ἐθνῶν; (ethnon) in Romans 3:29: Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
ἐθνῶν; (ethnon) in Romans 3:29
Textual Witness
The witness reads ἐθνῶν twice in Romans 3:29, within 'οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν'.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the verse name the Gentile group in a direct, relational way, sharpening the inclusive scope of the rhetorical answer.
How To Communicate It
In communication, it can be rendered simply as 'Gentiles' or 'of Gentiles' depending on the translation context, while keeping the verse's contrast intact.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case can signal relationship, but the local question controls the sense.
- Neuter gender is grammatical, not a theological gender claim.
- Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a people group, and here it points to the Gentiles as a category in the argument.
Genitive: the form usually marks a relationship to another word, and here it helps frame the contrast with Jews in the question-answer exchange.
Plural: the form is grammatically plural here, presenting a collective reference rather than a single individual.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which is a language feature and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
καὶ
The genitive phrase is part of the question, 'of Gentiles also?', and the nearby syntax shows it as a relational phrase within the contrast, not as a standalone subject.
It contributes the scope under discussion: whether God is God of Jews only or also of Gentiles.
It does not by itself identify a different person, add a new predicate, or override the verse's rhetorical question.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive plural frames the Gentiles side of Paul's rhetorical question about God.
Genitive plural in a rhetorical group contrast. names the Gentile group in relation to God in contrast with Jews only. Attached to the question, God of Gentiles also?. Governed by the compressed question-answer structure in Romans 3:29. The genitive supplies the group relation, while the rhetorical answer supplies the inclusion claim.
Is God also God of Gentiles? The phrase names Gentiles in the question, and Paul answers yes.
Direct: The genitive directly supports "of Gentiles" in the rhetorical contrast.
The genitive relation should be read from the question and answer, not as a fixed category detached from context. Neuter plural grammatical form does not depersonalize the nations or Gentiles.
Case ending alone proves inclusion: The case supports the local wording; Paul's question and answer carry the inclusion claim. neuter gender reduces personal identity: Neuter is the grammatical class of the noun and does not make a claim about personhood.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads ἐθνῶν twice in Romans 3:29, within 'οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν'.
The lemma ἔθνος commonly refers to nations or Gentiles, and here the plural form naturally carries that collective sense.
The genitive form works with the surrounding question to indicate the group in view, while the repeated reply confirms the same scope.
Paul's point is that God is not limited to Jews, but is also the God of Gentiles.
This fits the wider biblical theme that God's saving concern extends beyond Israel to the nations.
For readers and teachers, the form supports a clear statement of inclusion without forcing a larger claim than the sentence makes.
Do not derive theological conclusions from the genitive form alone, and do not treat grammatical gender as a statement about persons.