ἀδελφὸς (adelphos) in John 1:40: Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀδελφὸς (adelphos) in John 1:40
Textual Witness
The witness reads ἦν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου, so the form stands in a clear identifying phrase about Andrew.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form supports a concise relational identification of Andrew, which prepares the reader for the action that follows in the verse.
How To Communicate It
In teaching or translation, this form can be rendered naturally as 'Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,' while keeping the focus on the narrative context.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Masculine gender here is grammatical and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
- The nominative form identifies the phrase's role, but context determines the verse's full meaning.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a person or relationship, and here it functions as a label for Andrew's family connection.
Nominative: the form commonly marks a subject or a descriptive appositive, and here it identifies Andrew in relation to Simon Peter.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular here, referring to one brotherly relationship rather than a group.
Masculine: the noun is in the masculine grammatical class, which is a normal grammatical feature and not by itself a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is attached to Ἀνδρέας with the article ὁ and the genitive phrase Σίμωνος Πέτρου.
The surrounding sentence presents Andrew as the one being described, so the nominative noun works as an appositive description within the clause.
It names Andrew as the brother of Simon Peter, giving relational identification that helps the reader follow the verse's introduction.
It does not by itself say Andrew is the only brother, nor does it change the meaning of the lemma into another word.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The nominative noun identifies Andrew relationally as Simon Peter's brother.
Nominative appositive identifier. adds relational identification so the reader can locate Andrew in the narrative. Attached to Andrew's name. Governed by the appositional description in the nominative phrase. The noun describes Andrew by family relation and should not be pressed beyond that local identification.
How does the verse identify Andrew? It identifies him as Simon Peter's brother within the narrative introduction.
Direct: The nominative apposition directly supports a rendering such as "Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."
The form identifies Andrew relationally; it does not settle questions about the wider family beyond this verse.
Apposition proves exclusive family detail: The appositive identifies Andrew for the scene and should not be used to infer details the passage does not state.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads ἦν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου, so the form stands in a clear identifying phrase about Andrew.
The lemma ἀδελφός can denote a literal brother and, in other contexts, wider kinship or fellowship, but the local context here is a family relationship.
Its nominative form fits a descriptive identification of Andrew, and the article plus genitive phrase tie the noun to Simon Peter rather than leaving it as a loose label.
The verse introduces Andrew by naming him as Simon Peter's brother before describing him as one of the two who heard and followed.
Within John, this wording contributes to the Gospel's narrative pattern of identifying disciples through concrete relationships and encounters.
For communication, the form helps translators and readers preserve the simple identification, 'Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,' without overstating the grammar.
Do not derive from the nominative alone any special theological status, exclusive emphasis, or meaning beyond the sentence's plain identification.