ἀπόκρισιν (apokrisin) in John 1:22: Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀπόκρισιν (apokrisin) in John 1:22
Textual Witness
The witnessed form is ἀπόκρισιν in John 1:22, within the request, 'that we may give an answer to those who sent us.'
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the reader see that the issue is not abstract speech but a specific reply the speakers must bring back.
How To Communicate It
This form can be translated naturally as 'an answer' or 'a reply' in English, with the surrounding clause expressing purpose.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative case here suggests the reply is the thing to be given, but it does not settle every nuance by itself.
- Grammatical gender is a class marker here and must not be turned into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names an answer or reply, which is a spoken response in the clause.
Accusative: the form usually marks the direct object or a closely related complement in the clause.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, pointing to one reply as a unit.
Feminine: the noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which here is a language feature and not a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἵνα ... δῶμεν
The noun is part of the purpose phrase and is shaped by the nearby subjunctive verb 'we may give'.
It functions as the thing to be given, namely an answer to those who sent the speakers.
It does not by itself name the sender, the topic, or a separate action; the surrounding clause supplies that sense.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The accusative singular identifies the answer requested by the delegation.
Object supplied within the purpose clause. marks the answer as what the speakers need to give to those who sent them. Attached to the clause about giving an answer. Governed by the nearby verb give in the purpose construction. The grammar clarifies the requested response without defining the content of John's answer by itself.
What are the speakers trying to give? They need to give an answer to the ones who sent them.
Direct: The accusative singular directly supports rendering the noun as the object, "an answer."
The noun names the requested response, while the surrounding dialogue supplies the question being answered.
Case alone supplies the whole scene: The case identifies the object role, but the sender and topic come from the surrounding clauses.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witnessed form is ἀπόκρισιν in John 1:22, within the request, 'that we may give an answer to those who sent us.'
The lemma ἀπόκρισις means an answer or reply, and the form here keeps that same lexical identity.
Its accusative case fits the idea of something to be given, while the singular form presents one reply as a whole.
The verse presents the speakers as needing a clear response for their senders, so the focus is on what they will report about John.
In this passage the term serves ordinary conversational and legal or official reporting language, not a special technical category.
For communication, the form supports a simple rendering such as 'an answer' or 'a reply' in the purpose clause.
Do not derive more than the clause allows, and do not let accusative case override the purpose statement or the wider exchange.