Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
Since in the work published at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/02082025.html
and even earlier in others, published at the 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/12112025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27112024.html
it is written that the use of prepositions has important significance for the correct understanding of important and topical questions, particularly the question of power, I am writing comments regarding the use of precisely these prepositions. As advice regarding reading what is written — one can read the verse in translation or/and original (whoever has such possibility), and then the corresponding comment regarding prepositions here. Then it is necessary to understand which part of the verse the comment concerns, and also to consider what essential for understanding it affirms — or more rarely — denies. Such thoughtful reading helps to deepen understanding and protects from the mentioned mistakes.
I prepared an improved version of my research, the presentation of which is available at the link:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/commentaries/vystup-2025-hypo-genitive-Romans-XIII_1.pdf
The research material is currently being prepared for publication. I hope, God willing, to present fuller results later after the publication comes out.
I will update the list of references regarding prepositions at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/02082025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/commentaries/Pryjmennyky.html
the latter — once or twice a month (in Ukrainian), to keep the text version current and up to date.
Translated from Ukrainian by Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic AI), with subsequent editing by me.
Strong's references (note: according to Strong) in the translation of the original text mean that the word is taken from Strong's dictionary, and the specific meaning was chosen following the translation and commentary by Google Gemini Fast 3.
Christians of the Western rite celebrate today the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the Pascha of the Lord.
Matins:
Matthew XXI, 1, 10 — 'εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα' — 'eis Hierosolyma' - to Jerusalem
. Whither. 'εἰς Βηθφαγὴ εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν' - 'eis Bethphage eis to oros ton elaion' - to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives
. Whither.
Matthew XXI, 2 — 'εἰς τὴν κώμην τὴν κατέναντι ὑμῶν' — 'eis ten komen ten katenanti hymon' - into the settlement that lies before you (on the way)
. Whither.
Matthew XXI, 8 — 'ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ' — 'en te hodo' - on the road
. Where. 'ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων' - 'apo ton dendron' - from the trees
. The preposition 'apo' indicates here that the branches were being separated in this manner from the trees and used for the procession.
Matthew XXI, 9 — 'εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις' — 'eulogemenos ho erkhomenos en onomati kyriou, hosanna en tois hypsistois' - blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, hosanna in the highest
. The first preposition 'en' here means that Christ comes as the Lord. This is a recognition not of His mission (for the sake of which He comes), but of Who He Himself is — the Lord, the Messiah, the Christ.
Matthew XXI, 11 — 'Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲθ τῆς Γαλιλαίας' — 'Iesous ho apo Nazareth tes Galilaias' - Jesus, who is from Nazareth of Galilee
. Here we see as it were the crowd understanding Jesus as a prophet rather than as the Messiah, the Christ. One may think that those closer to Jesus glorified Him as the Messiah (including the apostles), also as a kind of announcement and spreading of glory, whilst those who knew the situation least and had heard less about Jesus considered Him a prophet, a man of God, but did not regard Him as the Christ. The preposition 'apo' indicates here origin through the maternal line, through the Most Pure Virgin Mary (the Holy Family lived in Nazareth for a long time from Jesus's childhood), and also the fact that Jesus had departed from Nazareth.
Matthew XXI, 15 — 'ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ' — 'en to hiero' - in the temple
. Where.
Matthew XXI, 16 — 'ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων' — 'ek stomatos nepion kai thelazonton' - out of the mouth of infants and those who suckle (milk)
. That is, of young children.
Matthew XXI, 17 — 'εἰς Βηθανίαν' — 'eis Bethanian' - into Bethany
. Whither.
See also concerning the reading at the link regarding the parallel passage in Luke:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/05042026.html
and also below in the Gospel of John.
Liturgy:
Philippians IV, 4 — 'Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε' — 'Khairete en kyrio pantote' - rejoice in the Lord always; rejoice with the Lord always
. Both translations are possible, the first indicating that abiding in the Lord is the basis for joy always, the second — that joy may be granted by the Lord, and we are called to this always.
