Revelation 1:3-5a
3 μακάριος ὁ ἀναγινώσκων καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας καὶ τηροῦντες τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα, ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς. 4 Ἰωάννης ταῖς ἑπτὰ ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ πνευμάτων ἃ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ, 5 καὶ ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ὁ πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς.
(3) Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what has been written in it, for the time is near. (4) John, to the seven churches which are in Asia; grace to you and peace from the one who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven spirits which (are) before his throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
Parsing
| Term | Tense | Voice | Mood | Person/ Case | Gender/ Number | Lexical Form |
| ἀναγινώσκων | Pres | Act | Part | Nom | Masc/Sing | ἀναγινωσκω |
| ἀκούοντες | Pres | Act | Part | Nom | Masc/Plur | ἀκουω |
| τηροῦντες | Pres | Act | Part | Nom | Masc/Plur | τηρεω |
| γεγραμμένα | Perf | M/P | Part | Acc | Nuet/Plur | γραφω |
| ὢν | Pres | Act | Part | Nom | Masc/Sing | εἰμι |
| ἦν | Imp | – | Ind | 3rd | Sing | εἰμι |
| ἐρχόμενος | Pres | Mid* | Part | Nom | Masc/Sing | ἐρχομαι |
Lexical and Syntactic Notes
- the favorable circumstances of μακάριος have to do with eschatological fulfillment (Matthewson, 3)
- οἱ (v.3) is governing both substantival participles indicating it refers to the same group not to different groups (Plummer, vid 1)
- γὰρ (v.3) causal—the motive for hearing and keeping (Matthewson, 3)
- ὁ ὢν is taken from Ex. 3:14 (Matthewson, 4; NIGTC 188)
- ἦν – the switch to indicative to show relation to time (Matthewson, 5)
- τῶν ἑπτὰ πνευμάτων a reference to the Holy Spirit (NIGTC, 189; Schreiner, 553).
- All three ἀπὸ prep. phrases are Genitive of source inv vv. 4-5 (Matthewson, 4-5)
- τῶν βασιλέων and τῆς γῆς both genitives of subordination (Matthewson, 5)
- ὁ μάρτυς. . . the list is all nominatives of apposition to the genitive—a solecism to point to OT Psalm 89:37 (NIGTC, 192)
Christian Perspectives 