From: Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Date: Tue Sep 29 1998 - 14:22:31 EDT
On Mon 28 Sep 98 (11:44:31), christianos@juno.com wrote:
> I am teaching an adult Wednesday evening class on Revelation, we are to
> chap 7 at the present. I have question on how one would translate the
> clause in Rev 7:14; "hOUTOI EISIN hOI ERCOMENOI EK..."
>
> My real struggle here is with the participle ;-)
Dear Craig,
ERCOMAI is one of those defective verbs which only exist in certain tenses.
This one only exists in the Present and Imperfect, and then only Middle
and/or Passive Deponent. It borrows ELHLUQA, HLQON, HLQA, ELEUSOMAI,
to supply some of its deficiencies.
hOI ERCOMENOI are "the ones coming/going": 3rd person nominative plural
present middle/passive-deponent participle, the complement of hOUTOI EISIN.
The referent of hOUTOI is hOI PERIBEBLHMENOI TAS STOLAS TAS LEUKAS (v.13),
who in turn refer back to the OCLOS POLUS... EK PANTOS EQNOUS of verse 9.
The English Versions translate ERCOMENOI as a past participle, because that
tense seems natural in context, and poor ERCOMAI can't provide it. 8-(
FWIW the Latin Vulgate has "hi sunt qui *veniunt* de tribulate magna, etc".
In context they are the great multitude of saints "coming EK THS QLIYEWS
THS MEGALHS". This is probably the "KAIROS QLIYEWS, QLIYIS hOIA OU GEGONEN
AF' hOU GEGENHTAI EQNOS EN THi GHi" of Daniel 12:1 LXX. They attribute
their salvation to the "Lamb of God" (verse 10), in whose blood their
"robes" have been washed (verse 14). One thinks of the parable of the
Wedding Garment (Matthew 22:11-12). "The fine linen is the righteousness
of saints" (Revelation 19:8).
But you asked about the participle, not about the theology. Here endeth
the sermon...
ERRWSQE
Ben
-- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm--- B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
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