Lesson 10 | Odds & Ends, Part 2
[3] Genitive Relationships
How does a genitive modifier relate to its head noun? The simple answer we gave you in Greek I was as “a noun’s possessor.” But, in fact, it is not quite so simple. Or, at the very least, we can be more precise than that. For example...
καὶ σημεῖον ἔλαβεν περιτομῆς... And he received [the] sign of circumcision... —Romans 4:11a
Did circumcision possess the sign? No, the sign is explained to be circumcision in this phrase.
...τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἄνδρα Μαρίας… …Joseph, the husband of Mary… —Matthew 1:16b
Did Mary possess her husband Joseph? Not exactly. Rather, Joseph was related to her as her husband.
Greek and English Alike
The good news is that Greek uses the genitive in almost all the same ways that English uses the word “of.” So there is no big concept to try to grasp here. Instead, it is just a matter of being curious and precise enough to think about what is being said. Toward that end, we encourage you to use the following cheat sheet.
Cheat Sheet: The Genitive RelationshipspdfThis is a cheat sheet from our Phrasing course and so presents its content in English only. But, as stated above, the English “of” and Greek genitive work very similarly, making this a great resource for Greek students.