ὄνομα (onoma) in Matthew 1:21: Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
ὄνομα (onoma) in Matthew 1:21
Textual Witness
The witness reads τὸ ὄνομα in the clause καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form supports a clear reading of the verse as an instruction to name the child Jesus, with the name serving the sentence's communicative focus.
How To Communicate It
In teaching or translation, this form is best rendered as part of the naming phrase so the reader sees the naming act and the resulting identity together.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative case here supports the naming construction, but it does not create the meaning by itself.
- Do not turn grammatical gender into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this form names a thing or concept, here the spoken designation given to the child.
Accusative: the form usually marks an object or related complement, and here it fits the naming construction after the verb.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and points to one specific name.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which describes form and does not by itself imply theological gender.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is attached to καλέσεις and the phrase τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.
The verb καλέσεις governs the naming expression, so ὄνομα functions as part of what is to be called.
In this verse the noun helps identify the naming action, indicating the designation to be assigned to the child.
It is not the grammatical subject of the clause, and its form does not by itself introduce a separate doctrinal claim.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The accusative noun participates in the command to assign the child the name Jesus.
Accusative noun in a naming construction. marks the name as the item assigned in the naming command. Attached to τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Governed by καλέσεις. The naming construction points to the child's designation; the following clause explains the salvation reason.
What is Joseph commanded to call the child? The naming phrase directs him to assign the name Jesus to the child.
Direct: The accusative construction directly affects the rendering as call his name Jesus.
The case supports the naming construction but does not create the saving explanation by itself. The reason for the name comes from the following clause about saving his people.
Grammar alone explains the name Jesus: The naming grammar identifies the assignment; the verse's following clause supplies the explanation. neuter gender makes a claim about the child: Neuter gender belongs to ὄνομα, not to the child being named.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads τὸ ὄνομα in the clause καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.
The lemma ὄνομα normally refers to a name, and by extension can point to reputation or authority when context supports that sense.
Here the accusative singular works within a naming construction, so the focus is on the assigned designation, not on an abstract grammatical force.
The verse states that the child is to be called Jesus, and the noun helps express that specific naming act.
This fits the broader scriptural pattern in which a name can signal identity and mission, while the immediate context keeps the emphasis on the given name.
Readers can hear the verse as a command about what to name the child, which communicates identity, purpose, and divine intent in a straightforward way.
Do not derive a hidden standalone doctrine from accusative case alone, and do not treat the noun form as overriding the plain naming context.