Explainer / Word studies

θεός

“God” without the article

θεός with no “the”

Why this word

Anarthrous theos (no article). Most grammarians read predicate anarthrous theos as qualitative (Colwell 1933; Harner 1973) — John 1:1c, 1:18 (variant), Rom 9:5 (punctuation), Titus 2:13 and 2 Pet 1:1 (Granville Sharp). The rendering must not assert more than the syntax settles; every approved change here needs a note file. This query returns ONLY article-less nominative/genitive nouns so the list stays reviewable; widen morph_filter if needed.

• John 1:1the Word was God→what God was, the Word was

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and what God was, the Word was.

  Why

  In 1:1b θεόν has the article (πρὸς τὸν θεόν); in 1:1c θεός has none and stands before the verb, a construction that describes what the subject is like. 'What God was, the Word was' (NEB, REB) shows that difference in English.

• John 1:18begotten Son→begotten, being what God is

  No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten, being what God is, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

  Why

  Follows the SBLGNT, μονογενὴς θεός (P66, P75, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus). Many other manuscripts (Alexandrinus, the Byzantine text) read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, 'the only begotten Son'. θεός has no article here, so it is rendered as in 1:1c.

• Romans 9:5flesh, who is over all, God→flesh. God who is over all be

  whose are the fathers, and of whom is Messiah as concerning the flesh. God who is over all be blessed forever. Amen.

  Why

  The Greek manuscripts have no punctuation. This version places a full stop after 'flesh', reading the last line as a blessing of God; the ASV margin gives the same reading.

• 1 Corinthians 8:6unchanged

  yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we to him; and one Lord, Yeshua Messiah, through whom are all things, and we through him.

  Why

  Greek εἷς θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, 'one God, the Father'. The ASV wording is exact; kept.

• Philippians 2:6unchanged

  who, existing in the form of God, did not count being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped,

  Why

  Greek ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ, 'in the form of God'. The ASV wording is exact; kept.

• Titus 2:13unchanged

  looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Yeshua Messiah;

  Why

  θεοῦ here has the article (τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ), so it is not an anarthrous use. ASV wording kept.