αὐτοῦ· (autou) in John 1:12: Genitive Singular Masculine
αὐτοῦ· (autou) in John 1:12
Textual Witness
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in the phrase εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, which places the pronoun after 'name' in the clause.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form narrows the phrase to a definite referent and supports the reading that belief is oriented toward the person already implied in the passage.
How To Communicate It
In public reading or explanation, the pronoun should be explained as a context-linked 'his' that clarifies the object of faith without adding speculation.
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 genitive relation should be read conservatively as reference or association unless the immediate syntax clearly requires more.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word points back to a previously named or understood referent rather than naming it again.
Genitive: the form usually marks relationship, association, or reference, and here it helps define what the 'name' belongs to.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so it refers to one referent in the context.
Masculine: the form carries masculine grammatical marking, but that feature by itself does not make a theological claim about sex or status.
What The Form Does In This Verse
τὸ ὄνομα
The genitive is linked to the noun 'name' and identifies whose name is meant in the phrase 'into his name.'
It functions as a possessive or reference genitive, pointing the reader from the abstract word 'name' to the person already in view in the verse.
It does not by itself add a new action, nor does it change the referent into a different person or category.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive pronoun identifies whose name is the object of belief in John 1:12.
Genitive singular pronoun modifying name. ties the name to the person already in view. Attached to the his name phrase. Governed by the belief phrase that follows the grant of authority. The genitive supplies referential clarity; the verse context supplies the theology of believing.
Whose name is believed in? The pronoun points to the name of the one already in view in the verse.
Direct: The form directly supports his name.
The pronoun's referent must be traced from the verse context rather than guessed from morphology alone. The genitive can be explained as possession or reference, but the practical meaning is governed by believing into his name.
Genitive pronoun proves only simple ownership: The form relates the name to its referent; John 1:12 supplies the believing-response context.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in the phrase εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, which places the pronoun after 'name' in the clause.
The lemma αὐτός is a flexible pronoun that can refer back to the contextually known person, here the one already receiving and giving in the verse.
The genitive singular masculine most naturally ties the 'name' to that same referent and supports a straightforward backward reference in the sentence.
The verse says that those who believe are identified by faith directed into his name, so the pronoun helps specify the object of that trust.
This fits the Gospel pattern of speaking about belief as directed toward Jesus, while the grammar itself simply maintains referential clarity.
For teaching and translation, the form can be rendered naturally as 'his,' with the context making clear whose name is meant.
Do not derive extra detail about gender, rank, or theology from the masculine genitive alone, and do not treat the case ending as overriding the verse's context.