ζωήν, (zoen) in Matthew 7:14: Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ζωήν, (zoen) in Matthew 7:14
Textual Witness
The witness reads ζωήν in Matthew 7:14, within the phrase ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar sharpens the verse's contrast by showing that the narrow road leads toward life, not merely toward a vague outcome.
How To Communicate It
When explaining the verse, say that the road is described as leading into life, so the focus is both on direction and destination.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The accusative here marks the destination with εἰς, but it does not by itself supply the full meaning of life.
- Do not turn grammatical gender into a theological gender claim, and do not overread case beyond its local function.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names the reality of life, here a concrete goal or destination in the saying.
Accusative: this case helps mark the form's sentence role. In Matthew 7:14, the surrounding phrase and clause decide the exact force.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, presenting life as a single envisioned outcome.
Feminine: the noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which by itself does not make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
εἰς τὴν ζωήν
The preposition εἰς governs the accusative and presents the noun as the goal or endpoint of the road.
It functions as the destination phrase, describing where the narrow road leads.
It is not the subject of the clause, and the case alone should not be read as adding more than the goal idea.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The accusative noun in the prepositional phrase marks life as the destination of the narrow road.
Object of a destination preposition. names the endpoint of the road rather than the subject of the clause. Attached to the phrase into life. Governed by the preposition that marks the road's destination. The prepositional phrase clarifies direction and destination, while the context explains the contrast.
Where does the narrow road lead? The form names life as the destination or endpoint of the road.
Direct: The preposition with the accusative directly supports a destination phrase such as into life or to life.
The case works with the preposition to mark destination; the broader passage explains what life means.
Case alone supplies the full meaning of life: The case marks the destination relation, but Matthew's context supplies the fuller meaning. feminine gender creates a theological gender claim: The feminine form is grammatical and should not be overread.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads ζωήν in Matthew 7:14, within the phrase ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν.
The lemma ζωή means life, and in this context it refers to the desired life reached by the narrow way.
Because εἰς takes the accusative, the form naturally marks life as the goal toward which the road leads.
The sentence contrasts a hard road with a final destination of life, stressing that the way is difficult but purposeful.
This fits the wider biblical theme that life is a gift and destination associated with God's saving way.
In teaching, the form helps readers hear that the issue is not only the road's difficulty but also its intended end.
Do not derive from the accusative any claim that the noun changes meaning, or that case alone defines all theology here.