αἰώνιον. (aionion) in John 3:15: Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
αἰώνιον. (aionion) in John 3:15
Textual Witness
The Textus Receptus witness for John 3:15 reads αἰώνιον with the morphology label Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The adjective agrees with life and qualifies the promised object as eternal in the purpose clause.
How To Communicate It
When teaching John 3:15, use the adjective to show that life is qualified as eternal, while the full phrase and passage explain the promise.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not separate eternal from life in the phrase.
- Do not make grammatical gender carry theology.
- Do not define eternal life from the adjective form alone.
What Does The Label Mean?
Adjective: the form modifies or describes another word in the phrase.
Accusative: the adjective agrees with the accusative noun it modifies.
Singular: the adjective agrees with the singular noun life.
Feminine: the adjective agrees with the feminine noun life; this is grammatical agreement, not a separate theological claim.
Not applicable: this adjectival form does not use verbal tense or aspect.
Not applicable: this adjectival form does not use verbal voice.
Not applicable: this adjectival form does not use verbal mood.
Not applicable: this adjectival form does not use grammatical person.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The noun life in John 3:15
Agreement with the accusative noun life
αἰώνιον is an accusative feminine singular adjective in the phrase "ἀπόληται, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.". It modifies life and describes the kind of life promised.
The adjective form does not by itself define every dimension of eternal life; it modifies the noun in the promise clause.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The adjective qualifies life in a major promise statement.
Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine. describes the promised life as eternal. Attached to the noun life in the promise clause. Governed by case, number, and gender agreement with life. The syntax should be explained from the clause, not isolated from the passage.
What kind of life does the clause promise? The adjective modifies life and marks the promised life as eternal.
Direct: The adjective directly supports wording such as "eternal life."
The adjective should stay attached to life, not become a detached abstraction. Agreement in gender is grammatical and should not be pressed as a separate theological point.
Adjective alone defines doctrine: The adjective qualifies the noun; the phrase and passage supply the full theological meaning. grammatical gender proves theology: Gender agreement follows the noun and should not be made into a separate claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The Textus Receptus witness for John 3:15 reads αἰώνιον with the morphology label Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine.
The lemma is αἰώνιος. The gloss "eternal, unending" orients this occurrence without replacing the phrase context.
αἰώνιον is an accusative feminine singular adjective in the phrase "ἀπόληται, ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.". It modifies life and describes the kind of life promised.
John 3:15 promises eternal life to everyone believing in the lifted-up Son.
The form belongs to John's eternal-life language, while this guide limits the claim to the adjective modifying life in John 3:15.
When teaching John 3:15, use the adjective to show that life is qualified as eternal, while the full phrase and passage explain the promise.
Do not define eternal life from the adjective form alone; the adjective modifies life, and the passage locates the promise in relation to the lifted-up Son.