Nominative Case

1. The Subject Nominative

   This is the primary use of the nominative in pointing out that noun that is producing the action of the verb.

   οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν (ὁ θεὸς) τὸν κόσμον

   (Houtōs gar ēgapēsen [ho theos] ton kosmon)

   "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16)

   Here, θεὸς (God-theos) is the subject producing the love for the world.

2. The Predicate Nominative

   This is a frequent use of the nominative case in the Greek New Testament. In this instance, a Greek word (noun, pronoun, participle, etc.) in the nominative case is used to more clearly, specifically, and emphatically describe another noun in the nominative case, with some form of the Greek verb "to be" (εἰμί) as the connecting verb.

   καὶ (θεὸς) ἦν ὁ λόγος

   (kai [theos] ēn ho logos)

   "and the Word was God" (John 1:1)

   Here, the subject is "the Word" because it has the article ὁ (ho) with it. In this instance, "the Word" is emphatically being described as "God," with "God" also being in the nominative case and connected by the verb "to be." Thus, the predicate nominative in this instance is "God" since the verb "to be" is restating who "the Word" is, or "was," that is, "God."

3. The Renaming Nominative (Nominative of Appellation)

   This is simply the placing of proper names in the nominative case where they are renaming another noun. In some instances the use of a noun in the nominative to rename another noun may be a little out of character grammatically, but it serves its purpose for emphasis.

   ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης

   (Egeneto anthrōpos apestalmenos para theou, onoma autǭ, [Iōannēs])

   "There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John" (John 1:6).

   Here in this instance, "John" is renaming the "man" that was sent from God.

4. The Independent Nominative

   This function of the nominative is when a noun is used to express an idea apart from any direct connection to a specific verb. Some also see this use of the nominative as a parenthetical expression; i.e., when one is attempting to express an idea or concept, often parentheses are used to explain more clearly the thought under discussion.

   ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή (Χριστός),

   (alētheuontes de en agapē̜ auxēsōmen eis auton ta panta, hos estin hē kephalē [Christos])

   "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, (even Christ)" (Ephesians 4:15).

   "Christ" is the independent nominative, but even is not in the actual Greek.

5. The Nominative of Exclamation

   This use of the nominative is found when wanting to express with emphasis a concept by itself without the aid of a verb. It acts, therefore, to intensify and magnify in some way whatever it is describing.

   Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ·

   (ō [bathos] ploutou kai sophias kai gnōseōs theou)

   "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (Romans 11:33)!

   The word, "depth" is the nominative of exclamation in this instance in that it exclaims to a greater degree the "riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God" without the aid of a verb.

Further Nominative Examples

The word in the parentheses in the Greek and transliteration and underlined in the English is the word in the nominative that will be identified. The nominative will be described in the same way that will be found described in an analytical lexicon which may be used later (e.g., nom. sg. masc. = nominative case, singular noun, masculine gender).

1. Τότε (Ἡρῴδης) λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους ἠκρίβωσεν παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος

   (Tote [Herǭdēs] lathrą kalesas tous magous ēkribōsen par autōn ton chronon tou phainomenou asteros)

   "Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared" (Matthew 2:7).

   "Herod" (Ἡρῴδης - nom. sing. masc.)

   "Herod" is a Subject Nominative.

2. περιτομῇ ὀκταήμερος, ἐκ γένους Ἰσραήλ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον (Φαρισαῖος),

   (peritomē̜ oktaēmeros, ek genous Israēl, phulēs Beniamin, Hebraios ex Hebraiōn, kata nomon [Pharisaios])

   "circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee" (Philippians 3:5).

   "Pharisee" (Φαρισαῖος - nom. sing. masc.)

   "Pharisee" is an Independent Nominative.

3. τότε διεστείλατο τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν ὅτι (αὐτός) ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός

   (tote diesteilato tois mathētais hina mēdeni eipōsin hoti [autos] estin ho Christos)

   "Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ (literally, "The Christ is He")" (Matthew 16:20).

   Here in this instance, the word "was" (literally "is") is a form of the verb "to be," and it is the connecting verb. "He" (αὐτός - nom. sing. masc.)

   "He" is a Predicate Nominative.

4. Σαῦλος δέ ὁ καὶ (Παῦλος) πλησθεὶς πνεύματος ἁγίου ἀτενίσας εἰς αὐτὸν

   (Saulos de, ho kai [Paulos], plēstheis pneumatos hagiou atenisas eis auton)

   "But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him" (Acts 13:9).

   "Paul" (Παῦλος - nom. sing. masc.)

   "Paul" is a Nominative of Appellation.

5. πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας [ὑμῶν] εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ, τίς ὁ (πλοῦτος) τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις,

   (pephōtismenous tous ophthalmous tēs kardias {humōn} eis to eidenai humas tis estin hē elpis tēs klēseōs autou, tis ho [ploutos] tēs doxēs tēs klēronomias autou en tois hagiois)

   "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18).

   The last phrase, "what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" is the focus, and in the Greek, there is no verb in this clause.

   "riches" (πλοῦτος - nom. masc. sing.)
   "riches" is a Nominative of Exclamation.