αὐτοῦ, (autou) in John 1:47: Genitive Singular Masculine
αὐτοῦ, (autou) in John 1:47
Textual Witness
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in the phrase καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ, so the form clearly belongs to the report about the same man already mentioned.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form keeps the focus on Nathanael as the one Jesus is addressing in speech, which helps the verse read as a direct assessment of him.
How To Communicate It
In plain communication, the pronoun helps the sentence stay centered on the same person and preserves the flow from sight to speech to description.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The masculine marking is grammatical agreement and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
- If syntax is uncertain from the local context, state only the conservative role that the form clearly supports.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word points to a person already in view rather than naming him again.
Genitive: the form usually signals a relationship such as reference, source, or description, and here it follows a preposition.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and refers to one person in the scene.
Masculine: the form is marked masculine to agree with the male referent, but this is grammatical agreement only.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is governed by περὶ and stands in the phrase περὶ αὐτοῦ.
The preposition περὶ controls the genitive and frames the pronoun as the one being spoken about.
It identifies the person as the topic of Jesus' statement, namely Nathanael.
It does not introduce a new subject, change the referent, or by itself carry a theological emphasis.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive pronoun marks Nathanael as the topic of Jesus' assessment.
Genitive pronoun governed by a preposition of reference. identifies Nathanael as the person Jesus speaks about. Attached to the about him phrase. Governed by Jesus' statement concerning Nathanael. The form marks reference; Jesus' words provide the evaluation.
About whom does Jesus speak? He speaks about Nathanael, the person approaching him.
Direct: The form directly supports about him or concerning him.
The pronoun depends on the immediate narrative for its referent. The genitive with the preposition marks topic and should not be treated as a possession claim.
Genitive pronoun with about means possession: The preposition controls the relation here; the phrase means concerning him, not possession.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in the phrase καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ, so the form clearly belongs to the report about the same man already mentioned.
The lexeme αὐτός can function as self, same, or as a simple third person pronoun, and here it serves as a reference marker rather than a new lexical idea.
The genitive singular masculine form works with περὶ to show that Jesus is speaking concerning Nathanael, not shifting attention to another person.
The clause presents Jesus as commenting about Nathanael and then describing him as a true Israelite without deceit.
Within the verse, the pronoun supports the direct continuity between seeing Nathanael approach and speaking about him.
For readers and translators, the form can be rendered naturally as him, or about him, depending on the larger phrase in English.
Do not derive a hidden doctrinal claim, an altered referent, or extra emphasis from the genitive form alone.