Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
Since in the works published at the following links:
https://churchandsociety.org.ua/pdf/projects/zbirnyk.pdf
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17082024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27112024.html
it is written that the use of prepositions is important for the correct understanding of important and actual issues, in particular the issue of power, I am writing commentaries on the use of these prepositions. As a piece of advice on how to read the text, you can read the verse in translation and/or in the original (if you have the opportunity), and then the commentary on prepositions here. Next, you need to understand which part of the verse the commentary refers to, and consider what it affirms — or less often, denies — that is essential to understanding. This thoughtful reading helps to deepen understanding and protects against the mistakes mentioned above.
As Lent started, the readings from the New Testament are replaced by readings from the Old Testament to encourage people to repentance.
Since I am commenting on several Ancient Greek (koine) prepositions, I will continue to comment on the Old Testament readings by considering the first complete translation into Ancient Greek, the Septuagint.
At the 6th hour:
Isaiah I, 1 — ‘ἐν βασιλεία ᾿Οζίου καὶ ᾿Ιωάθαμ καὶ ῎Αχαζ καὶ ᾿Εζεκίου’ - ‘en basileia Oziou kai Ioatham kai Akhaz kai Ezekiou’ - ‘in the reign of Oziah, and Joatham, and Ahaz, and Hezekiah’.
Isaiah I, 5 — ‘πᾶσα κεφαλὴ εἰς πόνον καὶ πᾶσα καρδία εἰς λύπην’ - ‘pasa kephale eis ponon kai pasa kardia eis lypen’ - ‘the whole head is for an anguish (for pain) and the whole heart is for grief’. That is, everyone is filled with pain and sorrow.
Isaiah I, 6 — ‘ἀπὸ ποδῶν’ - ‘apo podon’ - ‘from the feet’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates where the count begins.
Isaiah I, 7 — ‘κατεστραμμένη ὑπὸ λαῶν ἀλλοτρίων’ - ‘katestrammene hypo laon allotrion’ - ‘overturned (destroyed) by a foreign people’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is with the genitive case and indicates that it is the passive voice of the participle.
Isaiah I, 8 — ‘σκηνὴ ἐν ἀμπελῶνι’ - ‘skyene en ampeloni’ - ‘a tabernacle in the vineyard’. ‘ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἐν σικυηράτῳ’ - ‘oporophylakion en sikyerato’ - ‘a tent for the night in a cucumber field’.
Isaiah I, 12 — ‘ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν’ - ‘ek ton kheiron’ - ‘out of the hand’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where the thing in question is taken from.
Isaiah I, 14 — ‘εἰς πλησμονήν’ - ‘eis plesmonen’ - ‘by overflowing’. It means that they have become something that the Lord says: ’Enough of this!'.
Isaiah I, 15 — ‘ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ’ ὑμῶν' - apostrepso tous ophthalmous mou aph hymon
- I turn away (avert) My eyes from you
. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the following ‘hy’ indicates that the Lord turns away completely, totally, undoubtedly.
Isaiah I, 16 — ‘ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου’ - ‘aphelete tas ponerias apo ton psykhon hymon apenanti ton ophthalmon mou’ - ‘take away (remove) the evil (evil things, plural) from your souls (from your lives) opposite My eyes’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that evil deeds, thoughts, words, etc. must be eliminated completely, totally, decisively. ‘παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν’ - ‘pausasthe apo ton ponerion hymon’ - ‘cease completely out of your evil (plural)'. Similarly to the one just described, a direct continuation.
For more on the reading, please refer to the following:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27022023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18032024.html
At vespers:
Genesis I, 1 — ‘ἐν ἀρχῇ’ - ‘en arkhe’ - ‘in the beginning’. A common expression.
Genesis I, 6 — ‘ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος’ - ‘en meso tou hydatos’ - ‘in the midst of the water’.
Genesis I, 9 — ‘εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν (αὐτῶν)’ - ‘eis synagogen mian (auton)’ - ‘into the one (its) assembly'. There is an interesting parallel here - the water, like the Church, is ‘led together, gathered together’ - a reminder of Baptism as a spiritual birth in the Church.
Genesis I, 11, 12 — ‘ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς’ - ‘xylon karpimon poioun karpon ou to sperma autou en auto kata genos epi tes ges’ - ‘the fruitful tree, that produces (bears) fruit, whose seed is in it according to its kind on the earth.
For more on the reading, please refer to the following:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27022023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18032024.html
Proverbs I, 1 — ‘ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ισραηλ’ - ‘hos ebasileusen en Israel’ - ‘who reigned in Israel’.
Proverbs I, 7 — ‘εὐσέβεια δὲ εἰς θεὸν’ - ‘eusebeia de eis theon’ - ‘piety for the sake of God’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates the goal to which a person is trying to approach.
Proverbs I, 11 — ‘κρύψωμεν δὲ εἰς γῆν’ - ‘krypsomen de eis gen’ - ‘let us hide it in the ground’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates where it is proposed to hide (i.e. to commit a secret crime).
Proverbs I, 12 — ‘ἄρωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν μνήμην ἐκ γῆς’ - ‘apomen autou ten mnemen ek ges’ - ‘let us take away their memory from the earth’. That is, 'let us destroy the memory of them', and in general, 'let us destroy them completely, totally, without a trace'. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where they want to take away the memory.
Proverbs I, 14 — ‘ἐν ἡμῖν’ - ‘en hemin’ - ‘with us’.
Proverbs I, 15 — ‘ἐν ὁδῷ’ - ‘en hodo’ - ‘on the way'.
‘ἐκ τῶν τρίβων’ — ‘ek ton tribon’ - ‘from the paths; out of the paths’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where one should go out from, to go out if one has been on that path.
Proverbs I, 16 — ‘εἰς κακίαν’ - ‘eis kakian’ - ‘into evil (meaning something really bad, criminal and terrible); for evil’.
Proverbs I, 20 — ‘σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται ἐν δὲ πλατείαις παρρησίαν ἄγει’ - ‘sophia en exodois hymneitai en de pleteiais parresian agei’ - ‘Wisdom in exodus sings spiritual hymns and in open squares and streets (places) boldly, openly, confidently, freely leads’. In other words, wisdom allows you to sing praises to God and give thanks in elevation and joy at the end of the case, and also allows you to feel confident in public, including being a leader, speaking, and leading others. By the way, a direct call to an open, free society in wisdom.
For more information about the reading, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27022023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18032024.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!