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 has begun, 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 looking at the first complete translation into Ancient Greek, the Septuagint.
In the 6th hour:
Isaiah VII, 1 — ‘ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Αχαζ’ - ‘en tais hemerais Akhaz’ - ‘in the days of Ahaz’.
Isaiah VII, 2 — ‘εἰς τὸν οἶκον Δαυιδ’ - ‘eis ton oikon Dauid’ - ‘of the house of David’. ‘ἐν δρυμῷ ξύλον’ - ‘en drymo xylon’ - ‘a tree in the forest’. ‘ὑπὸ πνεύματος σαλευθῇ’ - ‘hypo pneumatos saleuthe’ - ‘swaying in the wind’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is with the genitive case here and indicates that either it is a passive voice or that the tree is swaying through the wind.
Isaiah VII, 3 — ‘εἰς συνάντησιν’ - ‘eis synantesin’ - ‘to the meeting; towards'. A common expression.
Isaiah VII, 4 — ‘ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ξύλων τῶν δαλῶν τῶν καπνιζομένων’ - ‘apo ton duo xylon ton dalon ton kapnizomenon’ - ‘of the two remnants of the smoking tops’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that the expected impact of those ‘tops’ would not actually take place, would pass without the expected consequences.
Isaiah VII, 6 — ‘εἰς τὴν Ιουδαίαν’ - ‘eis ten Ioudaian’ - ‘into Judah; in regard to Judah’. That is, ‘where’ and ‘against what’.
Isaiah VII, 8 — ‘ἀπὸ λαοῦ’ - ‘apo laou’ - ‘from the people’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that this refers to the complete cessation of the proper, full of value existence of Ephraim's people.
Isaiah VII, 11 — ‘παρὰ κυρίου θεοῦ’ - ‘para kyriou theou’ - ‘from beside the Lord God’. The preposition ‘para’ is here with the genitive case. The same construction is used in reference to the Holy Spirit's proceeding from the Father and in reference to the human nature of Jesus Christ. Here it indicates that the sign must be from the operation of the Holy Spirit and refer to the God Incarnation. See in more detail here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/08032025.html
‘εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος’ — ‘eis bathos e eis hypsos’ - ‘into the depths or into the height’.
Isaiah VII, 14 — ‘ἐν γαστρὶ’ - ‘en gastri’ - ‘in the belly; in the womb’.
For more on the reading, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10032023.html
At vespers:
Genesis VI, 2 — ‘ἀπὸ πασῶν’ - ‘apo pason’ - ‘of all’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that these daughters were then separated from the rest, distinguished.
Genesis VI, 3 — ‘ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις’ - ‘en tois anthropois toutois’ - ‘in these people’. ‘εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα’ - ‘eis ton aiona’ - ‘for ever’. A common expression.
Genesis VI, 4 — ‘ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις’ - ‘en tais hemerais ekeinais’ - ‘in those days’. ‘ἀπ’ αἰῶνος - ‘ap aionos’ - ‘from the age’. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the following vowel indicates the beginning of the counting of time, i.e. ‘from the ancient times’ from the point of view of Moses' contemporaries (and even more so from the modern one).
Genesis VI, 5 — ‘ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ’ - ‘en te kardia’ - ‘in the heart’.
Genesis VI, 7 — ‘ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους καὶ ἀπὸ ἑρπετῶν ἕως τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ’ - ‘apo prosopou tes ges apo anthropou heos ktenous kai apo herpeton heos ton peteinon tou ouranou’ - ‘out of the face of the earth from human to beast and from reptile to bird of the sky’. The first preposition ‘apo’ here indicates from where the creatures named hereafter were to be destroyed, and the following prepositions ‘apo’ are included in the phrase in the sense of ‘the beginning of the count’.
For more on the reading, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10032023.html
Proverbs VI, 24 — ‘ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ὑπάνδρου καὶ ἀπὸ διαβολῆς γλώσσης ἀλλοτρίας’ - ‘apo gynaikos hypandrou kai apo diaboles glosses allotrias’ - ‘from a married woman and from the slanders (like the devil's) of a stranger woman (i.e. another man's wife)’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that one should be careful to guard against.
... Proverbs VI, 25 — ‘μηδὲ συναρπασθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς βλεφάρων’ - ‘mede synarpasthes apo ton autes blepharon’ - ‘do not be seized (taken over, taken by force) from her eyelids’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that the forceful seizure does not actually come from the eyes, for which the eyes are innocent, but it is the tempted heart of the man who is guilty.
Proverbs VI, 26 — ‘τιμὴ γὰρ πόρνης ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου γυνὴ δὲ ἀνδρῶν τιμίας ψυχὰς ἀγρεύει’ - ‘time gar pornes hose kai henos artou gyne de andron timias psykhas agreuei’ - ‘for the value of a prostitute is the same, as a single loaf of bread, but a man's wife captures a precious soul’. There are no prepositions here that I'm paying attention to, but the idea is that a married woman looking for a lover is looking for a ‘valuable soul’, i.e. she is not so much interested in money as in the kind of person the lover will be. But, therefore, in order not to fall into her trap, one must value one's own soul, that is, have true love for oneself. If someone really values his soul, his life, he will not ruin it with such a woman.
Proverbs VI, 27 — ‘ἐν κόλπῳ’ - ‘en kolpo’ - ‘in the bosom’.
Proverbs VI, 33 — ‘εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα’ - ‘eis ton aiona’ - ‘forever’. A common expression.
Proverbs VI, 34 — ‘ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως’ - ‘en hemera kriseos’ - ‘on the day of judgement’.
Proverbs VII, 1 — ‘παρὰ σεαυτῷ’ - ‘para seauto’ - ‘in the vicinity of yourself’. The preposition ‘para’ here is with the dative case and indicates that these are to be deeply personal commandments, teachings, instructions.
For more on the reading, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10032023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!