αὐτοῦ, (autou) in John 1:14: Genitive Singular Masculine
αὐτοῦ, (autou) in John 1:14
Textual Witness
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in John 1:14 within the phrase ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, so the form is part of the clause about what was seen.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form makes the reference personal and relational, so the verse reads as eyewitness testimony about the glory associated with the one already introduced.
How To Communicate It
For readers, this supports a simple sense: the observers saw his glory, meaning the glory of the Word in the verse's immediate context.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Masculine grammatical marking is not, by itself, a theological gender claim.
- If syntax is not fully settled by the immediate context, state the likely relationship conservatively.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word refers back to a previously mentioned person or thing and points to that referent in context.
Genitive: the form usually marks a relationship such as possession, association, source, or another contextual link.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so it points to one referent in the clause.
Masculine: the form is marked masculine grammatically, which describes agreement and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
τὴν δόξαν
The genitive form most naturally relates to the preceding noun phrase and identifies whose glory is in view.
It functions as the possessive or relational link in the phrase, making the glory the glory associated with the implied referent.
It does not by itself introduce a new subject, add a separate idea, or decide more than the local relationship in the clause.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive pronoun ties the witnessed glory to the Word made flesh in John 1:14.
Genitive singular masculine pronoun. identifies whose glory was seen. Attached to the glory phrase. Governed by the noun glory in John 1:14. The pronoun supplies the relational link, while the clause supplies the eyewitness testimony.
Whose glory is being described? The glory belongs to, or is associated with, the one already introduced as the Word made flesh.
Direct: The genitive pronoun directly supports his glory.
Genitive relation is contextually personal but should stay tied to the glory phrase. Masculine agreement follows the referent. The glory claim comes from the whole statement, not from the pronoun alone.
Pronoun alone supplies incarnation theology: The pronoun links glory to the referent; the full clause states the Word became flesh and was seen. genitive always means ownership only: The genitive marks a personal relation to glory, but context governs the nuance.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in John 1:14 within the phrase ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, so the form is part of the clause about what was seen.
The lemma αὐτός can function as self-reference or as an ordinary pronoun, and here the context favors reference to an already named person.
Genitive singular masculine fits a relationship of belonging or reference and naturally connects the glory to the Word mentioned just before.
The verse says the witnesses saw his glory, so the pronoun helps express that the manifested glory belonged to the incarnate Word.
This wording supports the verse's broader Christological focus without needing the grammar to carry the whole theological claim by itself.
In translation and teaching, the form is best rendered with a clear possessive sense such as his, while keeping the context in view.
Do not derive a separate doctrine from the masculine case ending, and do not treat the form as changing the referent beyond the context.