αὐτοῦ (autou) in Romans 3:25: Genitive Singular Masculine
αὐτοῦ (autou) in Romans 3:25
Textual Witness
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Romans 3:25, in the phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the reader connect the blood phrase to the already named Christ, sharpening the reference without changing the main claim of the sentence.
How To Communicate It
In explanation or translation, this pronoun should be handled as a clear backward reference that serves the clause and keeps the audience oriented to the intended antecedent.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The masculine label is grammatical, not a standalone theological statement.
- The pronoun identifies by reference; it does not change the lemma into another word.
- Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word points back to a previously named referent and can function with emphasis or simple reference.
Genitive: the form usually marks relationship, possession, source, or other limiting connection, depending on the sentence.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and points to one referent in context.
Masculine: the form is labeled masculine in grammar, but that feature alone does not create a theological or biological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It stands with αἵματι in the phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι.
The genitive is linked to the nearby blood phrase and most naturally identifies whose blood is in view, without forcing more detail than the context supplies.
It functions as a possessive or reference word that narrows the blood phrase to the previously mentioned person in the verse.
It does not introduce a new subject, and it does not by itself decide every theological nuance of the clause.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive pronoun narrows the blood phrase in a doctrinally weighty sentence about God setting forth Christ.
Genitive possessive pronoun in a blood phrase. identifies whose blood is in view by pointing back to the one God set forth. Attached to the phrase his blood. Governed by the nearby blood phrase in Romans 3:25. The pronoun clarifies reference inside the phrase, while the verse supplies the atonement context.
Whose blood is in view? The pronoun points back to the one God set forth in the sentence, understood from the context as Christ.
Direct: The genitive pronoun directly supports the rendering his blood.
The pronoun referent must be read from the immediate sentence, not from the pronoun form alone. The genitive marks relationship in the phrase but does not by itself define the whole doctrine of atonement.
Pronoun form alone proves the antecedent: The pronoun points backward, but the surrounding sentence identifies the referent. genitive alone defines the atonement claim: The genitive supports the blood phrase, while Romans 3:25 supplies the doctrinal argument.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Romans 3:25, in the phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι.
The lemma is αὐτός, a pronoun that can refer back to a known person or thing and often carries emphasis or identification.
Here the genitive singular masculine form most naturally relates the blood to the antecedent Christ in the immediate clause movement, while the grammar itself remains subordinate to that context.
The phrase presents the sacrifice as connected with his blood, contributing to the verse's presentation of God's saving action and public demonstration.
The wording fits the broader biblical pattern of redemption language centered on blood and divine purpose, but the verse itself should lead the reading.
For teaching or translation, the form supports rendering the phrase as his blood or a closely equivalent reference that keeps the antecedent clear.
Do not derive a separate doctrinal claim from the masculine gender, and do not let the pronoun override the verse's larger argument.