αὐτοῦ
here, there
Definition
The adverb αὐτοῦ means 'here' or 'there,' indicating a specific location. It is used to denote a place where an action occurs or where someone is situated. In Matthew 26:36, Jesus tells his disciples, 'Sit here (αὐτοῦ) while I go over there and pray,' contrasting two distinct locations. In Acts 18:19, Paul arrives 'there (αὐτοῦ) at Ephesus,' specifying the city as the scene of his activity.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only four times in the New Testament, all in narrative contexts to specify location. It appears in the Gospels (Matthew) and Acts, highlighting its use in historical storytelling. In Matthew 26:36, it marks the spot where the disciples are to wait. In Acts, it pinpoints locations like Ephesus (Acts 18:19) or Tyre (Acts 21:4), grounding the apostolic journeys in specific places. Its usage is straightforward and spatial.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek pronoun αὐτός (autos, G846), meaning 'self' or 'same,' the adverbial form αὐτοῦ developed to mean 'in the same place'—hence 'here' or 'there.' It is a genitive form of the pronoun used adverbially, a common feature in Greek to indicate location related to a person or thing.
Semantic Range
ἐκεῖ (ekei, G1563) — a more common adverb for 'there,' often implying a distant or previously mentioned location. ὧδε (hōde, G5602) — typically means 'here' in the sense of 'in this place,' sometimes with a demonstrative force.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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