====== οὗτος / αὕτη /τοῦτο ======
{{tag>greek}}
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Meaning:
* These or this
* This one, this person, this thing
* They or he or she or it
Demonstrative pronoun.
οὗτος usually refers to something close to the speaker — "this" as opposed to ἐκεῖνος ("that").
* οὗτος → "this one right here"
* ἐκεῖνος → "that one over there"
It can refer to:
* What is near physically: οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος — "this man" (john_9:16|John 9:16)
* What was just mentioned: καὶ τοῦτο ἐστίν... — "and this is…" (1_john_5:11|1 John 5:11)
* What is about to be mentioned: τοῦτο λέγω... — "this I say…" (1_corinthians_15:50|1 Corinthians 15:50)
There are a number of idiomatic expressions that involve οὗτος:
* ἐν τούτῳ — "in this / by this" (very common in John’s letters), e.g. ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν… — "By this we know…" (1_john_4:9|1 John 4:9)
* διὰ τοῦτο — "because of this / therefore"
* μετὰ ταῦτα — "after these things", e.g. μετὰ ταῦτα ἦν ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων — "After these things there was a feast of the Jews" (john_5:1|John 5:1)
===== Forms =====
| **Form** | **Gender** | **Case** | **Meaning** |
| οὗτος | Masculine | Nominative Singular | this (man/thing) |
| αὕτη | Feminine | Nominative Singular | this (woman/thing) |
| τοῦτο | Neuter | Nominative/Accusative Singular | this (thing) |
==== Singular Declension ====
| **Case** | **Masculine** | **Feminine** | **Neuter** |
| Nominative Singular | οὗτος | αὕτη | τοῦτο |
| Genitive Singular | τούτου | ταύτης | τούτου |
| Dative Singular | τούτῳ | ταύτῃ | τούτῳ |
| Accusative Singular | τοῦτον | ταύτην | τοῦτο |
==== Plural Declension ====
| **Case** | **Masculine** | **Feminine** | **Neuter** |
| Nominative Plural | οὗτοι | αὗται | ταῦτα |
| Genitive Plural | τούτων | τούτων | τούτων |
| Dative Plural | τούτοις | ταύταις | τούτοις |
| Accusative Plural | τούτους | ταύτας | ταῦτα |
===== Theological Highlights =====
The word οὗτος often appears in Christological declarations:
* οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου — "This is my Son." (matthew_3:17|Matthew 3:17)
* οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός — "This is the Christ." (john_7:26|John 7:26)
* τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου — "This is my body." (luke_22:19|Luke 22:19)
These are some of the most powerful theological uses of the word, introducing divine revelation, identity, and covenantal meaning.