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.
Matins:
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
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here whence Lazarus's transition took place — from death to life.
John XII, 20 — 'ἐκ τῶν ἀναβαινόντων' — 'ek ton anabainonton' - from among those who went up
. The entry into Jerusalem is described as going up on account of its location, and is also consonant with the idea of spiritual elevation. The preposition 'ek' indicates here that these Greeks were representatives of such pilgrims. 'ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ' - 'en te heorte' - at the feast
.
John XII, 21 — 'Φιλίππῳ τῷ ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας' — 'Philippo to apo Bethsaida tes Galilaias' - (to) Philip, who is from Bethsaida of Galilee
. The preposition 'apo' indicates here that Philip had left Bethsaida entirely, in particular travelling together with Jesus.
John XII, 24 — 'εἰς τὴν γῆν' — 'eis ten gen' - into the earth
. Whither.
John XII, 25 — 'ὁ μισῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον φυλάξει αὐτήν' — 'ho mison ten psykhen autou en to kosmo touto eis zoen aionion phylaxei auten' - the one who hates their soul in this world will preserve it for eternal life
. The preposition 'eis' indicates here the purpose. In general these are words of manifold significance — the soul here is simultaneously both a constituent of the person and life itself. With respect to the soul as a constituent of the person, what is meant is — the one who does not consider the state of the soul in this world (sinful) to be good will preserve it (cleansed, from sins and passions) for eternal life
; with respect to life — the one who hates their own sins will, in the struggle against them, preserve their eternal life by being faithful in Christ. See also the parallel passages at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/26072025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10082024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22072023.html
John XII, 27 — 'πάτερ, σῶσόν με ἐκ τῆς ὥρας ταύτης' — 'pater, soson me ek tes horas tautes' - Father, save me from this hour (season)
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here whence Jesus prays to be saved. 'εἰς τὴν ὥραν ταύτην' - 'eis ten horan tauten' - for this hour (season)
. The pair of prepositions 'ek'-'eis' indicates movement from and to (into). Similar passages in meaning are found in the Synoptics regarding the prayer in Gethsemane. The use of complex nuances of meaning with prepositions and prefixes indicates that the human will of Christ is seeking whether there is some special way of not undergoing what awaits. At the same time, the human will of Christ is obedient to the God's will. Christ is not seeking how to avoid what awaits, is not denying that it will take place, but entrusts Himself to the Father (and the Spirit). Only God can change that — the Lord trusts Him completely. See more on that at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10022026.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17022026.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18022025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/25022025.html
John XII, 28 — 'φωνὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ' — 'phone ek tou ouranou' - a voice from heaven
. That is, whence.
John XII, 32 — 'ἐκ τῆς γῆς' — 'ek tes ges' - from the earth; away from the earth
. The preposition 'ek' indicates here whence Christ will be lifted up (here there is a double meaning of being lifted up — the Crucifixion and the Ascension).
John XII, 34 — 'ἐκ τοῦ νόμου' — 'ek tou nomou' - from the Law
. That is, whence. 'εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα' - 'eis ton aiona' - for ever
. Common expression.
John XII, 35 — 'τὸ φῶς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν' — 'to phos en hymin estin' - the light is in you
. Better translated with attention to meaning, since the Light is Christ. 'ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ' - 'en te skotia' - in the darkness
.
John XII, 36 — 'πιστεύετε εἰς τὸ φῶς' — 'pisteuete eis to phos' - believe into the light
. The preposition 'eis' indicates here that faith leads to the object of faith, enters into it — that is, faith in Christ as Light leads into the Light and makes one Christ's own. 'ἀπ' αὐτῶν' - 'ap auton' - from them
. The preposition 'apo' in its form before the following vowel indicates here that Christ hid Himself from them completely — they entirely lost the possibility of seeing Him and speaking with Him. This action is a prefiguration of what was to happen subsequently (what is spoken of is the Ascension of Christ, after which most people do not see Christ with bodily eyes).
John XII, 37 — 'οὐκ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτόν' — 'ouk episteuon eis auton' - they did not believe in Him
. See verse 36 above.
John XII, 42 — 'ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων πολλοὶ' — 'ek ton arkhonton polloi' - many of the rulers
. That is, of the esteemed and respected Jews. The preposition 'ek' indicates here that these rulers were representatives of the people. 'ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν' - 'episteusan eis auton' - believed in Him
.
John XII, 44 — 'ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ πιστεύει εἰς ἐμὲ ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸν πέμψαντά με' — 'ho pisteuon eis eme ou pisteuei eis eme alla eis ton pempsanta me' - the one who believes in Me does not believe in Me but in the One Who sent Me
. That is, they believe in the Father. One Hypostasis of the Trinity reveals Another. This is frequent in Scripture — it testifies to Their unity and love.
John XII, 46 — 'εἰς τὸν κόσμον' — 'eis ton kosmon' - into the world; for the world
. Both translations are possible, the first pointing to the Incarnation of God, whilst the second points to its purpose — the salvation of the world and the divinisation of the faithful. 'ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ μὴ μείνῃ' - 'hina pas ho pisteuon eis eme en te skotia me meine' - so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in the darkness
.
John XII, 49 — 'ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ' — 'ex hemautou' - from Myself
. The preposition 'ek' in its form before the following 'he' indicates here that what is spoken of is the origin of Christ's words — they do not originate solely from His own will, but from the Council of the Trinity. Christ speaks here directly of the Father for several reasons, in particular to reveal the Father, also to emphasise what it means to speak from oneself
(which he truly did not do), and also because the Father is the Principle of the Divinity.
The Apostles Philip and Andrew, having Greek names and coming from the same city, could communicate with Greeks quite well, which explains their behaviour.
