Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί δειλοί ἐστε, ὀλιγόπιστοι; τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησε τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη. (Matthew 8:26)
And he says to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then, having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Declension Analysis Table
| Greek Form | Morphology | Case & Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| αὐτοῖς | 3rd person pronoun, dative masculine plural | Dative of indirect object | Marks the disciples as the addressees: “he says to them.” |
| δειλοί | Adjective, nominative masculine plural | Predicate nominative with ἐστε | “You are cowardly/afraid.” The nominative agrees with the implied subject ὑμεῖς. |
| ὀλιγόπιστοι | Adjective, vocative masculine plural | Direct address | “O you of little faith” — vocative intensifies the rebuke. |
| τοῖς ἀνέμοις | 2nd declension masculine plural with article | Dative plural after verb of rebuke | Indirect object of ἐπετίμησε: “he rebuked the winds.” |
| τῇ θαλάσσῃ | 1st declension feminine dative singular with article | Dative singular after ἐπετίμησε | Paired with the winds: “he rebuked … the sea.” |
| γαλήνη | 1st declension feminine nominative singular | Nominative subject of ἐγένετο | “A calm” — the subject of the resulting state. |
| μεγάλη | Adjective, nominative feminine singular | Predicate adjective agreeing with γαλήνη | Specifies the extent: “a great calm.” |
Nominatives and Vocatives Defining Identity
The nominative δειλοί and vocative ὀλιγόπιστοι sharpen the rebuke. One labels the disciples’ state (“cowardly”), the other calls them out directly (“little-faiths”), combining grammar with piercing pastoral admonition.
Datives as Recipients of Action
The dative plural τοῖς ἀνέμοις and singular τῇ θαλάσσῃ show that even natural forces are grammatically treated as addressees, receiving Jesus’ authoritative rebuke. The earlier dative αὐτοῖς aligns the disciples as hearers of his words.
The Calm as a Nominative Revelation
The nominative subject γαλήνη paired with its predicate adjective μεγάλη narrates the result: not just any calm, but a “great calm.” The grammar underscores the dramatic reversal.
When Grammar Commands Creation
The declensions here are not only grammatical markers; they structure authority and response. The disciples in the dative hear his rebuke, the winds and sea in the dative receive his command, and the nominative γαλήνη μεγάλη testifies to the cosmic result. The storm is quelled by words whose force grammar itself helps articulate.
