(a)
THE NOMINATIVE AS VOCATIVE. There is an increasing use of nominative forms as vocatives. This usage had long existed for nouns that were oxytone or had labial or guttural stems. Elsewhere in general the stem had served as vocative. No notice is here taken of the common use of the article with the nominative form as vocative, like
η παις (Lu. 8:54), a construction coming under syntactical treatment. According to Winer-Schmieder(2 ) the use of the singular without the article belongs also to syntax and the solution of W. H. is called "certainly false." Hort(3) had suggested that in the case of
θυγατηρ as vocative (Mk. 5:34; Lu. 8:48; Jo. 12:15) and
πατηρ (Jo. 17:21, 24, 25) the long vowel (
η ) was pronounced short. Why not the rather suppose that the vocative is like the nominative as in the case of labial and guttural stems? The usage is thus extended sometimes to these liquids. Indeed, in Jo. 17:25 we have
πατηρ αγαθη the adjective having the vocative form. In Mk. 9:19 (Lu. 9:41) we have
ω γενεα απιστος and
αφρων in Lu. 12:20; 1 Cor. 15:36). See also
ω πληρης (Ac. 13:10) for —
ες, which might be an indeclinable form like the accusative (II, 2 (f)). But these adjectives show that the usage is possible with substantives. There are indeed variant readings in the MSS. above, which have
θυγατερ and
πατερ, but in Mt. 9:22 DGL have
θυγατηρ. Note also
ανερ (1 Cor. 7:16) and
γυναι (Lu. 13:12). For peculiarities in nom. see (d). p. 264
(g)
IN EXCLAMATIONS. The nominative is natural in exclamations, a sort of interjectional nominative.1 So Paul in Ro. 7:24,
ταλαιπωρος εγω ανθρωπος, and 11:33,
ω βαθος (a possible vocative)
πλουτου. So. Ro. 7:24; 1 Cor. 15:57. Cf.
χαρις τω θεω (Ro. 6 : 17). For parallel in papyri see Moulton, Cl. Rev., 1901, p. 436. Cf.
χαρις τοις θεοις, B.U. 843 (i/A.D.).
(h)
USED AS VOCATIVE. It only remains to consider the nominative form which is used as a vocative. Cf. chapter VII, 7, (a), for details as to form. It all depends on what one means by the term "case" when he says that the nominative is used as a vocative. The form is undoubtedly the same as that of the vocative in a multitude of instances (all neuter nouns, for instance, singular and plural, plural of all nouns in truth). It is only in the singular that any distinction was made between the nominative and vocative in form, and by no means always here, as in the case of feminine nouns of the first declension,
θεος (usually) in the second, liquid oxytones like
ποιμην in the third, etc. But if by the vocative one means the case of address, then the nominative form in address is really vocative, not nominative. Thus
συ πατηρ (Jo. 17:21) is just as truly vocative as
συ πατερ (17:5). Indeed in Jo. 17:25 we have
πατηρ δικαιε, showing that
πατηρ is here regarded as vocative. The article with the vocative in address was the usual Hebrew and Aramaic idiom, as indeed in Aristophanes2 we have
ο παις ακολουθει. It is good Greek and good Aramaic too when we have
αββα ο πατηρ (Mk. 14:36) whether Jesus said one or both. In Mt. 11:26 (
ναι ο πατηρ we have the vocative. When the article is used, of course the nominative form must occur. Thus in Rev. 18:20 we have both together,
ουρανε και οι αγιοι. Indeed the second member of the address is always in the nominative form.(3) Thus
κυριε ο θεος ο παντοκρατωρ (Rev. 15:3). Cf. Jo. 20:28. I shall treat therefore this as really the vocative, not the nominative, whatever the form may be, and now pass on to the consideration of the Vocative Case. P.461
Grammar Of The Greek New Testament In The Light Of Historical Research, A.T. Robertson, M.A., D.D., Ll.D., Litt.D., 1919, George H. Doran Company.
A Grammar of New Testament Greek: Prolegomena
By James Hope Moulton, Wilbert Francis Howard
Vocative Note that Lk, and perhaps Mt (אAL), correct Mk here. The anarthrous nom. should probably be regarded as a mere substitute for the vocative, which begins from the earliest times to be supplanted by the nominative. In MGr the forms in -e are practically the only separate vocatives surviving. Hellenistic has little more, retaining some in -a and -eu, with the isolated yunai, pater,and thugater; but the nom. is beginning to assert itself even here, for pathr(1) and thugathr are well attested (see the evidence in Blass 86 n.). The vocative itself need not detain us, the presence or absence of w being the only feature calling for comment. In the Lucan writings only is the interjection used in the classical manner without emphasis. Elsewhere it is mostly used as we use 0, except that this is with us appropriate in prayer, from which it is markedly absent in the NT, though not entirely in the translation Greek of the ОТ. The progressive omission of w is not wholly easy to explain, for the classical examples (see Gerth's Kühner3 § 357. 4) show that the simple voc. has normally a touch of dignity or reserve. A specially good ex. occurs in Plato Grito 52A., tautas dh famen kai se swkrates tais aitiais enexesthai, where " the effect of omitting w is to increase the impressiveness, since w swkrates is the regular mode of address : in English we obtain the same effect by exactly the opposite means" (Adam). NT use has thus approximated to our own, and may well have travelled upon the same path without any outside interference, such as A. Buttmann would find in Latinism.2 P 271
A Grammar of New Testament Greek ... - Google Books
A Greek grammar of the New Testament, By Georg Benedikt Winer, Moses Stuart, Edward Robinson
§ 22. Nouns ; use of the nominative.
1. The nominative absolute is sometimes found, i. e. a nominative with which no verb is connected.
E. g. John 17: 2 ina pan o dedwkas autw dosh autois zohn aiwnion Luke 21:6 tauta a thewreite eleusontai hmerai x.t. l. Acts 7: 40 o mwushs outos – ouk oidamen ti gegonen autw. Comp.Rom. 8: 3. Gal. 1: 20. Rev. 1: 20. 3 : 12, 21. Luke 12: 10. 13 : 4. etc. Here belongs Acts 24: 25 to nun exon poreuon i.e. as matters now stand, etc. See Georgi p. 40. Matthiae § 310.
2. Very frequently among the Greeks and Hebrews, the nominative with the article is used instead of the vocative. Of this usage there are many examples in the New Testament. .'
E. g. Mark 9 : 25 To pneuma to alalon – egw soi eptassw. Matt. 27: 29 xaire o basileus. Luke 8: 54 efwnhse legwn h pais eyeirou. Luke 18:11, 13. John 12 : 13. Rom. 8 : 15. Heb. 1: 8. al. This often happens in words which stand in apposition, so that sometimes a nominative appears to be connected with a vocative. E. g. Mark 14: 36 kai elegen Abba o pathr. Matt. 1: 20 Iwshf uios Dabid etc. Here may be referred places like John 15:13 umeis fwneite me o didaskalos. Some make the nominative to stand here for the accusative.
A Greek grammar of the New Testament - Google Books
Wallace GGBB pp. 56-59, In his three page discussion of “nominative for vocative” lists twelve examples of “Nominative for Vocative,” John 17:25, Matt 16:17, Rom 1:13, Mark 9:19, Mark 5:8, Luke 8:54, John 19:3, Gal 3:1, Eph 5:22, John 20:28, Rev 15:3, Heb 1:18
Wallace, Greek Grammar, Google books