Philippians IV, 6 — 'ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν θεόν' — 'en panti te preseukhe kai te deesei meta eukharistias ta haitemata hymon gnorizestho pros ton theon' - in all lofty spirit-filled prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known (and therefore heard) to God; with all lofty spirit-filled prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known (and therefore heard) to God
. Both translations are possible, the first indicating that one must pray and give thanks to God on all important occasions, and the second — that one must take care for lofty prayer and diligent supplication with thanksgiving, in general — for a deep prayer life.
Philippians IV, 7 — 'ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ' — 'he eirene tou theou he hyperekhousa panta noun phrouresei tas kardias hymon kai ta noemata hymon en CHristo Iesou' - the peace of God, which surpasses (goes further than) all understanding (all comprehension, all thinking), will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Jesus Christ; the peace of God, which surpasses (goes further than) all understanding (all comprehension, all thinking), will guard your hearts and your thoughts with Jesus Christ
. The first translation is more likely, since the second assigns to Christ to a certain degree a serving rather than a primary role. Attention must also be drawn to the value of God's peace — it is greater than the human (indeed any created) mind, since it is a direct and immediate gift of God's grace, and a person in Christ is capable of preserving this gift even when the mind gives no answers.
Philippians IV, 9 — 'ἐν ἐμοί' — 'en emoi' - in me
. That is, what was learned from the apostle Paul himself.
The words of the apostle Paul concerning joy in Christ, in God, concerning the pure and bright thoughts of the faithful who fulfil God's will. The Philippians were an example of faith and love, and therefore the apostle writes only of virtues and enjoins the faithful to rejoice with pure joy.
As the source of gentleness (humanity) Paul names the Lord is close
— that is, the memory and realisation in life of the fact that the Lord is close to people.
The simplest example that allows one to understand this in part — to feel oneself in the presence of the Great and Glorious King and Saviour, God Himself. Will a person become joyful in that very feeling, or will they not wish to glorify God and will come to know their own humanity?
Concerning what is pure there is a fine work at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/Beauty.html
More concerning the readings from the Epistle see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/13042025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09042023.html
John XII, 1 — 'εἰς Βηθανίαν' — 'eis Bethanian' - into Bethany; to Bethany
. 'Λάζαρος, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν Ἰησοῦς' - 'Lazaros, hon egeiren ek nekron Iesous' - Lazarus, whom Jesus raised (resurrected) from the dead
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here whence Lazarus's transition took place — from death to life.
John XII, 2 — 'ὁ δὲ Λάζαρος εἷς ἦν ἐκ τῶν ἀνακειμένων σὺν αὐτῷ' — 'ho de Lazaros heis en ek ton anakeimenon syn auto' - but Lazarus was one of those who reclined (ate at table, since they ate reclining) with Him
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here that Lazarus was one of a group of people and represented to a certain degree that group of Jesus's friends.
John XII, 3 — 'ἡ δὲ οἰκία ἐπληρώθη ἐκ τῆς ὀσμῆς τοῦ μύρου' — 'he de oikia eplerothe ek tes osmes tou myrou' - and the house was filled with the fragrance of the myrrh
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here that the myrrh with its fragrance wonderfully conveyed the overall atmosphere of that supper.
John XII, 4 — 'εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ' — 'heis ek ton matheton autou' - one of His disciples
. Here the preposition 'ek' indicates that Judas was indeed one of the disciples of Jesus, chosen by Him Himself as an apostle, and the question he raised was directly related to his duty concerning money (that is, he was in the performance of his official duties
).
John XII, 7 — 'εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ ἐνταφιασμοῦ μου' — 'eis ten hemeran tou entaphiasmou mou' - for the day of my preparation for burial
. The preposition 'eis' indicates here the purpose of the action.
