4675. sou
Lexical Summary
sou: your, of you

Original Word: σοῦ
Part of Speech: Pronoun
Transliteration: sou
Pronunciation: soo
Phonetic Spelling: (soo)
KJV: X home, thee, thine (own), thou, thy
Word Origin: [genitive case of G4771 (σύ - yourselves)]

1. of thee, thy

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
you

Genitive case of su; of thee, thy -- X home, thee, thine (own), thou, thy.

see GREEK su

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
gen. of su, q.v.

Topical Lexicon
Foundational Concept

Strong’s 4675 is the singular possessive or relational pronoun that conveys personal ownership, accountability, and intimacy. Scripture employs it hundreds of times, embedding the idea that every individual stands in direct relationship to the Lord and to others.

Personalized Covenant Relationship

From the promise to Abraham—“I will bless those who bless you” (Genesis 12:3)—to the promise of the Spirit—“I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3)—the pronoun links divine initiative with personal reception. In the New Testament, the continuity of that covenant note is heard in Luke 1:13, “Your prayer has been heard,” reminding believers that God’s redemptive plan is addressed to specific persons, not an impersonal mass.

Prayer and Worship Language

Jesus teaches His disciples to address the Father directly: “Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done” (Matthew 6:9-10). Every petition in the Lord’s Prayer underscores relational closeness—God’s name, kingdom, and will are placed in immediate proximity to the worshiper’s lips, emphasizing reverence without distance. Old-church liturgies preserve the same intimacy with lines such as “δι᾽ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν· ὅτι σοῦ ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία,” echoing the Greek pronoun in doxology.

Teachings and Parables of Jesus

When Jesus answers the lawyer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Matthew 22:37), the singular “your” rules out a merely national or ancestral loyalty; devotion must rise from each heart. Likewise the foolish rich man is warned, “This very night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20), driving home personal responsibility in stewardship.

Faith and Healing

Miracle narratives repeatedly join the pronoun to “faith.” “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34) and “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:42) stress that saving faith is individually exercised. The same pattern appears in forgiveness: “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). In pastoral care, these texts affirm that Christ’s grace meets each believer at a unique point of need.

Moral Responsibility and Discipleship

Scripture attaches the pronoun to the believer’s body, conduct, and possessions. Paul’s admonition, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19), grounds ethical living in personal consecration. Jesus demands sacrificial allegiance: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The singular “your cross” presses the call of discipleship onto every follower.

Christological Address

The Father addresses the Son in Psalm 110:1, quoted in Hebrews 1:13, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet,” affirming messianic authority. Conversely, believers address Jesus as personal Lord: Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). The reciprocal use of the pronoun across Father–Son and disciple–Lord interactions illustrates Trinitarian communion and believer participation in it.

Contrast with Plural Pronoun

Greek distinctly separates singular “your” from plural “your” (ὑμῶν). Where plural forms appear, collective identity is stressed; where Strong’s 4675 appears, the spotlight falls on the individual. For instance, Luke 22:32, “I have prayed for you, Simon,” singles out Peter from the group (“all of you” in verse 31), showing that divine intercession is both corporate and personal.

Septuagint Links and Continuity

The Septuagint mirrors Hebrew possessive endings with σοῦ, preserving covenant phrases such as “The Lord is your keeper” (Psalm 121:5) and “The Lord is your praise” (Deuteronomy 10:21). New Testament writers, steeped in the LXX, naturally carry that cadence forward, reinforcing scriptural unity.

Patristic and Liturgical Usage

Early Church Fathers mined pronoun nuance for doctrinal clarity. Athanasius insisted that salvation is secured because the Incarnate Word offered “His own” body, a phrase anchored in the possessive. Byzantine liturgy repeatedly intones, “τοῖς ἁγίοις σοῦ μαθηταῖς” (“to Your holy disciples”), keeping the intimacy of address alive in worship.

Ministerial and Pastoral Implications

1. Personal Evangelism: The gospel call presses on “your heart” (Acts 8:22), affirming each listener’s need for repentance and faith.
2. Counseling and Identity: Verses like 1 Corinthians 6:19 underpin teaching on bodily stewardship, purity, and self-worth in Christ.
3. Worship Leading: Prayers that echo biblical diction—“Your kingdom, Your power, Your glory”—align congregational speech with inspired patterns.

Summary

Strong’s 4675 anchors biblical theology in the sphere of the individual. Whether conveying divine ownership, personal faith, moral obligation, or covenant promise, the pronoun underscores that no one relates to God by proxy. Each “your” in Scripture confronts hearers with the immediacy of the Lord’s voice and invites a direct, obedient response.

Forms and Transliterations
σου σοῦ sou soû
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
4674
Top of Page
Top of Page