Introduction to Indefiniteness in Greek
Greek possesses a rich system for referring to persons, things, and groups that are unspecified, unknown, hypothetical, general, or indefinite. At the center of this system stands the indefinite pronoun τις, τι, meaning “someone” or “something.” Around this core pronoun are related forms and constructions that express ideas such as “whoever,” “anyone,” “everyone,” “no one,” and “each one.”
Understanding these forms is essential for accurate exegesis of the Greek New Testament. Many of the invitations, warnings, promises, and universal statements found in the New Testament depend upon the proper interpretation of indefinite pronouns and related constructions.
The Basic Indefinite Pronoun: τις, τι
The principal indefinite pronoun in Greek is τις (masculine/feminine) and τι (neuter).
Depending upon context, it may mean:
- someone
- a certain person
- anyone
- something
- anything
Unlike a proper noun, the indefinite pronoun leaves the identity of the person or thing unspecified.
Declension of τις, τι
| Case | Masculine/Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative Singular | τις | τι |
| Genitive Singular | τινος | τινος |
| Dative Singular | τινι | τινι |
| Accusative Singular | τινα | τι |
| Nominative Plural | τινες | τινα |
| Genitive Plural | τινων | τινων |
| Dative Plural | τισι(ν) | τισι(ν) |
| Accusative Plural | τινας | τινα |
Note: As with other neuter forms in Greek, the nominative and accusative are identical.
Distinguishing τις from τίς
The indefinite pronoun must be distinguished from the interrogative pronoun.
| Form | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|
| τίς | Who? | Interrogative |
| τί | What? | Interrogative |
| τις | Someone | Indefinite |
| τι | Something | Indefinite |
A single accent mark changes the meaning entirely.
τίς ἐστιν οὗτος;
“Who is this?”
νομικός τις ἀνέστη.
“A certain lawyer stood up.”
Examples of τις in the Greek New Testament
Luke 10:25
Καὶ ἰδοὺ νομικός τις ἀνέστη ἐκπειράζων αὐτόν.
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, testing Him.”
Here τις modifies νομικός and introduces an unnamed individual.
Mark 14:51
Καὶ εἷς τις νεανίσκος ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ.
“And a certain young man followed Him.”
The pronoun leaves the identity of the young man unspecified.
Acts 5:1
Ἀνήρ δέ τις Ἀνανίας ὀνόματι.
“But a certain man named Ananias.”
The narrative first introduces him indefinitely before supplying his name.
Matthew 12:47
Εἶπεν δέ τις αὐτῷ· Ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ σου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί σου ἔξω ἑστήκασιν.
“Then someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside.’”
Here τις functions substantivally as the subject of εἶπεν.
Substantival and Adjectival Uses
Substantival Use
The pronoun functions independently as a noun.
Εἶπεν δέ τις αὐτῷ.
“Someone said to Him.”
Adjectival Use
The pronoun modifies another noun.
ἀνήρ τις
“a certain man”
γυνή τις
“a certain woman”
Indefinite Relative Pronouns: ὅστις, ἥτις, ὅ τι
The indefinite relative pronoun combines the relative pronoun with an indefinite element.
Its common meanings include:
- whoever
- anyone who
- everyone who
- whatever
Luke 14:27
Καὶ ὅστις οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρχεται ὀπίσω μου, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητὴς .
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Here ὅστις is the nominative masculine singular indefinite relative pronoun. Rather than referring to a particular individual, it designates any person who falls within the category described by the clause. The construction expresses a general principle applicable to all potential disciples.
Luke 14:27
Καὶ ὅστις οὐ βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρχεται ὀπίσω μου, οὐ δύναταί εἶναι μου μαθητὴς.
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Relative Pronoun with ἄν or ἐάν
Greek frequently creates indefiniteness by combining a relative pronoun with ἄν or ἐάν.
Matthew 10:14
Καὶ ὃς ἐὰν μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς.
“And whoever shall not receive you.”
The construction broadens the statement beyond a specific individual.
Mark 8:35
Ὅς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν.
“For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it.”
Here ὅς is a relative pronoun. Combined with the particle ἄν, it forms an indefinite relative construction meaning “whoever.” The indefiniteness arises from the combination ὃς ἄν, which generalizes the statement to any person meeting the stated condition.
Conditional Indefiniteness: εἴ τις and ἐάν τις
Conditional clauses often employ indefinite pronouns.
John 7:37
Ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
The invitation is intentionally universal.
Revelation 3:20
ἐάν τις ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου.
“If anyone hears My voice.”
The statement is directed toward any individual without restriction.
Negative Indefiniteness: μή τις
The combination μή τις often appears in warnings and prohibitions.
Matthew 24:4
Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ.
“See that no one deceives you.”
The construction warns against the possibility of an unspecified deceiver.
Negative Indefinite Pronouns: οὐδείς and μηδείς
Greek also possesses dedicated pronouns for “no one” and “nothing.”
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| οὐδείς | no one |
| οὐδέν | nothing |
| μηδείς | no one |
| μηδέν | nothing |
Matthew 6:24
Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν.
“No one can serve two masters.”
1 Corinthians 10:24
Μηδεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητείτω.
“Let no one seek his own.”
Distributive Pronouns: ἕκαστος
Although technically a distributive pronoun rather than an indefinite pronoun, ἕκαστος belongs to the broader system of non-specific reference.
Galatians 6:5
ἕκαστος γὰρ τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάσει.
“For each one shall bear his own burden.”
The focus falls upon individuals within a larger group.
Universal Expressions: πᾶς
Greek frequently uses πᾶς to express universal reference.
John 3:16
πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν.
“Everyone believing in Him.”
The expression encompasses an entire category of persons rather than identifying individuals.
Compound Indefinite Expressions
Greek may combine indefinite pronouns with adjectives.
ἄλλος τις
“someone else”
ἕτερός τις
“another person”
Such combinations occur more frequently in broader Greek literature than in the New Testament, but they illustrate the flexibility of the language’s indefinite system.
Theological Significance of Indefinite Language
The New Testament frequently employs indefinite expressions to emphasize the universality of God’s invitations and warnings. Statements such as Ἐάν τις διψᾷ, Ὅστις γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ, and πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων deliberately transcend ethnic, social, and geographic boundaries. The grammar itself underscores the broad scope of the gospel message.
At the same time, indefinite pronouns allow narratives to introduce unnamed participants whose identities are secondary to the events being described. In this way, grammar serves both theology and storytelling.
The Greek System of Indefiniteness
The study of Greek indefiniteness extends far beyond the simple pronoun τις. The language employs a sophisticated network of forms including τις, ὅστις, οὐδείς, μηδείς, ἕκαστος, and constructions such as ἐάν τις, μή τις, and ὃς ἐὰν. Together they enable Greek writers to express unspecified individuals, universal categories, hypothetical persons, distributive groups, and negative references with remarkable precision.
Mastery of these forms allows the reader to appreciate both the grammatical elegance and the theological depth of the Greek New Testament, where a small pronoun often carries profound interpretive significance.
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