Other Pronouns

In chapter 9, we discussed personal pronouns (ἐγώ, σύ, αὐτός) and relative pronouns (ὅς, ἥ, ὅ). In this chapter, we will introduce five other types: (1) demonstrative, (2) reflexive, (3) reciprocal, (4) interrogative, and (5) indefinite pronouns. In addition, we will consider pronominal adjectives (i.e., words that function syntactically like adjectives but have the meaning of a pronoun).

One of the things you will learn about in this chapter is demonstrative pronouns. (In English, “this” or “that” are demonstrative pronouns.) An ancient writer could employ demonstrative pronouns for a variety of reasons. The apostle John seems to use them as a matter of idiolect (personal style), with many of his demonstrative pronouns seeming interchangeable with personal pronouns. Such demonstratives are usually translated into modern English Bibles as personal pronouns. Otherwise, a modern English reader would be jarred by the unusual frequency of “this one,” “that one,” and “those ones” in the translation without apparent contrast or emphasis indicated by the broader context.

Another reason an ancient author employed demonstrative pronouns was for rhetorical emphasis or contrast. We use such pronouns the same way in English: “Don’t be like that man.” The word “that” here has a disparaging function by implicitly contrasting “that” man with other men, who are apparently not as bad as he.

In Jas 1:7, James writes, “That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (NIV). Even without further context, we can detect the heightened emphasis and contrast that comes from employing the demonstrative pronoun “that” (ἐκεῖνος in Greek). What exactly is wrong with that man such that he should not think he will receive anything from the Lord? James tells us that man has not brought his petitions to God in faith, but rather with doubting (1:6). In the surrounding verses, James describes the doubting petitioner with some colorful images—he is like a blown and tossed sea wave (v. 6), double-minded and unstable in all his ways (v. 8).

James’s teaching echoes several places in Jesus’s earthly ministry in which the Lord demanded faith of those who came to him. In Matt 9:29, as Jesus touched the blind men’s eyes, he said, “According to your faith be it done to you” (ESV). To the father of the demon-possessed child who was wavering in unbelief, Jesus said, “All things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23 ESV). When Jesus was asked by his disciples why they could not cast out an evil spirit, he responded, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt 17:20). Likewise, the author of Hebrews warns, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb 11:6).

When James calls for faith, he is not calling for Christians to work up some sort of invisible faith-o-meter so that they “feel” that the prayer is being answered in an overly-specific way. Rather, Christians are to approach God trustingly—knowing he is powerful, good, and kindly disposed to them because of the relationship secured through Christ’s perfect life and atoning death. The opposite of such faith is to think God does not really care, is not good, and does not keep his fatherly promises in Christ.

Sensitive Christians can sometimes fret a great deal over whether they have enough faith. In James’s strong words about doubt, he is not addressing such sensitive believers. Rather, James is rebuking the presumptuous and erratic petitioner who seeks to live independent of God at one moment, but offers up a quick, unbelieving plea when desperation or inclination strikes. That person cannot expect to receive anything from God.

Types of Demonstrative Pronouns

English has two different types of demonstrative pronouns: near (“this” [sg], “these” [pl]) and far (“that” [sg], “those” [pl]). For example, if someone says, “This pen is mine,” the word “this” is the near demonstrative pronoun. It is termed “near” because it refers to something that is physically or conceptually close by. In contrast, if someone says, “This pen is mine; that one is yours,” the term “that” refers to something farther removed.

Like English, Greek has two different types of demonstrative pronouns: near (οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο) and far (ἐκεῖνος, -η, -ο). The distinction between these two types of pronouns is often not so much spatial (close versus far) but conceptual (e.g., something recently mentioned versus something mentioned earlier in the context). The forms for both near and far demonstrative pronouns should be familiar to you since they closely follow the endings of first and second declension nouns or adjectives.

There are four features to these forms that should be highlighted.

1. The nominative forms for the masculine (οὗτος, οὗτοι) and feminine (αὕτη, αὗται) genders lack the initial tau (τ) and instead have a rough breathing mark—just like the Greek articles.

2. All feminine forms (excluding the genitive plural: τούτων) and the neuter nominative and accusative plural form (ταῦτα) have the diphthong αυ instead of ου in the first syllable. One easy way to memorize this distinction is that endings with an omicron (ο) or omega (ω) use ου, and endings with an alpha (α) or eta (η) use αυ. Demonstrative pronouns keep all their vowels/diphthongs consistently in the same family—either the “o” vowel family or the “a” vowel family.

