Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
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7: Pronouns<br />
The Uses of (forms of) the Personal Pronoun<br />
89<br />
1) Simple Replacement<br />
Just as in English, the personal pronouns (I, we, you, he, she, they) can stand as shorthand for proper names (Bob, Ted, Jane, Billie; or Peter, James, Jesus, Thomas). This usage<br />
should be easily understood by speakers of any language.<br />
. <br />
Peter is preaching the gospel. The children are hearing the gospel through him.<br />
Just as in English, the personal pronouns (it, they) can stand as shorthand for nouns that do not refer to persons (peace, house, gospel, word). This usage should be easily understood<br />
by speakers of any language.<br />
. <br />
Peter is preaching the truth. The children are hearing it through him.<br />
In each situation above, we see that the pronoun must agree in gender and number with its antecedent (though not necessarily in case). We also see that English does not usually<br />
allow grammatical gender to be attached to nouns. Therefore all pronouns referring to impersonal nouns will be translated impersonally (it, its, they), no matter what gender they<br />
possess in <strong>Greek</strong>.<br />
2) Emphatic<br />
Upon reection you will realize that there is no need for a nominative personal pronoun in a typical sentence. The nominative pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, they) are already expressed<br />
by the endings of the verb. If a nominative personal pronoun matching the person of the verb is used by a writer, the unnecessary overlap signals an emphasis, usually through<br />
contrast.<br />
.<br />
.<br />
You are preaching the gospel. (unemphatic)<br />
He is destroying the truth, but you are preaching the gospel! (emphatic!)<br />
(The nominative unnecessarily overlaps the 2nd person singular subject<br />
already implied by the verb form itself.)