Commentary for (Isaiah XXV, 1-9; Genesis IX, 8-17; Proverbs XII, 8-22; Exodus III, 1-8; Proverbs VIII, 22-30; Hebrews II, 11-18; Luke I, 24-38 )

Oleksandr Zhabenko 🇬🇧
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 XXV, 1-9)
Isaiah XXV, 2 — ‘ἔθηκας πόλεις εἰς χῶμα’ - ‘ethekas poleis eis khoma’ - ‘He has put the cities into dust; He has put the cities into mud’. Different interpretations are possible here - it can refer to the destruction of cities to the point of dust and dirt, or it can refer to such severe desolation that they cannot be called a city or a settlement, but are covered with dust, completely desolate. ‘εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα’ - ‘eis ton aiona’ - ‘for ever’. That is, no one will have the intention of rebuilding and inhabiting them.

Isaiah XXV, 4 — ‘σκέπη ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων πονηρῶν’ - ‘skepe apo anthropon poneron’ - ‘a shelter (cover, protection) from evil people (wicked)’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that the Lord will fully defend the faithful.

Isaiah XXV, 5 — ‘ἐν Σιων’ - ‘en Sion’ - ‘in Zion’. ‘ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀσεβῶν’ - ‘apo anthropon asebon’ - ‘from the impious (ungodly) people’. Similar to verse 4.

Isaiah XXV, 7 — ‘ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ’ - ‘en to orei touto’ - ‘in this mountain; on this mountain’. The meaning is the second option.

Isaiah XXV, 8 — ‘ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου’ - ‘apheilen ho theos pan dakryon apo pantos prosopou’ - ‘God took away every tear from every face’. ‘τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς’ - ‘to oneidos tou laou apheilen apo pases tes ges’ - ‘the shame (disgrace) of the (God's) people has been removed from all the earth’. The preposition ‘apo’ here indicates that the Lord has completely comforted and delighted His people, the faithful.

For more on the reading, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21032023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09042024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/30062023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/15072023.html

At vespers:
(Genesis IX, 8-17)
Genesis IX, 10 — ‘ἀπὸ ὀρνέων καὶ ἀπὸ κτηνῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς ὅσα μεθ’ ὑμῶν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐξελθόντων ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ' - ‘apo orneon kai apo ktenon kai pasi tois theriois tes ges hosa meth apo panton ton exelthonton ek tes kibotou’ - ‘’of birds, and of beasts of burden, and of all wild beasts, as many as are with you, and of all that come out of the ark’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that this is about choosing from a group of animals, and they were chosen to represent all animals. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where they came out of.

Genesis IX, 11 — ‘ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ’ - ‘apo tou hydatos tou kataklysmou’ - ‘from the water of the flood’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that the destruction has its real cause and precondition not in the water of the flood or ultimately in nature, but in sin.

Genesis IX, 12 — ‘εἰς γενεὰς αἰωνίους’ - ‘eis geneas aionious’ - ‘for all the generations to come’. That is, as long as people will be born.

Genesis IX, 13, 14 — ‘ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ’ - ‘en te nephele’ - ‘in the cloud’. ‘εἰς σημεῖον διαθήκης’ - ‘eis semeion diathekes’ - ‘as a sign of the covenant’. That is, what it will become.

Genesis IX, 14 — ‘ἐν τῷ συννεφεῖν με νεφέλας’ - ‘en to synnephein me nephelas’ - ‘at (the time when) I will cover with clouds’. That is, during cloudy weather.

Genesis IX, 15, 16 — ‘πάσης ψυχῆς ζώσης ἐν πάσῃ σαρκί’ - ‘pases psykhes zoses en pase sarki’ - ‘every living soul in every flesh’. ‘τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς κατακλυσμὸν’ - ‘to hydor eis kataklysmon’ - ‘water for the flood’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates the purpose here.

Genesis IX, 16 — ‘τὸ τόξον μου ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ’ - ‘to toxon mou en te nephele’ - ‘my (rain)bow is in the cloud’.

For more on the reading, please refer to the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21032023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09042024.html

(Proverbs XII, 8-22)
Proverbs XII, 8 — ‘στόμα συνετοῦ ἐγκωμιάζεται ὑπὸ ἀνδρός’ - ‘stoma synetou enkomiazetai hypo andros’ - ‘the words of an intelligent person are recognised by a man’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is with the genitive case and indicates that the verb is in the passive voice.

Proverbs XII, 9 — ‘κρείσσων ἀνὴρ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ δουλεύων ἑαυτῷ’ - ‘kreisson aner en atimia douleuon heauto’ - ‘the stronger (better) man who serves himself without glory’. This refers to the ability to maintain oneself.

