en_and_DativeCase.doc
e)n and Dative Case
Introduction:[1]
Dative Case has three functions (LIP): Pure Dative, Instrumental, and Locative.
A. Dative (Common Usages)
| Pure / D. Proper | Instrumental | Local / Locative |
| 3. Reference/Respect 144 | 3. Means / Instrument 162 | 2. Sphere (1. Place) 153 |
|
| 1. Association 159 | |
| 2. Interest 142 | 4. Agency 163 | |
|
| 6. Cause 167 | 3. Time 155 |
| 8. D. of Thing Possessed 151 | 9. Content 170 | Dative of Rule |
Usages of e)n
Locative/Local
Space —'Εn commonly expresses special position. Jesus said He was in His Father's house (Luke 2:49); Bethelehem was not least among the rulers of Judah (Matt. 2:6); God showed Moses the tabernacle design on the mountain (Heb. 8:5); and Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3). It might also express spacial extension, as when an angel of the Lord went down into the pool (John 5:4, TR).
Time —'Εn expresses two temporal ideas:
| the time when something occurs (Matt. 11:22) | the period within which something occurs (Matt. 2:1). |
| can be rendered "when" or "at," | "during" or "while." |
Dative of Rule —(Wallace): Standard = according to the standard of
Instrumental
Reason—In John 16:30 Jesus' disciples said they believed that He came from God because of what He was saying (cf. Gal. 1:24).
Agency—Paul says that we are all baptized into one body by one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Jesus asks, "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, then by whom do your sons cast them out?" (Matt. 12:27). Oaths could be considered a type of agency that specifies the guarantor. In Matthew 5:34-36 both έν and ei)v are used in an oath; Jesus says not to swear by (έν) heaven, by (έν) earth, by (ei)v) Jerusalem, or by (έυ) your head. Heaven (God's throne), earth (God's footstool), and Jerusalem (God's city) could be considered circumlocutions for God.
Means—In Revelation 6:8 the rider on the fourth horse was given authority to kill by sword, by famine, and by plague (καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς.[2] cf. 1 John 2:3). The translation is altered with a verbal noun as object, as in Romans 1:9 ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, (Paul serves God by preaching the good news about God's Son).
Association (with person)—In Jude 14 the Lord will come with thousands of His holy ones. Paul often speaks of believers being in Christ, and John speaks of Christ being in the Father, and the Father in Christ (John 10:38). Although expressions such as έν Χριστw~| could be understood in a mystical sense as metaphorical extensions of location (Turner 1963:263), it might be better to consider them as denoting a close, personal, life enhancing relationship or union with Christ (BAG 1957:259a; Moule 1968:80; for overview see Harris 1978:1192-93). See also John 15:4.
Association (Attendant Circumstance)—The Lord will return with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet call of God (τ Thess. 4:16). These phrases denote actions that accompany the Lord's return rather than describe how He comes (manner).
Manner—Paul says he serves God with all his heart (Rom. 1:9a). The prepositional phrase with έν can be rendered by a simple adverb of manner when the object is a verbal noun. Examples include John 16:29 e)n πaρρησίa| (confidently); Acts 16:36 e)n ei)rh/nh| (peaceably); James 3:13 e)n πρaΰτητi (meekly); and 1 Peter 1:17 e)n fo/bw| (reverently). Other times it is rendered as a participle, as in Luke 6:12 e)n th~| proseuxh~| (he spent the whole night praying).
Pure Dative Uses
Reference—In Romans 11:2 Paul rhetorically asks, "Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah?"
Interest – Advantage and Disadvantage (Experiencer)—In Matthew 17:12 Jesus said that Elijah had already come and the Jews did to him as they pleased (cf. Gal. 1:16, to reveal his Son to me).
Dative of Thing Possessed—(Wallace) C.f Mark 1:23 (cf. Luke 4:33); Eph. 6:2.
Discussion: suggested by Wallace (pp.373-375)
1) En + Dative for Personal Agency – Genuine one (Luke 23:15); Mark 1:8(HS as means); 1 Cor. 12:13(HS as means).
2) En + Dative for Content – debatable. Eph. 5:18
3) One group of significant passages involves the phrase ἐν Χριστῷ, an
expression found almost solely in the Pauline corpus. The student is
encouraged to consult standard lexical and biblico-theological sources for a
treatment of this phrase.58
Other significant passages include: John 14:17; 1 Cor. 7:15; Gal 1:16; 1 Pet
2:12.
[1] Though it is well-known that the preposition has lots of usages, hence "refuses" to be classificated. But if we ignore the rare cases and most of the usual usages fall within "Dative" usages. Our textbook, Wallace, has failed us here without giving detailed examples to each of the proposed usages.
[2] ALT- And authority was given to them over the fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and with death, and by the wild animals of the earth.
