ἐμαυτοῦ G1683
myself — first-person reflexive pronoun indicating the speaker as both subject and object of action
Emautou is the reflexive pronoun of the first person, appearing only in the oblique cases (genitive, dative, accusative) and never in the nominative. It marks moments of intense personal involvement or self-reference: Jesus says 'I can do nothing of myself' (John 5:30) and 'I bear witness of myself' (John 8:14), while Paul declares 'I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ' (1 Cor 2:2) and 'I made myself servant to all' (1 Cor 9:19). The word creates theological weight precisely because it places the speaker as both agent and object, underscoring voluntary self-limitation, self-revelation, or self-offering. The translations reflect its grammatical function uniformly: Spanish 'mi mismo,' French 'moi,' German 'mich selbst.'
Senses
1. myself (reflexive pronoun) — First-person singular reflexive pronoun functioning in genitive ('of myself'), dative ('to/for myself'), and accusative ('myself') to mark the speaker as simultaneously agent and recipient of the verb's action. Theologically significant in the Johannine Jesus speeches where it underscores voluntary subordination — 'I do nothing of myself' (John 5:30; 8:28) — and in Paul's rhetorical self-presentations: 'I buffet my body' (1 Cor 9:27), 'I became all things to all' (1 Cor 9:22). The idiomatic en emauto ('in myself') appears in John 5:26 for the Father's self-existent life given to the Son. 37×
AR["ذَاتِي", "نَفسي", "نَفْسي", "نَفْسِي"]·ben["আমার-নিজেকে", "আমার-নিজের", "আমি-নিজেকে", "নিজেকে", "নিজেকে,", "নিজের"]·DE["meiner", "mich", "mich-selbst"]·EN["myself"]·FR["de-moi", "moi"]·heb["אֶת-עַצְמִי", "אֶת־עַצְמִי", "עַצְמִי"]·HI["अपनी", "अपनी-ओर-से", "अपने,", "अपने-आप", "अपने-आप-को", "अपने-आप।", "अपनेआपको", "अपनेबारेमें", "स्वयं-के"]·ID["diri-Ku", "diri-Ku-sendiri", "diri-Ku-sendiri,", "diri-ku-sendiri", "diriku", "diriku-sendiri"]·IT["di-me", "me"]·jav["Kawula-piyambak", "Kawula-piyambak,", "Kawula-piyambak.", "Kula-piyambak", "Kula-piyambak,", "Kula-piyambak.", "kawula-piyambak", "kula-piyambak"]·KO["나-스스로", "나-자신", "나-자신-을", "나-자신도", "나-자신에-대하여", "나-자신에게", "나-자신에게서", "나-자신을", "나-자신의"]·PT["a-mim-mesmo", "de-mim-mesmo", "mim-mesmo"]·RU["Себе", "Себе,", "Себя", "Себя,", "Себя-Самого.", "самого-себя", "себе", "себя"]·ES["-a-mí-mismo", "-mí-mismo", "a-mí-mismo", "mí-mismo"]·SW["mimi-mwenyewe", "mimi-mwenyewe,", "mwenyewe", "nafsi-yangu"]·TR["kendiliğimden", "kendim", "kendimden", "kendimi", "kendimin"]·urd["-ال", "اپنے", "اپنے آپ", "اپنے آپ کو", "اپنے-آپ", "اپنے-آپ-کو", "کچھ"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐμαυτοῦ, ἐμαυτῆς, reflexive pronoun of first person, of me, of myself: only genitive, dative, and accusative singular, both masculine and feminine: not found in early Epic dialect; Aeolic dialect ἔμ᾽ αὔτῳ, ἔμ᾽ αὔτᾳ, Refs 7th c.BC+; ἐμαυτόν is uncertain in Refs 6th c.BC+; Ionic dialect ἐμεωυτοῦ Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐμᾱτοῦ, ἐμᾱτόν, Refs 1st c.BC+; ἐν ἐμαυτῷ συννοεῖσθαι in or with oneself, Refs 5th c.BC+; but ἐν ἐμαυτοῦ (i.e. οἴκῳ) εἶναι, metaphorically, to be master of oneself, Refs 5th c.BC+