μοῦ
moû
G3450
SILEX Entry
Definition
The first person singular possessive genitive pronoun; denotes belonging to or association with the speaker ('of me', 'my', 'mine'). Used to indicate possession, relation, or originating source in a straightforward, unemphatic manner. Distinguished from the more emphatic ἐμοῦ, μοῦ is typically found in enclitic/unstressed positions or after prepositions, particularly in the later stages of Greek.
Semantic Range
of me (possessive), my (as attributive to nouns), mine (predicate), from me (origin/source, especially after prepositions)
Root / Etymology
Uncertain; generally considered a contracted or atonic (enclitic) form of the possessive genitive pronoun ἐμοῦ, itself from the first person singular pronoun ἐγώ through regular pronoun declension.
Historical & Contextual Notes
μοῦ is the enclitic, unemphatic genitive singular form of the first person pronoun, largely restricted to post-classical (Koine) Greek as an alternative to ἐμοῦ. In Classical Greek, ἐμοῦ predominates, especially where emphasis or contrast is needed, while μοῦ appears primarily after prepositions and in fixed expressions. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, especially in the New Testament, μοῦ is common in both narrative and epistolary Greek for indicating simple possession or origin (e.g., τὸ ὄνομά μου, 'my name'). The English translation 'my' or 'of me' generally reflects its meaning but often fails to distinguish the unemphatic flavor of μοῦ from the more emphatic ἐμοῦ, a nuance maintained in Greek but not always in English. The Septuagint frequently employs μοῦ in parallel with ἐμοῦ, typically determined by meter or stylistic factors. The distinction between μοῦ and ἐμοῦ in Koine is often one of context or emphasis rather than strict grammar. Later English translations use 'my' universally for both forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the simpler form of ἐμοῦ; of me:--I, me, mine (own), my.
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.