In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

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Bill Ross
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Joined: August 12th, 2012, 6:26 pm

In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

Post by Bill Ross »

[Rev 20:2-7 MGNT] (2) καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος ὅς ἐστιν Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη (3) καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἔκλεισεν καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν μικρὸν χρόνον (4) καὶ εἶδον θρόνους καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς καὶ κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πεπελεκισμένων διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἵτινες οὐ προσεκύνησαν τὸ θηρίον οὐδὲ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβον τὸ χάραγμα ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτῶν καὶ ἔζησαν καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χίλια ἔτη (5) οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔζησαν ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη (6) μακάριος καὶ ἅγιος ὁ ἔχων μέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ἀλλ᾽ ἔσονται ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὰ χίλια ἔτη (7) καὶ ὅταν τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη λυθήσεται ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ
It is always translated "a thousand years" so I presume that is correct, but why? How would one actually say "thousands of years" in Koine?

Here's a typical English translation:
[Rev 20:2-7 NASB] (2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; (3) and he threw him into the abyss, and shut [it] and sealed [it] over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (4) Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I [saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (7) When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
What I lack in youth I make up for in immaturity.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Bill Ross wrote: September 19th, 2020, 5:41 am
[Rev 20:2-7 MGNT] (2) καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος ὅς ἐστιν Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη (3) καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἔκλεισεν καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν μικρὸν χρόνον (4) καὶ εἶδον θρόνους καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς καὶ κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πεπελεκισμένων διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἵτινες οὐ προσεκύνησαν τὸ θηρίον οὐδὲ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβον τὸ χάραγμα ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτῶν καὶ ἔζησαν καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χίλια ἔτη (5) οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔζησαν ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη (6) μακάριος καὶ ἅγιος ὁ ἔχων μέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν ἀλλ᾽ ἔσονται ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὰ χίλια ἔτη (7) καὶ ὅταν τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη λυθήσεται ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ
It is always translated "a thousand years" so I presume that is correct, but why? How would one actually say "thousands of years" in Koine?
It's because χίλια is an adjective which means "a thousand" of whatever it is qualifying:
χίλιοι, αι, α(Hom.+; ins, pap, LXX, Philo; Jos., Bell. 1, 317; Ant; Jos., Bell. 1, 317, Ant. 11, 15, Vi. 95 al.; TestJob 32:3; TestJud 4:1; 9:8; Just.; loanw. in rabb.) a thousand...
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 1085). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

To say "thousands of years," probably the noun χίλιας in the plural, χιλίαδες ἔτων or ἔτη:
χιλιάς, άδος, ἡ (χίλιοι; Aeschyl., Hdt.+; LXX; TestSol 26:9 H; TestAbr, TestJob, JosAs; GrBar 4:10) a group of a thousand, a thousand pl. (En 10:17, 19; Jos., Ant. 6, 193) Lk 14:31ab; Ac 4:4; 1 Cor 10:8; Rv 7:4–8; 11:13; 14:1, 3; 21:16; 1 Cl 43:5. χίλιαι χιλιάδες 34:6 (Da 7:10). χιλιάδες χιλιάδων thousands upon thousands Rv 5:11 (χιλιάδων also a loanw. in rabb.). In Rv the noun denoting what is counted may stand in the same case as χιλ. (so Theophanes Conf., Chron. 482, 14 deBoor λ´ χιλιάδες νομίσματα; 7, 17 πολλὰς μυριάδας μάρτυρας) instead of the gen. 7:4, 8c; 11:13; cp. ἐπὶ σταδίων δώδεκα χιλιάδων 21:16 (ἐπὶ σταδίους δώδεκα χιλιάδων v.l.). The millennium χιλιάδα τινὰ … ἐτῶν ἔσεσθαι Papias (2:12).—DELG s.v. χίλιοι. M-M. TW.
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp. 1084–1085). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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.
Bill Ross
Posts: 244
Joined: August 12th, 2012, 6:26 pm

Re: In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

Post by Bill Ross »

A thousand thanks, Jeffrey.
What I lack in youth I make up for in immaturity.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Bill Ross wrote: September 19th, 2020, 7:45 am A thousand thanks, Jeffrey.
Who is Jeffrey?
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.
Bill Ross
Posts: 244
Joined: August 12th, 2012, 6:26 pm

Re: In Revelation 20:2-7 is χίλια ἔτη "a thousand" or "thousands"?

Post by Bill Ross »

Sorry Barry, that's just my dysnomia at work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomic_aphasia
What I lack in youth I make up for in immaturity.
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