Introduction
Among the various pronouns of New Testament Greek, reflexive and reciprocal pronouns occupy a special place because they describe relationships involving the subject itself or relationships between members of a group. Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject acts upon itself, while reciprocal pronouns indicate mutual action between two or more participants.
These forms occur throughout the Greek New Testament and often carry significant theological and ethical implications. Commands concerning humility, self-examination, self-denial, mutual love, and mutual service frequently depend upon the proper interpretation of reflexive and reciprocal constructions.
What Is a Reflexive Pronoun?
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the clause. It indicates that the action of the verb returns upon the subject itself.
English examples include:
- myself
- yourself
- himself
- herself
- itself
- ourselves
- yourselves
- themselves
In the sentence “Peter saw himself,” the object and the subject refer to the same person. Greek expresses this relationship through reflexive pronouns.
The Greek Reflexive Pronouns
Greek possesses dedicated reflexive pronouns for all three persons.
| Person | Nominative | Genitive | Dative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Singular | — | ἐμαυτοῦ | ἐμαυτῷ | ἐμαυτόν |
| 2nd Singular | — | σεαυτοῦ | σεαυτῷ | σεαυτόν |
| 3rd Singular | — | ἑαυτοῦ | ἑαυτῷ | ἑαυτόν |
Because reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject, they do not possess nominative forms.
The subject itself already occupies the nominative position.
The Most Common Reflexive Form: ἑαυτοῦ
The third-person reflexive forms are by far the most common in the New Testament.
The stem ἑαυτ- can mean:
- himself
- herself
- itself
- themselves
Context determines the precise translation.
Examples from the Greek Text
Matthew 16:24
Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν.
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself.”
Parsing:
- ἑαυτόν = accusative masculine singular reflexive pronoun
- Object of ἀπαρνησάσθω
- Refers back to the subject implied in the verb
The disciple is commanded to deny himself, not another person.
Reflexive Pronouns and Self-Examination
1 Corinthians 11:28
Δοκιμαζέτω δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτόν.
“But let a man examine himself.”
Parsing:
- ἑαυτόν = accusative masculine singular reflexive pronoun
- Direct object of δοκιμαζέτω
The command directs examination inward rather than outward.
Reflexive Pronouns and Self-Deception
Galatians 6:3
Εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ τις εἶναί τι, μηδὲν ὤν, ἑαυτὸν φρεναπατᾷ.
“For if anyone thinks himself to be something, being nothing, he deceives himself.”
Here ἑαυτόν is the object of the verb φρεναπατᾷ.
The individual becomes both the deceiver and the deceived.
Reflexive Pronouns and Self-Sacrifice
Ephesians 5:25
ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς.
“Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.”
The reflexive pronoun emphasizes Christ’s voluntary self-giving.
Plural Reflexive Pronouns
The New Testament frequently employs plural forms.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ἑαυτούς | themselves |
| ἑαυτῶν | of themselves |
| ἑαυτοῖς | to themselves |
Romans 1:24
τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
“That their bodies should be dishonored among themselves.”
What Is a Reciprocal Pronoun?
A reciprocal pronoun expresses mutual action.
English examples include:
- one another
- each other
Unlike reflexive pronouns, reciprocal pronouns involve multiple participants acting toward one another.
The Greek Reciprocal Pronoun
The classical reciprocal pronoun is:
ἀλλήλων
Its meaning is:
- one another
- each other
Unlike reflexive pronouns, reciprocal pronouns inherently require more than one participant.
Forms of ἀλλήλων
| Case | Form |
|---|---|
| Genitive | ἀλλήλων |
| Dative | ἀλλήλοις |
| Accusative | ἀλλήλους |
Examples of Reciprocal Pronouns from the Majority Text
John 13:34
ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.
“That you love one another.”
The command does not mean “love yourselves.”
It requires mutual love among believers.
Mutual Service
Galatians 5:13
διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις.
“Through love serve one another.”
The dative form ἀλλήλοις expresses reciprocal service within the Christian community.
Mutual Forgiveness
Ephesians 4:32
χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς.
“Forgiving one another.”
Interestingly, some reciprocal ideas are expressed through reflexive forms rather than ἀλλήλων.
This demonstrates that Greek does not always distinguish reflexive and reciprocal concepts as sharply as English does.
Reflexive Versus Reciprocal
| Category | Greek Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Reflexive | ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν | Deny himself |
| Reflexive | δοκιμαζέτω ἑαυτόν | Examine himself |
| Reciprocal | ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους | Love one another |
| Reciprocal | δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις | Serve one another |
Theological Importance
Reflexive pronouns frequently appear in contexts involving repentance, humility, self-denial, self-examination, and self-sacrifice. Reciprocal pronouns frequently appear in contexts involving fellowship, unity, mutual service, mutual encouragement, and love.
Together these pronouns reveal two complementary dimensions of Christian discipleship: proper treatment of oneself before God and proper treatment of others within the body of Christ.
Conclusion
The reflexive pronouns ἐμαυτοῦ, σεαυτοῦ, and ἑαυτοῦ direct actions back toward the subject. The reciprocal pronoun ἀλλήλων expresses mutual action among multiple participants. Although they are relatively small words, they carry significant grammatical, ethical, and theological weight throughout the Greek New Testament.
Mastering these pronouns enables students to distinguish between actions directed toward oneself and actions directed toward one another, a distinction that lies at the heart of many New Testament commands and teachings.