Proverbs XII, 11 — ‘ὅς ἐστιν ἡδὺς ἐν οἴνων διατριβαῖς’ - ‘hos estin hedys en oinon diatribais’ - ‘who is sweet in the presence of wine’. This refers to passionate drinkers. ‘ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὀχυρώμασιν’ - ‘en tois heautou okhyromasin’ - ‘in his own fortresses (fortifications, strongholds)’. In other words, they destroy even their best qualities and virtues.

Proverbs XII, 12 — ‘αἱ δὲ ῥίζαι τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἐν ὀχυρώμασιν’ - ‘hai de rizai ton eusebon en okhyromasin’ - ‘but the roots of the godly (pious) are in fortresses (strongholds)’. That is, the basis of their life is to exercise their best qualities and traits.

Proverbs XII, 13 — ‘δῑ ἁμαρτίαν χειλέων ἐμπίπτει εἰς παγίδας ἁμαρτωλός’ - ‘di hamartian kheileon empiptei eis pagidas hamartolos’ - ‘through the sin of the mouth the sinner fell into a snare’. ‘ἐξ αὐτῶν δίκαιος’ - ‘ex auton dikaios’ - ‘out of it the righteous’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the following vowel indicates where the righteous one flees out of. ‘ὁ δὲ συναντῶν ἐν πύλαις’ - ‘ho de synanton en pylais’ - ‘who meets at the door (gate)’. It is not entirely clear what is meant.

Proverbs XII, 14 — ‘ἀπὸ καρπῶν στόματος ψυχὴ ἀνδρὸς πλησθήσεται ἀγαθῶν’ - ‘apo karpon stomatos psykhe andros plesthesetai agathon’ - ‘from the fruit of the mouth the soul of a man will be filled with good things’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that it refers to God's gifts to the man who speaks rightly. The parallel is to the Gospel's words about words and treasures, as well as about despising the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs XII, 20 — ‘δόλος ἐν καρδίᾳ’ - ‘dolos en kardia’ - ‘deceit in the hearts’.

Proverbs XII, 22 — ‘ὁ δὲ ποιῶν πίστεις δεκτὸς παρ’ αὐτῷ' - ho de poion pisteis dektos par auto - he who creates faith is accepted near Him; he who creates trust is accepted near Him; he who maintains trust is accepted near Him. The preposition ‘para’ in its form before the next vowel is here with the dative case and indicates that such a person can be close to God. It refers to a person who ‘builds bridges’, creates and justifies trust and who is faithful and reliable.

For more on the reading, please refer to the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21032023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09042024.html

Paremia of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
(Exodus III, 1-8)
Exodus III, 1 — ‘ὑπὸ τὴν ἔρημον’ - ‘hypo ten eremon’ - ‘under the wilderness’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is here with an accusative and indicates that the place was close to the desert. ‘εἰς τὸ ὄρος Χωρηβ’ - ‘eis ho oros Khoreb’ - ‘to the mountain of Horeb’. The preposition ‘eis’ here indicates the direction to which Moses went.

Exodus III, 2 — ‘ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς ἐκ τοῦ βάτου’ - ‘en phlogi pyros ek tou batou’ - ‘in the flaming fire from the thorn bush’. The preposition ‘ek’ here indicates where the manifestation came from.

Exodus III, 4 — ‘κύριος ἐκ τοῦ βάτου’ - ‘kyrios ek tou batou’ - ‘the Lord out of the (thorn) bush’.

Exodus III, 5 — ‘ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν σου’ - ‘ek ton podon sou’ - ‘from your feet’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates where the sandal was to be removed from. ‘τόπος ἐν ᾧ σὺ ἕστηκας’ - ‘topos en ho sy estekas’ - ‘the place in which you are standing’.

Exodus III, 7 — ‘ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ’ - ‘en Aigypto’ - ‘in Egypt’. ‘ἀπὸ τῶν ἐργοδιωκτῶν’ - ‘apo ton ergodiokton’ - ‘from the chiefs of the work’. The preposition ‘apo’ here indicates that the Israelites' cries, screams, and wails were from the ruthless Egyptians who kept away from all the pain of their labourers.

Exodus III, 8 — ‘ἐκ χειρὸς Αἰγυπτίων’ - ‘ek kheiros Aigyption’ - ‘out of the hand of the Egyptians’. Similar to yesterday's reading - see the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/24032025.html
- The Lord promises to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors. ‘ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης’ — ‘ek tes ges ekeines’ - ‘out of this land’. ‘εἰς γῆν ἀγαθὴν καὶ πολλήν εἰς γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι εἰς τὸν τόπον τῶν Χαναναίων καὶ Χετταίων καὶ Αμορραίων καὶ Φερεζαίων καὶ Γεργεσαίων καὶ Ευαίων καὶ Ιεβουσαίων’ - ‘eis gen agathen kai pollen eis gen reousan gala kai meli eis ton topon ton Khananaion kai Khettaion kai Amorraion kai Pherezaion kai Gergesaion kai Euaion kai Iebousaion’ - ‘into a good and full land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites’. The prepositions ‘ek’ and ‘eis’ indicate where the Lord is going to take the Israelites out of and where He is going to bring them in.

