Greek Form Guide

Ἰορδάνου, (Iordanou) in John 1:28: Noun Genitive Singular Masculine

Ἰορδάνου, (Iordanou) in John 1:28

Textual Witness

Ἰορδάνου, Iordanou Noun Genitive Singular Masculine

The witness reads 'πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου' within the verse, so the form appears in a spatial setting phrase.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form strengthens the verse's geographic setting by linking the Jordan to the surrounding place phrase.

How To Communicate It

A translation or teaching note can render the phrase naturally as 'beyond the Jordan' while keeping the focus on location.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Do not make masculine gender into a theological or personal gender claim.
  • Do not treat the genitive ending as if it alone determines the verse's meaning.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Noun: the word names the Jordan River, a place referenced as part of the scene setting in the verse.

Case

Genitive: the form usually marks a dependent relationship, and here it helps express location in the phrase 'beyond the Jordan.'

Number

Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, referring to one river as a unit.

Gender

Masculine: the noun belongs to the masculine grammatical class, which in this place is a formal language feature and not a theological gender claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

τοῦ

Governed By

The genitive form works with the article and the adverbial phrase 'πέραν' to identify the boundary or region beyond the Jordan.

Role In The Phrase

It contributes to a locative sense in the setting, indicating where the reported events took place.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not name the main action of the verse or turn the river into the subject of the sentence.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

Moderate: The genitive place name helps locate the baptism scene beyond the Jordan.

Syntax Profile

Noun genitive singular masculine. identifies the river used to locate where the events took place. Attached to the phrase beyond the Jordan. Governed by the geographic setting statement in John 1:28. The form contributes to location and should not be made into the main action of the verse.

Reader Question

What location does the phrase identify? It identifies the scene as beyond the Jordan.

Translation Effect

Direct: The genitive directly supports the geographic phrase beyond the Jordan.

Where Caution Is Needed

Genitive case does not mean possession in this geographic phrase. The river locates the event; it is not the subject or main action. Geographic detail should be used to orient the scene rather than carry theology by itself.

Fallacies To Avoid

Genitive means ownership: The genitive is part of a location phrase and should be interpreted with the surrounding wording. place name carries the whole interpretation: The place detail supports the narrative setting, while the testimony context carries the main meaning.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads 'πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου' within the verse, so the form appears in a spatial setting phrase.

Lexical Identity

The lemma identifies the Jordan River, and the genitive form keeps that same lexical identity while placing it in a dependent relation.

Grammar In Context

In context, the genitive supports the sense 'beyond the Jordan,' helping locate the event without carrying the main verbal force.

Passage Meaning

The verse says these things happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing, so the form helps situate the narrative geographically.

Canonical Fit

Across the passage, the form fits a simple narrative notice that anchors John's activity in a specific place.

Communication Use

For readers, the grammar mainly helps answer where the event occurred, not what kind of event it was.

Do Not Derive

Do not infer extra theology, symbolic status, or a different referent merely from the genitive form.