3. The neuter nominative and accusative singular forms lack a nu (ν) on the ending (τοῦτο; cf. τέκνον).

4. It is important to distinguish the feminine demonstrative pronouns αὕτη (“this [woman]”) and αὗται (“these [women]”) from the feminine personal pronouns αὐτή (“she”) and αὐταί (“they”). The former have rough breathing marks and accents on the first syllable whereas the latter have smooth breathing marks and accents on the last syllable.

As mentioned above, the far demonstrative pronoun also closely follows first and second declension noun endings (ἐκεῖνος, ἐκεῖνη, ἐκεῖνο). Again, the only difference is that the neuter nominative and accusative singular forms lack a nu (ν) on the ending (ἐκεῖνο; cf. τέκνον).

Uses of Demonstrative Pronouns

Pronominal Use. Demonstratives can be used pronominally (i.e., as pronouns) or adjectivally. When a demonstrative functions as a pronoun, its gender and number are determined by its antecedent; its case is determined by its function in the sentence. Some pronouns do not modify a noun; thus, in English translation, we frequently need to add a clarifying gender-specific noun: οὗτος = “this one” or “this man”; αὕτη = “this woman”; ἐκεῖνος = “that one” or “that man,” etc.

• οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, “This [one] is my beloved Son” (Matt 17:5).

• αὕτη ἦν πλήρης ἔργων ἀγαθῶν, “This woman was full of good works” (Acts 9:36 NKJV).

Sometimes, based on context, a demonstrative pronoun has a weakened force (especially in John’s writings) and should be translated as a personal pronoun (οὗτός or ἐκεῖνος = “he”; αὕτη or ἐκεῖνη = “she”).

• οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, “He came as a witness” (John 1:7).

• οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, “He was not the light” (John 1:8).

Adjectival Use. When used adjectivally, a demonstrative pronoun agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, case, and number. Unlike normal adjectives, however, these pronouns are placed in the predicate position instead of the attributive position. The article is placed in front of the noun but never in front of the demonstrative pronoun.

• οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί εἰσιν, “these words are faithful and true” (Rev 21:5).

• εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην, “So He spoke this parable to them” (Luke 15:3 NKJV).

• πᾶς ὁ πεσὼν ἐπ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν λίθον συνθλασθήσεται, “everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces” (Luke 20:18).

A reflexive pronoun is used when the subject of the verb both gives and receives the action. In English, the form is created by taking a personal pronoun and adding “self” or “selves” to the end of the word: “myself,” “yourself,” “himself/herself/itself,” “ourselves,” “yourselves,” or “themselves.” In the sentence, “I am feeding the child,” the subject “I” is different than the object of the sentence (= “child”). But when both the subject and the object refer to the same entity, then a reflexive pronoun is needed (e.g., “I am feeding myself”).

In Greek, reflexive pronouns function similar to those in English. Such pronouns occur in multiple forms:

• First Person: ἐμαυτοῦ (“myself”).

• Second Person: σεαυτοῦ (“yourself”).

• Third Person: ἑαυτοῦ (“himself,” “itself”), ἑαυτῆς (“herself,” “itself”), ἑαυτῶν (“themselves”).

The first and second person reflexive pronouns are formed by adding ἐμε or σε to the third person personal pronoun αὐτός. These forms never appear in the nominative case. The first and second person reflexive pronouns have no distinct plural forms in the New Testament, but the third person plural form is sometimes used for the first and second person. In such cases, context must determine the person. For example, in 1 John 5:21 (τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων, “little children, guard yourselves from idols”), the third person reflexive pronoun ἑαυτά is functioning as a second person pronoun. Also note that the third person forms have a rough breathing mark (ἑαυτοῦ). The middle voice is also rarely used to communicate a reflexive idea without using a reflexive pronoun (e.g., “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself [ἀπήγξατο])” (Matt 27:5 NIV).

The plural forms of the reflexive pronoun are the same for the first, second, and third person. The explicit or implied subject in the sentence will let you know whether to translate the plural reflexive pronoun as “ourselves,” “yourselves,” or “themselves” in English.

The reciprocal pronoun represents an interchange of the verbal action among a previously introduced plural subject. For example, if someone says, “We ought to respect one another,” the words “one another” indicate that those involved should be participating in the action stated. In other words, those who offer love to others should also be receiving love from others. There should be a reciprocating (or give-and-take) participation in the action by the constituent parties of the plural subject.

Likewise, the pronoun ἀλλήλων (“one another”) is a reciprocal pronoun because the action stated in the context should be both given and received. For example, John states, ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, “Dear friends, let us love one another” (1 John 4:7). Believers are thus commanded to love other believers and should not be content with merely being on the receiving end.

