[B-Greek] Revelation 7:4 and Israel
George F Somsel
gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sat Jul 12 13:37:49 EDT 2008
BDAG takes it as a partitive usage
④marker used in periphrasis,from, of
ⓐfor the partitive gen.(B-D-F§164, 1and 2; 169; Rob.599; 1379).
α.after words denoting number εἷς, μία, ἕν [hEIS, MIA hEN] (Hdt.2, 46, 2 ἐκ τούτων εἷς [EK TOUTWN hEIS]; POxy117, 14ff [II/III a.d.] δύο …ἐξ ὧν …ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν [hEIS EC AUTWN]; Tob 12:15BA; Sir 32:1; Jos., Bell. 7, 47; JosAs20:2 ἐκ τῶν παρθένων μία [EK TWN PARQENWN MIA] Just., D. 126, 4) Mt 10:29; 18:12; 22:35; 27:48; Mk 9:17al.; εἷς τις [hEIS TIS] J 11:49; δύο [DUO] Mk 16:12; Lk 24:13; J 1:35; 21:2.πέντε [PENTE] Mt 25:2.πολλοί[POLLOI] (1 Macc 5:26; 9:69) J 6:60,66; 7:31; 11:19,45.οἱ πλείονες[hOI PLEIONES] 1 Cor 15:6.οὐδείς[OUDEIS] (Epict. 1, 29, 37; 1 Macc 5:54; 4 Macc 14:4; Ar.13, 6; Just., D. 16, 2) J 7:19; 16:5.χιλιάδες ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς[XILIADES EK PASAHS FULHS] Rv 7:4.
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (297). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Of course, one does not simply genuflect and assent when BDAD states something, but I would be cautious to go against that judgment.
164. The partitivegenitiveor the genitive of the divided whole, while not yet extinct, is being driven out by the use of the prepositions ἐκ (ἀπό, ἐν); s.A. Wilhelm, WSt61/2 (1943–7) 167–89. (1) The genitive (alone) predominates with τις(except in Jn), is exclusively used with ἕκαστος(but πᾶς ἐξ ὑμῶνLk 14:33), often with εἷς. Ἐκis customarily found with τίς. Other examples of the genitive (alone): Lk 18:11οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, R 15:26τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῶν ἁγίων, H 7:5?; idiomatic τὰ αὐτὰ τῶν παθημάτων1 P 5:9(strictly speaking incorrect). Μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων[XILIADES XILIADWN] Rev 5:11OTis a translation Hebraism (Johannessohni20f.; E. Hofmann, Ausdrucksverstärkung50–2). As predicate: 1 T 1:20ὧν ἐστιν Ὑμέναιος [MURIADES MURIADWN KAI XILIADES XILIADWN], A 23:6, with
ἐκ[EK] Lk 22:58, Jn 18:17, 1 C 12:15, 16, (2 Clem14.1, 18.1,) with ἀπό[APO] Homil Clem 15.3. This ἐκ[EK] is hardly classical, although μόνος ἐξ ἁπάντων[MONOS EC hAPANTWN] and the like appear (μόνος[MONOS] always by itself in NT); ἀπό[APO] is even less classical (pap.s.Kuhring20; Rossberg22; Mayserii2, 348f.; LXXs.Johannessohni17; MGr): Mt 27:21τίνα ἀπὸ τῶν δύο[TINA APO TWN DUO] (τίνα[TINA] alone sys) = Attic πότερον τούτοιν [POTERON TOUTOIN]! There are, however, [Page 91] classical models for ἐν: τις (τινες) [EN: TIS (TINES)] ἐν ὑμῖν[EN hUMIN] 1 C 15:12, Ja 5:13, 14, 19, τις ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ[TIS EN TWi SUNEDRIWi] A 5:34(ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου[EK TOU SUNEDRIOU] D); but the local significance ‘in, among’ is still clearly perceptible in most instances. Cf. ἐκ[EK] and ἀπό[APO] instead of the partitivegenitive with verbs §169. (2)
The partitivegenitive or its equivalent is also used as subject or object: Jn 16:17εἶπον ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν[EIPON EK TWN MAQHTWN] (‘some of his disciples’), Lk 21:16θανατώσουσιν ἐξ ὑμῶν[QANATWSOUSIN EC hUMWN] (scil.τινας [TINAS]). Such expressions are quite rare in classical (K.–G.i345f.; Schwyzerii102; Nachmanson, Beiträge34.1; Mlt.72f.[112]; Mayserii2, 351, 352), but common in Semitic languages (Hebrew and Aramaic מִן, therefore often in LXX; s.Johannessohni18f.; Huber69f.). (3) The country within which a city etc. lies also stands in the partitivegenitive (always with article, §261(6); the usage is found in class., pap.: Mayserii2, 126): ἐν Ταρσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας[EN TARSWi THS KILIKIAS] A 22:3; cf.§261(6). (4) Ὀψὲ σαββάτων[OYE SABBATWN] Mt 28:1according to what follows and according to Mk 16:1means ‘afterthe sabbath’. (5) The classical reverse assimilation of
gender and number occurs in τὰ ἡμίσεια[TA hHMISEIA] (τὰ ἥμισυ[TA hHMISU] §48) τῶν ὑπαρχόντων[TWN hUPARXONTWN] Lk 19:8; cf.classical ἡ ἡμίσεια τῆς γῆς[hH hHMISEIA THS GHS] etc. (K.–G.i279; Mayserii2, 123).
Blass, F., Debrunner, A., & Funk, R. W. (1961). A Greek grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (90). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Note that it is not the object of the preposition which is a part but rather the item which preceeds the preposition which is a part of the item which is the object of the preposition. Thus in "some ["from among"] of the disciples" the "some" are a part of the whole, the disciples.
george
gfsomsel
… search for truth, hear truth,
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth,
defend the truth till death.
- Jan Hus
_________
----- Original Message ----
From: Edgar Foster <edgarfoster2003 at yahoo.com>
To: b-greek list <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 12:42:14 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] Revelation 7:4 and Israel
Greetings,
The text reads (Revelation 7:4): KAI HKOUSA TON ARIQMON TWN ESFRAGISMENWN hEKATON TESSARAKONTA TESSARES XILIADES ESFRAGISMENOI EK PASHS FULHS hUIWN ISRAHL.
Would you consider EK PASHS FULHS hUIWN ISRAHL an example of a partitive or wholative genitive such that John's thought is that the 144,000 (a part) are taken out of Israel (the whole) without exhaustively accounting for the entire class or nation Israel. Another way to word what I'm asking is, does the Greek here imply that "Israel" in this passage is not restricted to the 144,000 sealed ones?
Thanks,
Edgar Foster
Lenoir-Rhyne College
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