BBG Chapter 10 — Third Declension¶

Files¶

Exercises¶

Exercise	Description
exercises/ch10-third-decl-parsing/	20-item parsing drill — declension, case, number, gender, and lexical form for 3rd-declension forms

Flashcards¶

File	Description
ch10-vocab-deck.md	Human-readable card list — 14 vocabulary words
ch10-vocab-deck.txt	Anki import file (File → Import)
ch10-vocab-deck-fd.txt	Flashcards Deluxe import file

Notebooks¶

Notebook	What it shows
GNT Noun Morphology	Case/gender distribution across all three declensions

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition

1. Introduction to the Third Declension¶

The third declension covers nouns whose stems end in a consonant (or in -ι or -υ for i-stems and u-stems). Third-declension nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. The key challenge is that third-declension nouns have irregular-looking nominative singular forms; the genitive singular reveals the true stem.

Rule for finding the stem: Take the genitive singular form and remove the ending -ος. What remains is the stem to which all other endings attach.

Example: σάρξ, σαρκός → stem = σαρκ-

2. Third-Declension Endings¶

Masculine / Feminine (non-neuter) Endings¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	varies (see paradigms)	-ες
Genitive	-ος	-ων
Dative	-ι	-σι(ν)
Accusative	-α	-ας
Vocative	varies	-ες

Neuter Endings¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	varies	-α
Genitive	-ος	-ων
Dative	-ι	-σι(ν)
Accusative	= Nom.	-α
Vocative	= Nom.	-α

Note: The neuter rule holds: nominative, accusative, and vocative are always identical within a number. The genitive and dative are the same for masculine/feminine and neuter in the 3rd declension.

3. Consonant Stem Types¶

The nominative singular of 3rd-declension nouns changes depending on how the stem-final consonant interacts with the nominative -ς ending:

Stem Type	Stem ends in	+ Nom -ς	Example
Labial	π, β, φ	π/β/φ + ς → ψ	—
Velar	κ, γ, χ	κ/γ/χ + ς → ξ	σάρξ (σαρκ- + ς → σάρξ)
Dental	τ, δ, θ	dental + ς → dental dropped	χάρις (χαριτ- + ς, τ dropped)
Liquid	λ, ρ	no change	αἰών, αἰῶν-
Nasal	ν	ν dropped before ς	—

4. Common 3rd-Declension Paradigms¶

σάρξ, σαρκός (f.) — flesh (velar stem σαρκ-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	σάρξ	σάρκες
Gen	σαρκός	σαρκῶν
Dat	σαρκί	σαρξί(ν)
Acc	σάρκα	σάρκας

αἰών, αἰῶνος (m.) — age, eternity (liquid stem αἰων-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	αἰών	αἰῶνες
Gen	αἰῶνος	αἰώνων
Dat	αἰῶνι	αἰῶσι(ν)
Acc	αἰῶνα	αἰῶνας

χάρις, χάριτος (f.) — grace (dental stem χαριτ-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	χάρις	χάριτες
Gen	χάριτος	χαρίτων
Dat	χάριτι	χάρισι(ν)
Acc	χάριτα	χάριτας

σῶμα, σώματος (n.) — body (dental stem σωματ-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	σῶμα	σώματα
Gen	σώματος	σωμάτων
Dat	σώματι	σώμασι(ν)
Acc	σῶμα	σώματα

πνεῦμα, πνεύματος (n.) — spirit, wind (dental stem πνευματ-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	πνεῦμα	πνεύματα
Gen	πνεύματος	πνευμάτων
Dat	πνεύματι	πνεύμασι(ν)
Acc	πνεῦμα	πνεύματα

ὄνομα, ὀνόματος (n.) — name (dental stem ονοματ-)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	ὄνομα	ὀνόματα
Gen	ὀνόματος	ὀνομάτων
Dat	ὀνόματι	ὀνόμασι(ν)
Acc	ὄνομα	ὀνόματα

Note: The neuter -α nominative/accusative singular looks like a 1st-declension ending but belongs to the 3rd declension. The genitive singular -ατος is the reliable diagnostic for neuter dental-stem nouns (body, spirit, name, etc.).

5. The Definite Article with 3rd-Declension Nouns¶

The definite article follows its own paradigm regardless of the noun's declension. For 3rd-declension nouns, the article is indispensable for identifying case:

Case	Masc./Fem. Sg.	Masc./Fem. Pl.	Neut. Sg.	Neut. Pl.
Nom	ὁ / ἡ	οἱ / αἱ	τό	τά
Gen	τοῦ / τῆς	τῶν	τοῦ	τῶν
Dat	τῷ / τῇ	τοῖς / ταῖς	τῷ	τοῖς
Acc	τόν / τήν	τούς / τάς	τό	τά

6. Third-Declension I-Stem Nouns¶

Some 3rd-declension nouns have stems ending in -ι. The most important is πόλις, πόλεως (f., "city").

πόλις, πόλεως (f.) — city (i-stem)¶

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom	πόλις	πόλεις
Gen	πόλεως	πόλεων
Dat	πόλει	πόλεσι(ν)
Acc	πόλιν	πόλεις

Note: The genitive singular of i-stem nouns is -εως (not -ος). This is one reason i-stem nouns need to be memorized separately. Other common i-stem nouns: δύναμις (power), κρίσις (judgment), πίστις (faith).

7. The Adjective πᾶς (all, every) — 3rd/1st/3rd Declension¶

The adjective πᾶς uses 3rd-declension endings for masculine and neuter and 1st-declension for feminine.

Case	Masc. Sg.	Fem. Sg.	Neut. Sg.	Masc. Pl.	Fem. Pl.	Neut. Pl.
Nom	πᾶς	πᾶσα	πᾶν	πάντες	πᾶσαι	πάντα
Gen	παντός	πάσης	παντός	πάντων	πασῶν	πάντων
Dat	παντί	πάσῃ	παντί	πᾶσι(ν)	πάσαις	πᾶσι(ν)
Acc	πάντα	πᾶσαν	πᾶν	πάντας	πάσας	πάντα

Note: πᾶς in the predicate position means "all" (πᾶς ὁ λαός = "all the people"). In the attributive position it means "the whole" (ὁ πᾶς λαός = "the whole people"). Without an article it means "every" (πᾶς ἄνθρωπος = "every man").

8. Identifying 3rd-Declension Forms — Strategy¶

If the form ends in -ος (no accent circumflex), it is likely genitive singular.
If the form ends in -ι, it is likely dative singular.
If the form ends in -ες, it is likely nominative plural (m/f).
If the form ends in -α (short), it is likely accusative singular (m/f) or nominative/accusative neuter plural.
If the form ends in -σι(ν), it is likely dative plural.
Always check the article for disambiguation.