Genitive absolute

The term absolute comes from the Latin absolutus, literally meaning "made loose". That comes from the general truth that the genitive absolute usually does not refer to anything in the independent clause; however, there are many exceptions, notably in the New Testament and in Koine.

Examples

Below are some examples of the genitive absolute, in different tenses.

(1)

ἔαρος

éaros

ἀρχομένου,

arkhoménou,

οἱ

hoi

Ἀθηναῖοι

Athēnaîoi

ἔπλευσαν

épleusan

εἰς

eis

Προκόννησον

Prokónnēson

'When spring was beginning, the Athenians sailed to Proconnesus.'

This first example shows how a genitive absolute with a present participle is used with simultaneous actions. In this example, the two events occur at the same time, or rather, the sailing occurs during the period when spring was beginning.

(2)

τὸν

tòn

δὲ

dè

Κῦρον

Kûron

ἦγον

êgon

ἔσω

ésō

οἱ

hoi

θεράποντες,

therápontes,

κελεύσαντος

keleúsantos

τοῦ

toû

Ἀστυάγεος

Astuágeos

'The servants led Cyrus inside, after Astyages gave the order.'

This example shows a genitive absolute with an aorist participle. Here, the two events do not happen simultaneously, as they do with the present genitive absolute, but the event in the main clause occurs after the event in the participial clause.

The perfect participle describes a situation which was already in existence and which still prevailed at the time of the action of the main verb, for example:

(3)

ἤδη

ḗdē

δ’

d’

ἐψηφισμένων

epsēphisménōn

Θετταλῶν,

Thettalôn,

...

...

ἧκεν

hêken

'Since the Thessalians had already voted ... he came back'

The future is less often used in a genitive absolute. It is generally found after the particle ὡς (hōs) "in view of the fact that" or "on the grounds that", for example:

(4)

ὡς

hōs

πάντων

pántōn

καλῶς

kalôs

γενησομένων

genēsoménōn

'on the grounds that everything would turn out well'