γῆς. (ges) in Matthew 28:18: Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
γῆς. (ges) in Matthew 28:18
Textual Witness
The witness reads γῆς. in Matthew 28:18 within the phrase ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The genitive prepositional object contributes the earthly half of the universal scope in Jesus' authority claim.
How To Communicate It
Use this form to clarify that the commission is grounded in authority declared over earth as well as heaven.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not detach earth from the paired heaven phrase.
- Do not turn grammatical gender into a theological gender claim.
- Do not make the noun define every use of earth or land across Scripture.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the form names a person, place, thing, quality, or concept in the clause.
Genitive: the noun follows ἐπὶ in this phrase and marks the earthly sphere of the authority statement.
Singular: the form presents earth as a singular sphere in this occurrence.
Feminine: the feminine form marks grammatical class and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἐπὶ
The noun is governed by the preposition ἐπὶ in the scope phrase after ἐξουσία.
It marks earth as the second sphere in which Jesus' authority is declared.
It does not reduce earth to land territory only, and it should not be separated from the heaven phrase.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The noun forms part of the heaven-and-earth scope of Jesus' authority.
Genitive object in a scope phrase. marks earth as one sphere of Jesus' authority. Attached to ἐπὶ. Governed by the authority statement in Matthew 28:18. The phrase should be read with ἐν οὐρανῷ as a paired scope expression.
How far does Jesus' authority reach in this statement? It reaches to earth as well as heaven.
Direct: The form directly supports the rendering "on earth."
The noun can mean earth, land, or soil in different contexts, so Matthew 28:18 should govern this occurrence.
Earth word becomes a full land theology: This occurrence marks the scope of authority in Matthew 28:18; broader doctrine needs broader evidence.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads γῆς. in Matthew 28:18 within the phrase ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.
The lemma γῆ means earth, land, or soil, and here it names the earthly sphere paired with heaven.
The genitive form follows ἐπὶ and completes the paired scope phrase that describes the reach of Jesus' authority.
Jesus' authority extends to earth as well as heaven, grounding a mission that goes to all nations.
The form fits Matthew's closing claim that Jesus' lordship reaches the full realm in which disciples are sent.
In teaching, connect γῆς with οὐρανῷ so the scope of authority is heard as heaven and earth together.
Do not use this noun alone to define land theology, creation theology, or political geography apart from the verse's authority claim.