[b-greek] RE: Rev 22:1-2

From: Harold R. Holmyard III (hholmyard@ont.com)
Date: Thu Jan 18 2001 - 23:20:53 EST


Dear Moon,

>You seem to assume that the traditional verse division is correct here.
>But ASV and NET (net bible) take EN MESWi THS PLATEIAS AUTHS to belong
>to 22.1. Both translations take KAI TOU POTAMOU ENTEUQEN KAI EKEIQEN
>to mean "On either side of the river".

That is what I assumed. I did not remember that there was another verse
division, if I knew. The KAI followed by genitive TOU POTAMOU in 22:2
suggests a linking with THS PLATEIAS, but that is not necessary, I guess.
The idea of a river running down the middle of a street in verse 1, as the
ASV verse division suggests, does not seem highly likely. Nor does the idea
of one tree of life being on either side of a river. I gather that there
was only one tree of life in Eden. Perhaps there is a forest here, but I do
not know that CULON ZWHS can refer to a type of tree, or that CULON can be
generic as opposed to indicating a single "tree." I have not studied the
matter.

In fact, I have not studied this issue in commentaries; so I am just giving
impressions.

>The problems of ASV and NET.
>
>(1) TOU POTAMOU is taken to modify adverbs ENTEUQEN (from-here)
>and EKEIQEN (from-there). Is it grammatical?

I'll pass on this question. The whole reading with the ASV division seems
pretty unusual.

>(2) The translation "on either side of the river" must have taken
> "from-here and from-there of the river" to mean "here and
> there of the river". Basically it ignores QEN in both phrases.
> But on what ground?

If there were an idiom, it might be that the "from" would not be ignored.

>The problems of the traditional verse division.

>(1) What kind of place does "in the midst of the city's street
>and of the river" ["between the city's street and the river"]
> refer to? Suppose there are a street and a river near the street.
> There seems no reasons for the tree of life to be in the space
> between the street and the river.

Again I am guessing, but many ancient cities had one main street. Also,
ancient cities were often near rivers or seas. So it might be natural to
think of something being between the main street and the river of a city.

>(2) How would this approach handle ENTEUQEN KAI EKEIQEN?

My thinking was that the translation was something like:

"In the area between the street and the river on one side and the other was
the tree of life producing twelve fruits . . . ."

BAGD discusses MESOS in such a way as to suggest that "the area between"
could be a meaning of the word. If one said "in the middle of the street
and the river on one side and the other," the idea would seem to be the
same. ANA MESON can mean "between." LSJ says that MESOS can refer to the
"middle point." LSJ also says that with the genitive MESOS can mean "midway
between."

"Midway between the street and the river on one side and the other was the
tree . . . ."

LSJ also mentions the meaning "intervening space," which occurs mostly with
prepositions.

"In the intervening space of the street and the river on one side and the
other. . . ."

In fact, LSJ gives "between" as a meaning for EV MESWi, yielding:

"Between the street and the river on one side and the other was the tree .
. . ."

                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard
                                Dallas, TX



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