For more information on the reading from the Law, please refer to this link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/07042023.html

(Proverbs VIII, 22-30)
Proverbs VIII, 22 — ‘κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ’ - ‘kyrios ektisen me arkhen hodon autou eis erga autou’ - ‘The Lord made me the beginning of His ways for His works; The Lord has made me the ruler of His ways for His purposes.’ It does not really refer to the creation of the Wisdom as such, but to the fact that she heads God's design for creation, in other words, God created the world with many intentions, but all of them are harmonised with His Wisdom. The following verses emphasise that she is eternal.

Proverbs VIII, 23 — ‘ἐν ἀρχῇ’ - ‘en arkhe’ - ‘in the beginning’.

Proverbs VIII, 26 — ‘ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑπ’ οὐρανόν' - akra oikoumena tes hyp ouranon - the ends of the universe (the inhabited world) that is under heaven. The preposition ‘hypo’ is accusative and indicates that this refers to the visible world under the invisible spiritual heaven or, more narrowly, to the inhabited earth under the visible physical sky.

Proverbs VIII, 28 — ‘ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν' - asphaleis etithei pegas tes hyp ouranon - has safely placed the springs that are under the heaven. Similar to verse 26.

Proverbs VIII, 30 — ‘ἤμην παρ’ αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα‘ - emen par auto harmozousa - was at the vicinity of Him, which harmonises (is in harmony)’. The preposition ‘para’ is here with the dative case and indicates that Wisdom was with God and directed the creation of the harmonious world in a coherent way. See verse 22: ‘εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ’ - ‘euphrainomen en prosopon autou en panti kairo’ - ‘rejoiced in His face at every appropriate time; rejoiced in His face at every season’. This does not refer to being in front of the God's face, as angels or saints do, but to ‘rejoicing in His face’, which is deeper and more meaningful. For God, this means that Wisdom is part of the life of the Trinity, of the unity of the Hypostases and of their eternal communion, beatitude, and love. For the creation, Wisdom reveals God, i.e. presents God in the closest way in creation. Icons of the Mother of God illustrate the image of Wisdom through Mary, Who looks into the face of Jesus in Her arms.

For more on reading from the Poetic and Lectionary Books, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/07042023.html

At the Liturgy:
(Hebrews II, 11-18)
For more on the reading from the Apostle, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/24122024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/07042023.html

(Luke I, 24-38 )
Luke I, 25 — ‘ἐν ἡμέραις’ - ‘en hemerais’ - ‘in the days’. ‘ἐν ἀνθρώποις’ - ‘en anthropois’ - ‘in people; among people’. That is, ‘where’.

Luke I, 26 — ‘Ἐν δὲ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ’ - ‘En de to meni to hekto’ - ‘In the sixth month; in the sixth month’. ‘ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ’ - ‘apo tou theou’ - ‘from God’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that it was a gift from God. ‘εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας’ - ‘eis polin tes Galilaias’ - ‘into the city of Galilee’.

Luke I, 27 — ‘Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ οἴκου Δαυείδ’ - ‘Ioseph ex oikou Daueid’ - ‘Joseph of the house of David’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the next vowel indicates here the origin of Joseph the Betrothed.

Luke I, 30 — ‘εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ’ - ‘heures gar kharin para to theo’ - ‘for you have found grace in the vicinity of God’. The preposition ‘para’ is here with the dative case and indicates that Mary is close to God.

Luke I, 31 — ‘συλλήμψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ’ - ‘syllempse en gastri’ - ‘you will conceive in the womb’.

Luke I, 33 — ‘εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας’ - ‘eis tous aionas’ - ‘forever and ever’ (i.e. this reign will extend on and on without end, forever and ever).

Luke I, 36 — ‘ἐν γήρει αὐτῆς’ - ‘en gerei autes’ - ‘in her old age’.

Luke I, 38 — ‘ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ αὐτῆς' - “apelthen ap autes - departed from Her. The preposition ‘apo’ (and its prefix) here indicates that Gabriel departed from Mary and returned to God.

For more on the Gospel reading, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/07042023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/07072023.html
https://sites.google.com/view/rozdumy23/home/avlenna-gavriiela-vira-i-dopitlivist

Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!