the".
... gives life the world.
... gives life (unto) the world.
... gives life (with respect to) the world.
17. John 6:33
KJV: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Greek: ο γαρ αρτος του θεου εστιν ο καταβαινων εκ του ουρανου και ζωην διδους τω κοσμω
Latin: panis enim Dei est qui descendit de caelo et dat vitam mundo
Wessex: hyt ys godes hlaf þe of hefene com. aend sylð midden-earde lyf.
Wycliffe: for it is very breed that cometh doun fro heuene, and yyueth lijf to the world.
Tyndale: For the breed of God is he which cometh doune from heave and geveth lyfe vnto the worlde.
Gothic: sa auk hlaifs gudis ist, saei atstaig us himina jah gaf libain thizai manasedai.
Luther: Denn dies ist das Brot Gottes, das vom Himmel kommt und gibt der Welt das Leben.
Slavonic: хлеб бо Божии есть сходяй с небесе и даяй живот миру.
Russian: Ибо хлеб Божий есть тот, который сходит с небес и дает жизнь миру.
Spanish: Porque el pan de Dios es aquel que descendió del cielo y da vida al mundo.
18. Revelation 18:10
Revelation 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thy judgment come. [kjv]
απο μακροθεν εστηκοτες δια τον φοβον του βασανισμου αυτης λεγοντες ουαι ουαι η πολις η μεγαλη βαβυλων η πολις η ισχυρα οτι μια ωρα ηλθεν η κρισις σου [gnt]
The word
"in" is inferred from the
dative case and is added before the Greek
"one" (number,
not an indefinite article). The
TR (Textus Receptus) adds
"in" but it would not be needed in the Greek and would be inferred from the
dative.
| Revelation 18:10 |
| Strong |
Used |
Unique |
Word |
Part of speech |
| G575 |
637 |
477 |
απο |
preposition |
| G3113 |
14 |
14 |
μακροθεν |
adverb |
| G2476 |
153 |
2 |
εστηκοτες |
verb perfect active participle nominative plural masculine |
| G1223 |
632 |
488 |
δια |
preposition |
| G3588 |
19706 |
1561 |
τον |
article accusative singular masculine |
| G5401 |
48 |
15 |
φοβον |
noun accusative singular masculine |
| G3588 |
19706 |
2480 |
του |
article genitive singular masculine |
| G929 |
6 |
3 |
βασανισμου |
noun genitive singular masculine |
| G846 |
5547 |
166 |
αυτης |
personal pronoun genitive singular feminine |
| G3004 |
2236 |
149 |
λεγοντες |
verb present active participle nominative plural masculine |
| G3759 |
46 |
46 |
ουαι |
interjection |
| G3759 |
46 |
46 |
ουαι |
interjection |
| G3588 |
19706 |
981 |
η |
article nominative singular feminine |
| G4172 |
164 |
22 |
πολις |
noun nominative singular feminine |
| G3588 |
19706 |
981 |
η |
article nominative singular feminine |
| G3173 |
242 |
69 |
μεγαλη |
adjective nominative singular feminine |
| G897 |
12 |
6 |
βαβυλων |
noun nominative singular feminine |
| G3588 |
19706 |
981 |
η |
article nominative singular feminine |
| G4172 |
164 |
22 |
πολις |
noun nominative singular feminine |
| G3588 |
19706 |
981 |
η |
article nominative singular feminine |
| G2478 |
28 |
4 |
ισχυρα |
adjective nominative singular feminine |
| G3754 |
1282 |
1282 |
οτι |
conjunction |
| G1520 |
335 |
35 |
μια |
adjective dative singular feminine |
| G5610 |
106 |
61 |
ωρα |
noun dative singular feminine |
| G2064 |
624 |
89 |
ηλθεν |
verb 2nd person aorist active indicative 3rd person singular |
| G3588 |
19706 |
981 |
η |
article nominative singular feminine |
| G2920 |
47 |
8 |
κρισις |
noun nominative singular feminine |
| G4771 |
1069 |
482 |
σου |
personal pronoun 2nd person genitive singular |
19. Revelation and Luke
Revelation 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thy judgment come. [kjv]
απο μακροθεν εστηκοτες δια τον φοβον του βασανισμου αυτης λεγοντες ουαι ουαι η πολις η μεγαλη βαβυλων η πολις η ισχυρα οτι μια ωρα ηλθεν η κρισις σου [gnt]
... because one hour ...
... because (in) one hour ...
... because (with respect to) one hour ...
What is the meaning?
☐ The judgment will happen in one hour (about 60 minutes).
☐ The judgment is due to what happened in one hour (about 60 minutes) sometime in the past.
