Lesson 4 | The Greek Article and Pronouns
Grammar Point 3: Predicate Nominatives
Thus far in this course, you have learned that nominative nouns primarily serve as a verb’s subject. However, there is an additional role that a nominative noun can play when the main verb is a being verb. Action verbs have a subject in the nominative and a direct object in the accusative. Being verbs (like γίνομαι and εἰμί) have a subject in the nominative. However, instead of an accusative direct object, they have a predicate noun in the nominative case as well. This predicate noun is called the predicate nominative.
Look, for example, at the first clause of Colossians 1:18.
You can see that we have a being verb (έστιν from εἰμί) and two nominative nouns: αὐτός and ἡ κεφαλή. The pronoun αὐτός is the subject nominative. But what about the other nominative noun: ἡ κεφαλή? It is the predicate nominative. In other words, this second nominative noun predicates or states something about the subject nominative. Look at another example from the last clause of John 1:1.
Here again you see that we have a being verb (ἦν from εἰμί) and two nominative nouns: ὁ λόγος and θέος. ὁ λόγος is the subject nominative, and θέος is the predicate nominative. θέος predicates or states something about the Word: “The Word was God.”
But how do we know which nominative noun is the subject and which is the predicate nominative? The general rule is that the more definite noun is the subject nominative. The following list orders different types of nouns. At #1, pronouns are the most definite and will always be the subject nominative. At #4, nouns without the article (as long as that noun is not a pronoun or a name) will probably be the predicate nominative unless the other nominative also lacks the article.
- Pronouns
- Noun with the article
- Name
- Noun without the article
So, with John 1:1, λόγος is more definite because it has the article. So, the sentence means: “the Word was God” rather than “God was the Word.”