Granville Sharp Rules Number Seven and Eight, concerning the PLURAL CONSTRUCTIONS:

Added to Granville Sharp's Rules Number 1 - 6, by Bob Jones, www.BibleFood.com, July 28th, 2003

Granville Sharp Rule Number Seven:

When a Bible commentator or teacher states that they believe two PLURAL nouns in a New Testament passage, that are expressed exactly agreeable to Granville Sharp's Rule Number One, both refer to the same people, and that the second noun is a further description of the first noun, we cannot cite Granville Sharp's Rule Number One, or what Granville Sharp said about his Rule Number One, to state that the commentator or teacher is wrong, or that they are misapplying Sharp's First Rule, or that they are abusing Sharp's First Rule. Granville Sharp's Rule Number One always applies to the singular constructions and there ARE instances when Sharp's First Rule applies to the plural constructions.

Granville Sharp's Rule Number One, quoted from page 8 of his Book:

"When the copulative "kai" connects two nouns of the same case [viz. nouns (either substantive or adjective, or participles) of personal description respecting office, dignity, affinity, or connection, and attributes, properties or qualities, good or ill,] if the article "ho" or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle: i.e. it denotes a farther description of the first-named person;"

Sharp's statement, concerning his Rule Number One, quoted from page 13 of his Book: "There is no exception or instance of the like mode of expression, that I know of, which necessarily requires a construction different from what is here laid down, EXCEPT the nouns be proper names, or plural in the number; in which cases there are many exceptions; though there are not wanting examples, even of plural nouns, which are expressed exactly agreeable to this rule ."

Granville Sharp Rule Number Eight:

When we quote Granville Sharp's Rules, we should not only quote the complete rule in question, but all of what Sharp said in his book about that rule.

Rules number 7 and 8 authored by Bob Jones

www.BibleFood.com

E-Mail comments to: bobjones at biblefood dot com