Luke 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [kjv]
και εδαφιουσιν σε και τα τεκνα σου εν σοι και ουκ αφησουσιν λιθον επι λιθον εν σοι ανθ ων ουκ εγνως τον καιρον της επισκοπης σου [gnt]
20. Luke 19:44
KJV: And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Greek: και εδαφιουσιν σε και τα τεκνα σου εν σοι και ουκ αφησουσιν εν σοι λιθον επι λιθω λιθον εν σοι ανθ ων ουκ εγνως τον καιρον της επισκοπης σου
21. Revelation 18:10
KJV: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Greek: απο μακροθεν εστηκοτες δια τον φοβον του βασανισμου αυτης λεγοντες ουαι ουαι η πολις η μεγαλη βαβυλων η πολις η ισχυρα οτι εν μια ωρα ηλθεν η κρισις σου
22. Matthew 5:22 Anger
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. [kjv]
εγω δε λεγω υμιν οτι πας ο οργιζομενος τω αδελφω αυτου ενοχος εσται τη κρισει ος δ αν ειπη τω αδελφω αυτου ρακα ενοχος εσται τω συνεδριω ος δ αν ειπη μωρε ενοχος εσται εις την γεενναν του πυρος [gnt]
| Matthew 5:22 |
| Strong |
Used |
Unique |
Word |
Part of speech |
23. Matthew 5:22 Anger
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. [kjv]
εγω δε λεγω υμιν οτι πας ο οργιζομενος τω αδελφω αυτου ενοχος εσται τη κρισει ος δ αν ειπη τω αδελφω αυτου ρακα ενοχος εσται τω συνεδριω ος δ αν ειπη μωρε ενοχος εσται εις την γεενναν του πυρος [gnt]
The Greek word for
"the" in the dative case is translated as
"with",
"to" and
"of the" and
"of the" . The
"with respect to the" idea fits but is somewhat awkward in English.
The
"with" is inferred/added for the dative. This is a
dative definite article as in
"the" brother and not "
a" brother.
... angry the brother ...
... angry (with) the brother ...
... angry (with respect to) the brother ...
Suppose the "
brother" is
Jesus. Could being
"angry" with
Jesus make one
"liable" "with respect to" the "
judgment"? Could
Jesus be
"angry" with
you? Did Jesus ever get
"angry"?
24. Problem at the hospital
Some movies use this ambiguity as humor. Some people like this humor. Some do not. Here is an example from one of the
Airplane movies.
Be
hospitable and not
hostile!
Person A: There's a problem at the hospital.
Person B: What is it?
Person A: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important now.
The pronoun "
it" is somewhat ambiguous. Pronouns usually refers to the
nearest noun, but not always. This is an example of one problem that makes
NLP (Natural Language Processing) by computers difficult.
25. Dative case
In the dative case, English often uses a word to help disambiguate the meaning of "
the" such as "
with the", "
to the", "
by the", etc. Translation issues arise when (ambiguous) pronouns are used.
What is the meaning difference, if any, in the following?
Fairly clear: John gives his ball to Bob.
Ambiguous his: John gives Bob his ball.
Fairly clear: his: John gives Bob his ball back.
Ambiguous his: John gives to Bob his ball.
What is the meaning difference, if any, in the following?
Andrew, whom Bob shall break the stick in his hand and destroy the idea in his head.
Andrew, whom Bob shall break with the stick in his hand and destroy with the idea in his head.
26. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Revelation
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [kjv]
και τοτε αποκαλυφθησεται ο ανομος ον ο κυριος ιησους ανελει τω πνευματι του στοματος αυτου και καταργησει τη επιφανεια της παρουσιας αυτου [gnt]
The "
with" is added and is
not in the Greek. The dative definite article pronoun "
the" is used. The first is masculine, the second feminine.
Greek can but often does not require such a disambiguating word.
Translators will often add such a word in English that is not in the Greek and then rationalize their decision as if it were the only decision that could have been made.
A problem arises when there are double meanings, play on words, ambiguous pronouns, etc. That appears to be the case here.
The problem here is that adding the "
with" assumes that the Lord Jesus is using his mouth and brightness, etc. Without the "
with" it could be the mouth, brightness, etc., of the
wicked one. Many translations make an assumption without letting the reader know about the decision.
27. Every which way but loose the agreement
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. [kjv]
ισθι ευνοων τω αντιδικω σου ταχυ εως οτου ει μετ αυτου εν τη οδω μηποτε σε παραδω ο αντιδικος τω κριτη και ο κριτης τω υπηρετη και εις φυλακην βληθηση [gnt]
esto consentiens adversario … cito dum … via cum … adversarius iudici … iudex tradat … ministro … carcerem mittaris [v]
This is not
any "way" but
the (dative)
"way" or
"with respect to the" "way".
Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [kjv]
μακαριος ανηρ ος ουκ επορευθη εν βουλη ασεβων και εν οδω αμαρτωλων ουκ εστη και επι καθεδραν λοιμων ουκ εκαθισεν [lxx]
The Greek of the
LXX (Septuagint) is "
in" (the)
"way" which could
one of
many "ways" since there is no definite article.
28. End of page
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: [kjv]
πας ουν οστις ακουει μου τους λογους τουτους και ποιει αυτους ομοιωθησεται ανδρι φρονιμω οστις ωκοδομησεν αυτου την οικιαν επι την πετραν [gnt]
7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: [kjv]
και πας ο ακουων μου τους λογους τουτους και μη ποιων αυτους ομοιωθησεται ανδρι μωρω οστις ωκοδομησεν αυτου την οικιαν επι την αμμον [gnt]
