[B-Greek] Syntax of Rev 21:3e

Steve Runge srunge at logos.com
Mon Mar 14 16:23:11 EDT 2011


Hi Stephen,

In the Lexham Discourse GNT project, I analyzed the NA text, so I had to address the bracketed information. In characteristic fashion, John adds very little new information in these clauses. The result is that there is a lot of established information is reiterated in each successive clause of v. 3. I'd argue the repetition is thematically motivated to drive home a point.

If you were to include the bracketed text, I'd call it a right-dislocation, which is an appositive at the end of the clause that typically adds thematically salient information about some entity previously referred to in the clause.  Since in this case the bracketed info is already well established (we are not wondering which "god" he is referring to), then there are two likely thematic functions for "their God." 

The first would be to affirm God's role as "their God:" "And God himself will live with them, their God." This would suggest a comparison to other gods of other peoples. What other people has experienced such a thing with their god? Who else would do such a thing?

The other possibility would be that the bracketed text is intended to reaffirm God's identity. This would be major overkill based on AUTOS earlier in the clause, but seems fit best in the context based on the preceding clauses. Since the intensive "himself" has already been used, you'd likely need to use a different English strategy like "even their God." It would be important to maintain the separate full reference at the end of the clause, since we are used to thematic information being placed there in English.

Look at the development of thought in each of the clauses in v. 3:
3b. The dwelling place of God [will be] with men;
3c. and He will reside with them (nicely balanced cola, narrowing the focus from "his residence" to "God")
3d. and they will be his people (perhaps expecting a balanced colon of "and he will be their God")
3e. and God himself, it is with THEM he will be--their God!

This is one of those troublesome and all-too-frequent places where I have a sense of what is going on in the text, but English words fail to capture it all in one tidy colon. It needs some waving of arms I think, but hopefully this will advance the discussion.

Regards,

Steve

Steven E. Runge, DLitt
Scholar-in-Residence
Logos Bible Software
srunge at logos.com
www.logos.com
www.ntdiscourse.org




-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Stephen Carlson
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 12:40 PM
To: Biblical Greek Mailing List
Subject: [B-Greek] Syntax of Rev 21:3e

I'll be going over Rev 21:1-7 in my Greek class on Thursday, and I've
found a syntactically confusing passage I'd appreciate your thoughts
on.  The sentence is the fifth clause of Rev 21:3, which reads as
follows:

καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἔσται [αὐτῶν θεός],

KAI AUTOS hO QEOS MET' AUTWN ESTAI [AUTWN QEOS].

If we delete the bracketed portion, as do many manuscripts, the clause
seems fairly straight-forward: "and God himself will be with them."

With the bracketed portion, the syntax confuses me.  Many translations
add an "and": "and be their God," but I think this is cheating.  Other
possibilities are to take the bracketed portion as an appositive: "and
God himself will be with them, their God."

The commentaries I have consulted have not been too helpful.  Charles
(ICC) discussed various textual variants only to obelize the entire
clause (i.e., to mark it as corrupt).

What say the denizens of B-Greek?

Stephen
--
Stephen C. Carlson
Graduate Program in Religion
Duke University
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