[B-Greek] Revelation 4:11
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Nov 17 22:40:29 EST 2009
On Nov 17, 2009, at 12:38 PM, E Hatch wrote:
> Re 4:11 “11 axiov ei o kuriov kai o yeov hmwn o agiov labein thn
> doxan kai thn timhn kai thn dunamin oti su ektisav ta panta kai dia
> to yelhma sou eisin kai ektisyhsan”
>
> I am struggling with a concept in this verse, namely, how can God
> "receive" power? I can understand that God receives "glory" and
> "honor", but I have always thought that "power" was something
> inherent in God's nature.
>
> So now the Greek. What are the possibilities for "labein"? Can it
> mean "receive" for the first two parts of the phrase and "have" for
> their third? Or am I forced to accept that this is highly symbolic
> and the author used a bit of imprecision when he wrote,
> "received...power"?
>
The text:
.
Rev. 4:11 ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς
ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν
τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ
ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά
σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.
.
REV. 4:11 AXIOS EI, hO KURIOS KAI hO QEOS hHMWN, LABEIN THN DOXAN KAI
THN TIMHN KAI THN DUNAMIN, hOTI SU EKTISAS TA PANTA KAI DIA TO QELHMA
SOU HSAN KAI EKTISQHSAN.
.
First of all you need to read the text in accordance with the genre, a
hymn embedded within an Apocalyptic work of great literary stature, a
work of art which has inspired many other works of art, even if the
language irritates grammarians. The comment "... author used a bit of
imprecision" shows evidence of a lack of both appreciation and
understanding about what sort of literature you are reading.
.
I take it you want to know how the word LABEIN construes with THN
DUNAMIN which can be approached as a question about language. I would
suggest the this is compressed statement which assumes the reader
auditor will be able to infer the more or less obvious implication.
R.H.Charles cites 1CHR. 16:27-28 as an example
.
28 DOTE TWi KURIWi PATRIAI TWN EQNWN
.
DOTE TWi KURIWi DOXAN KAI ISCUN
The second line above is complement of
LABEIN THN DOXAN KAI ... THN DUNAMIN
.
1Chr. 16:25 ὅτι μέγας κύριος καὶ αἰνετὸς
σφόδρα φοβερός ἐστιν ἐπὶ πάντας
τοὺς θεούς 26 ὅτι πάντες οἱ θεοὶ τῶν
ἐθνῶν εἴδωλα καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν
οὐρανὸν ἐποίησεν 27 δόξα καὶ
ἔπαινος κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἰσχὺς
καὶ καύχημα ἐν τόπῳ αὐτοῦ 28 δότε
τῷ κυρίῳ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν δότε τῷ
κυρίῳ δόξαν καὶ ἰσχύν
1CHR. 16:25 hOTI MEGAS KURIOS KAI AINETOS SFODRA FOBEROS ESTIN EPI
PANTAS TOUS QEOUS 26 hOTI PANTES hOI QEOI TWN EQNWN EIDWLA KAI hO QEOS
hHMWN OURANON EPOIHSEN 27 DOXA KAI EPAINOS KATA PROSWPON AUTOU ISCUS
KAI KAUCHMA EN TOPWi AUTOU 28 DOTE TWi KURIWi PATRIAI TWN EQNWN DOTE
TWi KURIWi DOXAN KAI ISCUN
.
Elizabeth Kline
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