John XII, 9 — 'ὁ ὄχλος πολὺς ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων' — 'ho okhlos polys ek ton Ioudaion' - the great crowd of the Jews
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here that this crowd in general shared similar sentiments (expectations) with the Jews. 'τὸν Λάζαρον ἴδωσιν, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν' - 'ton Lazaron idosin, hon egeiren ek nekron' - to see Lazarus, whom He raised (resurrected) from the dead
. Analogous to verse 1.
John XII, 11 — 'ἐπίστευον εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν' — 'episteuon eis ton Iesoun' - believed into Jesus
.
John XII, 12 — 'εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν' — 'eis ten heorten' - for the feast
. The preposition 'eis' indicates here the purpose. 'εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα' - 'eis Hierosolyma' - to Jerusalem; into Jerusalem
. Whither.
John XII, 13 — 'εἰς ὑπάντησιν αὐτῷ' — 'eis hypantesin auto' - to meet Him; towards Him
. Common expression. 'ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου' - 'en onomati kyriou' - in the name of the Lord; in the Lord's name
. Both translations are possible here. In general, here as in Matthew, it is emphasised that those closer to Jesus already plainly saw in Him the Messiah, the King, the Christ, but may have declared this somewhat restrainedly. See the explanation above concerning Matthew XXI, 9 and 11.
John XII, 17 — 'τὸν Λάζαρον ἐφώνησεν ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου καὶ ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν' — 'ton Lazaron ephogesen ek tou mnemeiou kai egeiren auton ek nekron' - called Lazarus from the tomb and raised (resurrected) Him from the dead
. See verses 1, 9.
The event is described in all 4 evangelists, but there are differences in details, in particular concerning the exact time of the event. In my view, the Gospel of John contains the most details, written by the eyewitness and participant of the event himself, written after all the other Gospels — the truthfulness of which John also confirmed — and therefore it presents the history of the event most accurately. According to it (John XII, 1-8), this woman (whose name the other evangelists concealed, as they also concealed the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, so that there should be no incentive to kill her as there was to kill Lazarus, while she was living, as he was) was the holy Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, a myrrh-bearing woman, one of my beloved saints (not to be confused with Mary Magdalene, my beloved saint, or with the other Mary, a relative of the Mother of God, also myrrh-bearing women). Judas Iscariot is also named by John. She has done a good deed to me
— I suppose that she may have foreseen the approaching sufferings of Jesus (unlike the disciples), and may also have prepared in advance in case of His death, but here decided that there would not be one (at least in the near future, taking into account the story of her brother Lazarus). In any case, the Lord providentially shows how he acts through people.
The poor you always have with you, but Me you do not always have
— what is done for the sake of Christ to people He receives as done to Himself, but the meaning of the words here is different: if someone expresses their great love in a particular manner, then the Lord accepts such a visible excess
as one of the good gifts (compare with Judas, who did not love Jesus).
After the raising of Lazarus, Jesus departed to the north, to the town of Ephraim, whilst the Jewish elders conspired to kill Jesus and also Lazarus.
On the eve of the Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus came with his disciples to Bethany, where Lazarus, Martha, and Mary lived, and was at their supper which they prepared (this is precisely what took place on Lazarus Saturday). Here Mary anointed His feet with myrrh and wiped them with her hair as a manifestation of love and gratitude.
Concerning the Entry into Jerusalem, a few words — a collective composite quotation of the prophets from Zechariah IX, 9, Isaiah XXXV, 4, XL, 9, Zephaniah III, 14. The content of the quotations, besides the prophecy concerning the events themselves — is that one must rejoice in the Lord and His salvation, and not fear it. The Lord is a Glorious and Majestic King, but this glory and majesty are a genuine joy for the faithful, for they are invited, called, and desired to share in it.
Concerning the donkey there is a fine piece at the link:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/
More concerning the readings from the Gospel see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10022023.html
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/13042025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/05042026.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09042023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!