ἐμαυτοῦ
emautoû
G1683 reflexive pronoun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Genitive singular form of the reflexive pronoun referring to the speaker or writer, 'of myself.' Functions to indicate possession, attribution, association, or relation pertaining to the first-person subject, often in contrast to others. Semantic range includes simple reflexive reference ('of myself'), emphatic possessive ('my own'), or referring to one's own person or property. Other oblique forms (dative ἐμαυτῷ, accusative ἐμαυτόν) serve as reflexive pronouns in corresponding syntactic roles.
Semantic Range
of myself, my own, belonging to myself, from myself, by myself, with myself
Root / Etymology
Compound pronoun formed from the possessive pronoun ἐμός ('my') and the reflexive/enclitic pronoun αὐτός ('self'), yielding an emphatically reflexive sense. Reflects the pattern of constructing first-person reflexive pronouns in Greek by combining a possessive or personal pronominal base with the reflexive component αὐτός.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The reflexive pronoun ἐμαυτοῦ is found in Koine Greek to unambiguously refer back to the subject when the speaker is also the object or possessor, particularly in contexts requiring clarity or emphasis. Attested from classical Greek onward, standard as the first-person singular reflexive form in genitive case, alongside dative (ἐμαυτῷ) and accusative (ἐμαυτόν). In the New Testament and Septuagint, used to stress personal agency or possession ('by myself,' 'of myself'), often where English uses 'myself' or 'of my own.' Standard English translations may render this pronoun as 'myself,' 'my own,' or 'of myself,' though Greek uses the reflexive for greater precision and emphasis than some English equivalents. Contrasts with the simple possessive ἐμός, which lacks reflexive emphasis. The second- and third-person reflexive pronouns (σεαυτοῦ, ἑαυτοῦ) form a parallel pattern.
Translation Consistency
ἐμαυτοῦ is a reflexive pronoun meaning ‘of myself’/‘my own’ (possession, association, emphatic reference). "myself" is the natural, idiomatic English reflexive form that covers the SILEX range (of myself, my own, by myself, etc.), and it is the overwhelmingly common rendering in the attested occurrences (35/37). Using "myself" ensures consistent, natural translation across all forms of this lemma.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
genitive case compound of ἐμοῦ and αὐτός; of myself so likewise the dative case , and accusative case :--me, mine own (self), myself.
Root Family
ἐμαυτοῦ (emautou) — self, my own, of self
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1683-02 |
ἐμαυτὸν | emauton | PRO.X 1P ACC M SG |
myself | myself | myself | 18 |
G1683-03 |
ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself | 14 |
G1683-01 |
ἐμαυτῷ | emauto | PRO.X 1P DAT M SG |
for myself | to myself | to myself | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
37 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1683-02 |
Matthew 8:9 | ἐμαυτὸν | emauton | PRO.X 1P ACC M SG |
me | myself | myself |
G1683-02 |
Luke 7:7 | ἐμαυτὸν | emauton | PRO.X 1P ACC M SG |
myself | myself | myself |
G1683-02 |
Luke 7:8 | ἐμαυτὸν | emauton | PRO.X 1P ACC M SG |
me | myself | myself |
G1683-03 |
John 5:30 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 5:31 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 7:17 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
Myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 7:28 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 8:14 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 8:18 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |
G1683-03 |
John 8:28 | ἐμαυτοῦ | emautou | PRO.X 1P GEN M SG |
myself | of myself | of myself |