ἡμέτερος G2251
Our, ours; first person plural possessive pronoun indicating communal belonging or shared identity.
The emphatic first person plural possessive pronoun, ἡμέτερος adds weight beyond the simple genitive ἡμῶν ('of us'). In Acts 2:11, the crowd marvels at hearing 'our tongues' — the languages of diverse nations — spoken by Galileans, making the pronoun a marker of ethnic and cultural identity. Paul uses it to assert shared heritage: 'our religion' (Acts 26:5), 'written for our instruction' (Rom 15:4). The word appears in contexts where communal ownership or shared stake is emphasized, whether of faith, language, or scriptural inheritance. French notre and Spanish nuestro reflect the same inclusive first-person plural force.
Senses
1. our, ours (first person plural possessive) — First person plural possessive pronoun meaning 'our' or 'ours,' emphasizing shared belonging or communal identity. It is more emphatic than the simple genitive ἡμῶν. At Pentecost the crowd exclaims 'we hear them in our own tongues' (Acts 2:11), where ἡμετέραις underscores the personal connection each group feels to its native language. Paul uses it to claim shared religious heritage in 'our religion' (Acts 26:5) and to assert that Scripture was 'written for our instruction' (Rom 15:4). In 2 Tim 4:15, 'our words' denotes the apostolic message that Timothy must defend. The pronoun consistently marks what a community holds in common. 8×
AR["-الخاصَّتُنا","-تَعْلِيمِ-نَا","-نا","-نَا","لَنا","نَا"]·ben["আমাদের"]·DE["uns","unser","wir","ἡμέτερον","ἡμετέραις","ἡμετέρας"]·EN["our","ours"]·FR["de-nous","notre","nous","à-nous"]·heb["שֶׁלָּנוּ"]·HI["हमअरे","हमअरे,","हमारी","हमारे"]·ID["kami","kita","orang-orang-kita,"]·IT["a-noi","di-noi","noi","nostro","ēmetera","ēmeteroi","ēmeterois","ēmeterōn"]·jav["kawula-sedaya","kita","kita,","kula-sedaya"]·KO["우리-의"]·PT["nossa","nossas","nossos","nossos,"]·RU["написано-было","наше","нашей","нашему","наши","нашим","нашими"]·ES["nuestra","nuestras","nuestros"]·SW["wetu","yetu","zetu"]·TR["bizim","bizimkiler,"]·urd["اپنی","ہماری","ہمارے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἡμέτερος, Doric dialect ἁμέτ-, Aeolic dialect ἀμμέτ-, α, ον, (ἡμεῖς) our, Refs 8th c.BC+; εἰς ἡμέτερον (i.e. δῶμα) Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐφ᾽ ἡμέτερRefs 8th c.BC+.; ἡ ἡ. (i.e. χώρα) Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ ἡ. our case, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ ἡ. φρονεῖν to take our part, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄνδρες ἡ. they are in our power, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ. κέρδη τῶν σοφῶν,= ἡμῶν τῶν σοφῶν, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡμέτερον αὐτῶν…