εἷς (eis) in John 1:40: Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
εἷς (eis) in John 1:40
Textual Witness
The witness reads εἷς in John 1:40 within the phrase ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου εἷς ἐκ τῶν δύο.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form adds precision by marking Andrew as one individual from the two, but the surrounding phrase carries the full meaning and limits the scope of the numeral.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, render it in a way that keeps the partitive sense clear, such as one of the two, so the reader sees the identification function.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Masculine agreement here is grammatical, not a theological gender claim.
- The numeral identifies a member of the pair, but the verse context supplies the full sense.
What Does The Label Mean?
Adjective: the word functions as a descriptive numeral and can qualify or identify a member of a set.
Nominative: the form is marked to stand in a clause-level role, often subject-like or predicative, though context must decide the exact function.
Singular: the form points to one item or one person in this occurrence, not to a plural group.
Masculine: the form is in the masculine grammatical class, which reflects agreement here and does not by itself make a theological or biological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It sits in the phrase εἷς ἐκ τῶν δύο, qualifying one member from the two.
The nearby preposition ἐκ and the partitive phrase shape its sense as one out of a pair, so the form supports identification more than a standalone assertion.
It marks Andrew as one individual within the two who had heard and followed John, helping the sentence specify which disciple is meant.
It does not turn into a separate noun or add a new action, and it does not by itself decide more than the context already states.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The nominative numeral identifies Andrew as one member of the two disciples in the scene.
Nominative numeral in a partitive identification. narrows the referent to one person out of a known pair. Attached to Andrew in the phrase one of the two. Governed by the partitive phrase with ἐκ. The numeral clarifies identification rather than creating symbolism by itself.
Which disciple is being identified? The form marks Andrew as one of the two who had heard John and followed Jesus.
Direct: The numeral and partitive construction directly support a rendering such as 'one of the two.'
The partitive phrase supplies the force, so the numeral should not be isolated as hidden symbolism. Masculine agreement is grammatical and does not add a theological gender claim.
One implies hidden symbolism: The numeral identifies one member of a pair; the narrative decides any further significance. masculine form adds doctrine: The masculine form agrees grammatically and should not be overextended.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads εἷς in John 1:40 within the phrase ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου εἷς ἐκ τῶν δύο.
The lemma εἷς normally means one, and here it carries its basic cardinal force in a partitive construction.
Its nominative singular masculine form agrees with the masculine referent and fits the clause as a label of one member from a known pair.
The verse identifies Andrew as one of the two disciples who had heard John and followed Jesus, without making the numeral the main point of the sentence.
This use fits the wider Gospel habit of using simple numerals to distinguish persons and groups while the narrative focus stays on the action.
For readers, the form helps the sentence sound precise and economical: it tells which follower Andrew was in relation to the other disciple.
Do not infer that the numeral alone establishes hidden symbolism, extra chronology, or doctrinal emphasis beyond the immediate identification.