Greek Form Guide

αὐτοῦ· (autou) in Revelation 22:4: Genitive Singular Masculine

αὐτοῦ· (autou) in Revelation 22:4

Textual Witness

αὐτοῦ· autou Genitive Singular Masculine

The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Revelation 22:4, within the clause about seeing the face and bearing the name.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form supports a possessive or relational sense, so the verse reads as the face and name belonging to the same referenced person in context.

How To Communicate It

It helps the sentence stay compact and clear by avoiding repetition while preserving the connection to the known referent.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Genitive case can signal several relationships, so this verse should be read conservatively from the immediate scene.
  • Masculine grammatical gender is a form class here, not a theological claim about sex or gender.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Pronoun: the form points back to a referenced person or thing instead of naming it again.

Case

Genitive: the form usually shows relationship, possession, source, or close association in the clause.

Number

Singular: the form is grammatically singular here and points to one referent in context.

Gender

Masculine: the form is in the masculine grammatical class, which by itself does not make a gender claim about the referent.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

τὸ πρόσωπον

Governed By

The pronoun follows the noun phrase and supplies the related referent for the face that is seen.

Role In The Phrase

It marks whose face is in view and keeps the clause focused on the referent already understood from context.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not by itself identify the referent beyond what the passage already supplies, and it does not change the noun into another idea.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The genitive pronoun ties the face and name language to the known referent in the throne-room scene.

Syntax Profile

Genitive singular pronoun after face. marks whose face is seen and keeps the name statement tied to the same referent. Attached to the his face phrase. Governed by the noun face and the following name statement. The scene supplies the referent; the pronoun maintains the relation compactly.

Reader Question

Whose face and name are being discussed? The pronoun points back to the known referent in the immediate throne-room scene.

Translation Effect

Direct: The genitive pronoun directly supports his face.

Where Caution Is Needed

The exact referent should be traced from Revelation 22:3-4 rather than from the pronoun alone. The genitive marks relation or possession but does not explain the whole vision. Masculine singular is grammatical agreement and should not be overread.

Fallacies To Avoid

Pronoun case alone identifies every theological referent: The immediate scene supplies the referent; the pronoun preserves the relation.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Revelation 22:4, within the clause about seeing the face and bearing the name.

Lexical Identity

The lemma is αὐτός, a common reference pronoun that can point back to an understood antecedent in the discourse.

Grammar In Context

In this verse the genitive singular form ties the face and the name to the same referent already implied by the surrounding scene.

Passage Meaning

The line describes direct access to the referenced figure and the belonging sign of a name placed on the foreheads of those in view.

Canonical Fit

This use fits the broader scriptural pattern where the context, not the pronoun alone, identifies the one being referred to.

Communication Use

For readers, the form keeps the sentence concise while preserving the link to the previously established referent.

Do Not Derive

Do not infer more precision than the context provides, and do not treat grammatical gender as a theological statement.