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
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.
2 Peter III, 1 — ‘ἐν αἷς’ - ‘en hais’ - ‘in which; with which. ‘ἐν ὑπομνήσει’ - ‘en hypomnesei’ - ‘in reminding; with a reminder’. Various translations are possible.
2 Peter III, 2 — ‘ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν’ - ‘hypo ton hagion propheton’ - ‘through the holy prophets’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is here with the genitive case and indicates through whom the prophecies were received.
2 Peter III, 3 — ‘ἐν ἐμπαιγμονῇ ἐμπαῖκται’ - ‘en empaigmone empaiktai’ - ‘in scoffing scoffers’. Again, an emphatic syntagm is possible to reinforce the thought - see more here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/11022025.html
2 Peter III, 4 — ‘ἀφ’ ἧς' - aph hes
- since (the time) when; since then
. A common expression, the preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the following ‘he’ indicates the beginning of the countdown. ‘ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως' - ap arkhes ktiseos
- from the beginning of creation
. Similar to the one just used.
2 Peter III, 5 — ‘ἐξ ὕδατος’ - ‘ex hydatos’ - ‘out of water; from water’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the following ‘hy’ indicates origin.
2 Peter III, 7 — ‘εἰς ἡμέραν κρίσεως καὶ ἀπωλείας τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων’ - ‘eis hemeran kriseos kai apoleias ton asebon anthropon’ - ‘for the day of judgement and perishing of the ungodly’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates the purpose.
2 Peter III, 8 — ‘παρὰ κυρίῳ’ - ‘para kyrio’ - ‘in the vicinity of the Lord; near the Lord’. The preposition ‘para’ is with the dative case and indicates that God's closeness is more important and significant than time limits and intervals.
2 Peter III, 9 — ‘εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι’ - ‘eis metanoian khoresai’ - ‘prepare a room for repentance (change of mind); give a place for repentance’. This means that repentance should not only begin, but become a part of life and last.
2 Peter III, 10 — ‘ἐν ᾗ’ - ‘en he’ - ‘into which’. ‘τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα’ - ‘ta en aute erga’ - ‘and the works therein’.
2 Peter III, 11 — ‘ἐν ἁγίαις ἀναστροφαῖς καὶ εὐσεβείαις’ - ‘en hagiais anastrophais kai eusebeiais’ - ‘in holy conduct (’living‘) and good godliness’.
2 Peter III, 13 — ‘ἐν οἷς’ - ‘en hois’ - ‘’in them‘’.
2 Peter III, 14 — ‘ἐν εἰρήνῃ’ - ‘en eirene’ - ‘in peace’.
2 Peter III, 16 — ‘ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς’ - ‘en pasais tais epistolais’ - ‘in all the epistles’. ‘ἐν αὐταῖς’ - ‘en autais’ - ‘in them’. ‘ἐν αἷς’ - ‘en hais’ - ‘in which’.
2 Peter III, 18 — ‘ἐν χάριτι καὶ γνώσει τοῦ κυρίου’ - ‘en khariti kai gnosei tou kyriou’ - ‘in the grace and knowledge of the Lord; by the grace and knowledge of the Lord’. Both translations are possible, the first indicating that grace and knowledge of God are necessary for spiritual growth, and the second that they are the driving forces for it. ‘εἰς ἡμέραν αἰῶνος’ - ‘eis hemeran aionos’ - ‘forever and ever’. A common expression.
For more on the reading from the Apostle, please refer to the following:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/28022024.html
Mark XIII, 24 — ‘ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις’ - ‘en ekeinais tais hemerais’ - ‘in those days’.
Mark XIII, 25 — ‘ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ’ - ‘ek tou ouranou’ - ‘out of the sky‘. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where they will fall from. ‘αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς’ - ‘hai dynameis hai en tois ouranois’ - ‘the powers that (are) in the heavens; the powers of the heavens’. Literally, the former, but the latter may well be the case. Here ‘the heavens’ is plural, in contrast to the previous one.
Mark XIII, 26 — ‘ἐν νεφέλαις’ - ‘en nephelais’ - ‘in the clouds’.
Mark XIII, 27 — ‘ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων ἀπ’ ἄκρου γῆς ἕως ἄκρου οὐρανοῦ' - ek ton tessaron anemon ap akrou ges heos akrou ouranou
- out of the four winds from the end of the earth and to the end of the sky
. Here ‘heaven’ ('sky') is again in the singular, which may mean that it refers to the cosmos, the visible Universe, while the plural refers to the spiritual heavens. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where people will be gathered out of - figuratively - from everywhere, and the preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the next vowel is used to mean ‘the beginning of the count’. It is a possible prophecy of a large-scale settlement of people throughout the Universe (it all depends on where the ‘end of the sky’ is).
Mark XIII, 28 — ‘Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς συκῆς’ - ‘Apo de tes sykes’ - ‘from the fig tree’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that the comparison is only very faintly similar, but it suggests exactly the kind of thought that is needed, so although not so obvious, it is still accurate and hard to mistake. The Lord wants us to learn from similarities as well.
For more on the readings from the Gospel, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/28022024.html
To the Theotokos:
For more information on these readings to the Virgin Mary, please refer to the link and others cited there:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/15082024.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!