Revelation 21:5

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Jacob Rhoden
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Revelation 21:5

Post by Jacob Rhoden »

Lately I am getting just a tiny bit more comfortable reading in Greek without reference to the English at all. Sometimes this leads to some odd misunderstandings of the Greek. :D
Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ, Ἰδοὺ καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα καὶ λέγει, Γράψον, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί εἰσιν.
My first reading of this text, (due to not having my glasses on), saw this comma as a full stop (Γράψον. ὅτι ...) which provides the meaning:
And he said “Write”, because these words are faithful and true.
Which seemed quite odd. So I checked, and of course all translations extend the quote:
And he said “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
I.e. the in the first instance the value judgement is by the author, as opposed to the second where the value judgement comes from God.

So, this morning, with my glasses on, I realize it’s a comma, not a full stop, but even so I am left with the question: have I made a grammatical mistake with how ”Γράψον, ὅτι ...” works, or is it actually a theoretically possible reading?
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Revelation 21:5

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

I think it would be unlikely even for the writer of Revelation to have an unattached subordinate clause.

BTW, these kinds of things happen all the time, and are often a sign that one's Greek is improving.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
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