New Testament Greek

ὅτε γὰρ δοῦλοι ἦτε τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. (Romans 6:20)

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with respect to righteousness.

The Paradox Framed by Declension

In Romans 6:20, Paul constructs a stark paradox using precise noun cases: being a slave of one power means being free from another. This theological contrast—sin versus righteousness—is not merely stated; it’s declined. The article-noun pairings and dative constructions expose a mutual exclusivity that can only be communicated through inflection.

Verse Breakdown: Form, Case, and Theological Function Greek Word Morphology Case & Syntactic Role Notes δοῦλοι 2nd declension masculine nominative plural noun Subject of ἦτε “Slaves” — the foundational metaphor for human condition under sin ἦτε (1st instance) 2nd person plural imperfect indicative of εἰμί Linking verb “You were” — establishes past state of being τῆς ἁμαρτίας 1st declension feminine genitive singular noun with article Genitive of possession “Of sin” — what owned them as slaves ἐλεύθεροι 1st/2nd declension adjective, nominative plural masculine Predicate nominative with 2nd ἦτε “Free” — ironic, because it means they were not righteous τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ 1st declension feminine dative singular noun with article Dative of respect (“with regard to”) “In relation to righteousness” — not in service of it Grammatical Mirror: Two Spheres, Two Cases

Paul’s point is symmetrical:

– Nominative δοῦλοι – what you were in relation to sin.… Learn Koine Greek