Because this pronoun by definition involves two or more parties, it always occurs in the plural. Finally, you will notice that the genitive plural is given in the vocabulary list (ἀλλήλων). This is because the nominative form does not occur. The reciprocal pronoun only has three forms in the New Testament (all masculine): genitive plural (ἀλλήλων = lexical form), dative plural (ἀλλήλοις), and accusative plural (ἀλλήλους).

An interrogative pronoun is one that introduces a question such as who? which? or what? The interrogative pronoun in Greek is τίς (“who?”) or τί (“what?”). The neuter form τί can also be used adverbially to mean “why?” Because these pronouns ask a question, there will be a question mark (;) at the end of a sentence that uses one of them.

• τίς εἶ; “Who are you?” (John 1:22).

• τί ἐστιν τοῦτο; “What is this?” (Mark 1:27).

• τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; “Why do you ask me about what is good?” (Matt 19:17).

The endings for interrogative pronouns follow the same pattern as third declension nouns. The accent is always on the first syllable and is always acute (ί). It is never changed to a grave (ὶ).

Below are examples of interrogative pronouns from the New Testament:

An indefinite pronoun is one that is used when a person or thing is left unspecified (“someone,” “anyone,” “a certain one,” etc.). Like interrogative pronouns, the forms for indefinite pronouns follow the paradigms of third declension nouns and thus look identical. Unlike interrogative pronouns, however, the accent is often absent and never on the first syllable. Rather, it appears on the second syllable and is sometimes changed to a grave (ὶ).

The indefinite pronoun can function pronominally without a noun or like an adjective modifying an explicit noun.

• εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρός με, “if anyone comes to me” (Luke 14:26).

• ἄνθρωπός τις εἶχεν δύο υἱούς, “a certain man had two sons” (Luke 15:11 NKJV).

A pronominal adjective is an adjective that has the meaning of a pronoun. As such, it functions as a typical adjective, but its meaning is the same as a pronoun. For example, a more common way to communicate possession is to use a pronoun in the genitive case: ὁ λόγος μου, “my word.” Notice that the noun λόγος is in the nominative case, and the personal pronoun μου is in the genitive (“of me” or “my”).

In contrast, a pronominal adjective such as ἐμός (“my”) functions as an adjective. Consequently, it will agree with the noun it modifies in gender, case, and number and will decline like first and second declension adjectives. For instance, ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐμός (“my word”) has the same meaning as the example above, but this time the term ἐμός agrees with λόγος in gender (masc), case (nom), and number (sg). Pronominal adjectives are perhaps sometimes used for greater emphasis, as when we express possession emphatically in English with the addition of the word “very” or “own”: “my very word” or “my own word.”

A. Parsing: Parse the following words and include the pronoun classification (personal, relative, near demonstrative, far demonstrative, reflexive, reciprocal, interrogative, or indefinite) or note that it is a pronominal adjective.

1. τίνες

2. ταύτῃ

3. αὐτήν

4. ἐκείνου

5. σεαυτόν

6. τινάς

7. μοι

8. οἵ

9. ἐμαυτῷ

10. ὑμεῖς

11. ἐμόν

12. ἡμῶν

13. ἀλλήλους

14. ἥ

15. σε

16. ἑαυτοῖς

B. Matching: Match the Greek phrase with the English translation.

C. Translation: Translate the following sentences.

1. ἀληθῶς (truly) οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος υἱὸς θεοῦ ἦν (Mark 15:39).

2. εἰ δέ τις πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ (Rom 8:9).

3. κοινωνίαν (fellowship) ἔχομεν μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων (1 John 1:7).

4. ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγεν περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ (John 2:21).

5. ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον (neighbor) σου ὡς σεαυτόν (Mark 12:31).

6. οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ σωτὴρ (Savior) τοῦ κόσμου (John 4:42).

7. ἀπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα (John 7:28).

8. ταῦτα πάντα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις (Matt 13:34).

9. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός (Mark 10:18).

10. αὕτη ἡ ἐντολή ἐστιν, καθὼς ἠκούσατε ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, [that you walk in love] (2 John 6).

11. καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ῥίζαν (root) ἐν ἑαυτοῖς (Mark 4:17).

12. οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον ὃν λέγετε (Mark 14:71).

13. σὺ μαθητὴς εἶ ἐκείνου, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐσμὲν μαθηταί (John 9:28).

14. τίς με ῥύσεται (will rescue) ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; (Rom 7:24).

15. ἡ κρίσις (judgment) ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα (will) τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα (will) τοῦ πέμψαντός με (John 5:30).

D. Translation: Translate the following sentences into Greek.

1. How shall we live in these last days?

2. A certain man came to his own father.

3. You (sg) will love one another as much as yourself.

4. I saw myself in my child. [Use a pronominal adjective here.]

5. Whose is that evil son?