αὐτῷ (auto) in John 1:6: Dative Singular Masculine
αὐτῷ (auto) in John 1:6
Textual Witness
The witnessed form is αὐτῷ in John 1:6, within the phrase ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the reader hear the naming statement as directed to the man already introduced, keeping the focus on identification rather than on contrast or emphasis.
How To Communicate It
Use the form to support a smooth translation that tells the reader John is the name of the man just mentioned.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The masculine label here is grammatical, not a theological statement about gender.
- The pronoun should be read in the flow of the naming clause and not pressed beyond the sentence.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word points back to a previously mentioned person or item rather than naming it directly.
Dative: the form commonly marks an indirect object, recipient, or related reference, depending on the clause.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and points to one referent in context.
Masculine: the form is marked with masculine grammar, which describes agreement here and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ὄνομα
The dative form fits the naming phrase, where the name is stated as belonging or referring to the person in view rather than standing as the sentence subject.
It identifies the person just mentioned by linking the name John to him in the clause.
It does not introduce a new subject, and it does not by itself decide any broader theological or symbolic meaning.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The dative pronoun supports the naming construction that identifies the man sent from God as John.
Dative pronoun in a naming construction. links the name John to the man just introduced. Attached to the name was John phrase. Governed by the clause identifying the man sent from God. The form serves identification; it should not be loaded with symbolism.
What name identifies the man sent from God? The naming construction identifies him as John.
Direct: The form supports a smooth rendering such as his name was John.
The dative naming idiom should be explained as identification, not as a special theological category. Masculine grammatical gender follows the man in view and adds no doctrinal claim.
Dative naming form adds hidden meaning: The form supports the naming statement; the verse identifies the man as John.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witnessed form is αὐτῷ in John 1:6, within the phrase ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης.
The lemma αὐτός is a flexible pronoun that can mean he, she, it, they, them, or same, depending on context and role.
Here the dative singular fits a referential construction that points to the already mentioned man, so the clause reads naturally as assigning the name John to him.
The verse states that a man was sent from God, and his name was John.
In this passage, the grammar supports the simple identification of John as the man in view without adding emphasis beyond the immediate statement.
In translation or teaching, the form is best rendered by a clear referential phrase such as him or his, whichever fits the English syntax of the sentence.
Do not derive a separate doctrinal emphasis, a hidden subject change, or a gendered theological claim from the masculine dative form alone.