Since many people did not understand Jesus, he performed miracles as a sign for non-believers (here in particular — the voice of the Father as a miracle).
The first citation of the prophet Isaiah — Isaiah LIII, 1 — is the beginning of chapter 53, which is entirely devoted to the prophecy concerning the innocent and sinless sufferings of Jesus Christ for our sins and the salvific significance of His sufferings for us. It is worth reading that entire chapter in full; it is also a vivid testimony to the clarity of Isaiah's own prophesying. He was tormented for the sins of all of us; by His wounds we were made whole
— the key thought of the chapter. Sin brings torment, suffering, and death, and the Lord through His sufferings takes all of this that is ours — the suffering, the deterioration, and the death — upon Himself in our place, accepts the consequences of our sins in our place, and by this saves us. John also further emphasises the gentleness and freedom from malice of Jesus, showing the fulfilment of the prophecy further on.
The second citation of the prophet Isaiah — Isaiah VI, 10 — is also repeated by the Synoptics in connection with Jesus's parables and the people's understanding of them. In Isaiah this is part of the vision in which he sees the Lord and the seraphim, one of whom cleanses him. The meaning of the words is not that the Lord made people incapable of understanding and accepting the truth in Christ so as to be healed, but that people had distanced themselves from God to such a degree that their capacity to know God was greatly limited — so that it was difficult for them (like poorly progressing students) to grasp anything beyond the very simplest.
The people's question — who is the Son of Man (Christ Himself is that, as He had said many times previously) — shows their lack of understanding.
John XII, 43 — they loved the glory of people more than the glory of God
— John frequently explains the behaviour and life of people precisely by the love of those people — good deeds and life by love of the good, of God, and evil deeds by love of evil. This may seem unusual, since we often think that people's actions by no means always reveal their love and may be conditioned by various circumstances and causes besides love. But John emphasises that those people had the opportunity to understand, to discern, to see and know the truth in Christ — that is, they consciously did not dare or turned away from it (just as mature love is aware of itself and of what it evokes and towards what it strives and leads). The second reason — it is precisely love that is the weightiest and strongest motivation; one may say — the ultimate power of human life — and therefore a decisive decision may be said to be evoked by the decisive cause — and that means, by love. Finally, utterly and completely — a cardinal decision is made on the basis of love. Love here does not denote a certain state of feeling, but the very integral reality of the being of the person in freedom and self-determination, directed towards that (including towards that person, here also towards Christ, or towards someone else) which is important and precious to the person. If one also recalls that the entire Law and the prophets are founded upon the commandments of love, that love encompasses all the commandments with respect to all spheres of life, then to love
, according to the words of Scripture, includes an integral attitude. And therefore the general summary decision is also conditioned, in the language of Scripture, by love.
The conclusion of the chapter shows that Jesus is the Saviour, and that God is at enmity with no one. He does not act from certain hidden or overt personal motives of personal struggle with the person, does not hide a stone behind his soul
. Christ does not break
people, but gives them life. At the same time, what He says is true, and therefore will not be disregarded and despised, but will prove to be and will be strong — even for those who resist — and insurmountable.
As many saints say, God is at enmity with no one, but many are at enmity against God. With these words the Lord emphasises this.
More concerning the readings see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/16042025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/12042023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01052024.html
Liturgy:
Matthew XXVI, 6 — 'ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐν οἰκίᾳ Σίμωνος τοῦ λεπροῦ' — 'en Bethania en oikia Simonos tou leprou' - in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper
. Where.
Matthew XXVI, 8 — 'εἰς τί' — 'eis ti' - why; what for
. An interrogative word of purpose. Common expression.
Matthew XXVI, 10 — 'ἔργον γὰρ καλὸν ἠργάσατο εἰς ἐμέ' — 'egron gar kalon ergesato eis eme' - for a deed good in the highest degree (beautiful) she has done for Me (with respect to Me)
. The preposition 'eis' indicates here the purpose, and also that with respect to Whom the woman has done this.
Matthew XXVI, 12 — 'πρὸς τὸ ἐνταφιάσαι με' — 'pros to entaphiasai me' - (right up) to my burial
. The preposition 'pros' here with the accusative and a verb that has the meaning of a noun. It indicates that this myrrh and this deed will be the greatest material (and simultaneously sensory and of the soul, though not the greatest) manifestations of love for Christ right up to the time of the taking down of Christ from the cross and His burial. That is, the anointing will remain (at least as a memory) right up to the anointing of the already dead body of Christ with myrrh and tears by the Mother of God, Nicodemus, the myrrh-bearing women, Joseph of Arimathea, and John the Theologian. These words also contain the thought that bodily touches may have a very lasting significance — here through the extraordinarily event-filled days, the remainder of the earthly life of the Saviour of the world, but also for us this is a reminder that some manifestations of love remain in the memory for ever. A contrast with the treacherous kiss of Judas.
Matthew XXVI, 13 — 'ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ' — 'en holo to kosmo' - in all the world
. 'εἰς μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς' - 'eis mnemosynon autes' - as a memorial of her
. Common expression.
Matthew XXVI, 16 — 'ἀπὸ τότε' — 'apo tote' - from that time
. Common expression. The preposition 'apo' indicates here the starting point of the reckoning.
The deed of the woman and Jesus's defence of her show that the Lord accepts generosity in love — He is not miserly
or deaf
to the manifestations of love to which He Himself calls people. Of course, to think of God's miserliness
here resembles Judas, which one must beware of.
The Lord Himself is Generous in love and teaches us to be generous.
More concerning the readings from the Gospel see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/16042025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/12042023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!