Third Declension

Biblical Greek Lesson 19

Third Declension

The Third Declension is one of the most complex and diverse noun declensions in Greek. Unlike the First and Second Declensions, which follow relatively regular vowel patterns, the Third Declension contains nouns with a wide variety of consonantal stems. Therefore, it is commonly known as the consonant declension.

Characteristics of the Greek Third Declension

1. Consonantal Stems: Unlike First Declension (-α, -η) and Second Declension (-ος, -ον), Third Declension nouns are primarily based on consonantal stems (e.g., -κ, -γ, -δ, -ν, -ρ, -τ, -σ).

2. Irregular Endings: The Third Declension has a high degree of variation in its endings.

3. Case Variations: Different cases may show significant stem modifications due to phonetic changes.

The Common Case Endings

Masculine & Feminine Third Declension Endings

Case | Singular | Plural

Nominative | -ς (varies, sometimes no ending) | -ες

Genitive/Ablative | -ος | -ων

Dative/Locative/Instrumental | -ι | -σι(ν)

Accusative | -α / -ν | -ας

Vocative | (same as nominative or bare stem) | -ες

Neuter Third Declension Endings

Case | Singular | Plural

Nominative | - (bare stem) | -α

Genitive/Ablative | -ος | -ων

Dative/Locative/Instrumental | -ι | -σι(ν)

Accusative | - (same as nominative) | -α

Vocative | (same as nominative) | -α

Notes on Variability

1. Nominative Singular Variations: Many third declension nouns lack a final -ς in the nominative singular (e.g., πατήρ “father”, ἡγεμών “leader”).

2. Dative Plural (σιν/σι): The -σι(ν) form often undergoes euphonic changes depending on the stem ending (e.g., with ν stems, σιν may be used for smoother pronunciation).

3. Neuter Rule: Neuter nouns follow the rule that nominative, accusative, and vocative forms are identical.

Basic Paradigm of the Third Declension

To illustrate the general structure, let's take the example of σῶμα (σώματος, τό), meaning “body.”

Case | Singular | Plural

Nominative | σῶμα | σώματα

Genitive/Ablative | σώματος | σωμάτων

Dative/Locative/Instrumental | σώματι | σώμασι(ν) |

Accusative | σῶμα | σώματα

Vocative | σῶμα | σώματα

Another common example is ἄρχων (ἄρχοντος, ὁ), meaning “ruler”:

Case | Singular | Plural

Nominative | ἄρχων | ἄρχοντες

Genitive/Ablative | ἄρχοντος | ἀρχόντων

Dative/Locative/Instrumental | ἄρχοντι | ἄρχουσι(ν)

Accusative | ἄρχοντα | ἄρχοντας

Vocative | ἄρχων | ἄρχοντες

Third Declension nouns can be classified into different groups based on their stems:

1. Labial Stems (-π, -β, -φ): Example: λαμπτήρ (λαμπτῆρος, ὁ) “lamp.”

2. Dental Stems (-τ, -δ, -θ): Example: ἐλπίς (ἐλπίδος, ἡ) “hope.”

3. Palatal Stems (-κ, -γ, -χ): Example: φύλαξ (φύλακος, ὁ) “guardian.”

4. Nasal Stems (-ν): Example: δαίμων (δαίμονος, ὁ) “demon.”

5. Liquid Stems (-ρ, -λ): Example: ἀνήρ (ἀνδρός, ὁ) “man.”

Special Notes

• Stem Changes: The nominative singular often does not reflect the full base stem seen in other cases. The stem is determined by dropping the genitive ending -ος.

  • Consonantal Stems

    • These are the most common, ending in a consonant like κ, γ, τ, δ, θ, ν, ρ, λ.

    • Example: “ἄρχων” (ruler)

      • Genitive singular: ἄρχοντος

      • Remove -ος → ἄρχοντ- (stem)

    • Example: “σῶμα” (body)

      • Genitive singular: σώματος

      • Remove -ος → σώματ- (stem)

  • Liquid Stems (ρ, λ)

    • These stems end in ρ or λ and often follow predictable patterns.

    • Example: “πατήρ” (father)

      • Genitive singular: πατρός

      • Remove -ος → πατρ- (stem)

  • Nasal Stems (ν)

    • Nouns ending in ν usually keep the stem unchanged.

    • Example: “ἀγών” (contest)

      • Genitive singular: ἀγῶνος

      • Remove -ος → ἀγών- (stem)

  • Sigma (σ) Stems

    • These stems drop σ in nominative singular.

    • Example: “γένος” (race, kind)

      • Genitive singular: γένους

      • Remove -ος → γενεσ- → γεν- (stem after contraction)

  • Neuter Stems

    • Neuter nouns behave predictably, with nominative and accusative being identical.

    • Example: “ὄνομα” (name)

      • Genitive singular: ὀνόματος

      • Remove -ος → ὀνοματ- (stem)

• Neuter Peculiarities: Neuter nouns of the Third Declension have the same form in nominative and accusative and often end in -α in the plural.

• Dative Plural: The dative plural often takes a -σι(ν) ending, sometimes with an added -ε- for phonetic balance (e.g., πόλεσι from πόλις).

Common Biblical Greek Third Declension Words

• πίστις (πίστεως, ἡ) - faith

• χάρις (χάριτος, ἡ) - grace

• σῶμα (σώματος, τό) - body

• ὄνομα (ὀνόματος, τό) - name

• αἷμα (αἵματος, τό) - blood

• γυνή (γυναικός, ἡ) - woman