[B-Greek] intensive AUTOS

Jeff Smelser jeffsmelser at ntgreek.net
Sat Sep 18 15:42:43 EDT 2004


Jeff Smelser here with a question:

Smyth notes that AUTOS may be used intensively "in any case, when in the
predicate position with a substantive, or in agreement with a pronoun."
(1206b). In the NT however, intensive AUTOS is generally nominative. Does
anyone know if there is any New Testament passage where AUTOS in an oblique
case is best understood as intensive?

BDAG lists several occurrences in Luke in the intensive category. But these
seem little different from the attributive idea "same," even though they are
not attributive constructions.

Lk 13:1  EN AUTWi TWi KAIRWi  at that very time = at that same time

Lk 23:12  EN AUTHi THi hHMERAi  on that very day = on that same day
Lk 24:13  EN AUTHi THi hHMERAi  on that very day = on that same day

Lk 2:38   KAI AUTHi TH i hWRAi  and in that very hour = and in that same
hour
Lk 10:21    EN AUTHi THi hWRAi  in that very hour = in that same hour
Lk 12:12   EN AUTHi THi hWRAi  in that very hour = in that same hour

Lk 10:7 EN AUTHi DE THi OIKIAi  in that very house = in that same house

I'm not sure I would put these in the same semantic bucket as the uses of
non-attributive nominative AUTOS that we usually think of as intensive,
either "he himself" as opposed to "he by the agency of another" (e.g., Jn.
4:2), or simply in contrast to or comparison with another (Ac 10:26), or
where there is a refocusing equivalent to "he for his part" or "she for her
part" as in Mk. 6:45, 10:12, etc. And even if we think of them as meaning
"in the time/day/hour itself," contrasted with a subsequent time, I would
still like to know of other NT examples of intensive AUTOS in an oblique
case, if there are any.

BDAG also lists several occurrences of AUTO TOUTO, but I wonder if this
construction isn't simply an anarthrous version of TO AUTO TOUTO=TOUTO TO
AUTO="this same thing"? If so, it seems to me 2 Cor. 7:11, Gal. 2:10, Rom.
9:17,  et al., would better fit under Danker's 3rd section, specifically
section 3b.

Jeff Smelser
www.ntgreek.net
www.centrevillechurchofchrist.org




More information about the B-Greek mailing list