[B-Greek] Rev 9:15 - use of definite article

George F. Somsel gfsomsel at juno.com
Sat Jun 12 11:43:34 EDT 2004


Smyth notes that in Homer the article tends to be used as a
demonstrative( _Greek Grammar_ , §§1000-1104) in §§1119-1121 he deals
with the subject of "The Particular Article" in which he states much the
same thing as Aune in his WBC 52a commentary on Revelation.
"The definite article is always used with a word group that consists of
article + substantive. By using the article, the author assumes (rightly
or wrongly) that the reader knows the persons or things indicated by the
substantive.
"A. The article is regularly absent before proper names, including
"?Jesus,?" while ?e??, "?God,?" is regularly arthrous (?cf.?1:1, 9, 11;
2:13, 20; 5:5; 2:14; 7:4; 21:12; 7:5–8; 11:8; 14:1; 15:3; 16:16; 9:14;
Schmid, Studien 2:190–91?).
"B. The article is regularly used with classes of things that the author
can assume are known to any reader. (1) Celestial bodies. The generic
article is regularly used with hHLIOS, SELHNH, GH, QALASSA, OURANOS
(Schmid, Studien 2:192?). (a) hO AHR, "?the air.?" Twice in Revelation,
both occurrences arthrous (?9:2; 16:17). (b) hOI ASTERES, "?the stars?"
(?6:13; 8:12; 12:4). (c) hO ASTHR [hO LAMPROS] hO PRWINOS, "?the [bright]
evening star?" (?2:28; 22:16). An apparent exception is found in 12:1,
STEFANOS ASTERWN DWDEKA, "?a crown of twelve stars,?" which is anarthrous
because it refers to a specific group of twelve stars not known to the
reader. When a particular star is referred to that is not known to the
reader, it is anarthrous in its first occurrence (?8:10; 9:1). Similarly,
a group of seven stars unknown to the reader lacks the definite article
when first mentioned (?1:16). (d) hH GH, "?the earth.?" All but one of
the eighty-two occurrences of the term are arthrous (including all uses
in prepositional phrases)."
Therefore it would appear that the AV is incorrect in translating it with
the indefinite article.  This is a particular month and hour and day
which is assumed to be well-known to the reader. 
gfsomsel
_____________
On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 14:43:27 +0200 d.roe at t-online.de (Roe) writes:
> Dear forum,
> 
> Rev. 9:15
> 
> KAI ELUQHSAN hOI TESSARES hAGGELOI hOI hHTOIMASMENOI EIS THN hWRAN 
> KAI
> hHMERAN KAI MHNA KAI ENIAUTON

> 
> To me, the phrase EIS THN hWRAN KAI hHMERAN KAI MHNA KAI ENIAUTON
> appears to be a case of a definite article modifying multiple
> substantives. As such, the many translations reading "the hour and 
> [the]
> day and month and year" appear correct.
> 
> The KJV is an anomaly with its interpretation of an indirect 
> article:
> "an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year."
> 
> Question:  is there any grammatical support for the KJV reading? 
> 
> Thanks and regards,
> David
> 
> D.W. Roe
> Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
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