# 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

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