| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with hekastos {ἕκαστος | hékastos} ‘each one’, emphasizing that resurrection occurs individually in sequence. The postpositive de {δὲ | dé} links to the previous argument, signaling contrast or clarification. The phrase en tō idiō tagmati {ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι | en tôi idíō tágmati} uses the dative of sphere to convey “in his own order,” with idiō indicating personal assignment. In apposition, aparchē Khristos {ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός | aparchḗ Khristós} presents “Christ as firstfruits,” invoking the harvest offering metaphor for His resurrection precedence. The adverb epeita {ἔπειτα | épeita} marks the subsequent phase, followed by hoi tou Khristou {οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ | hoí toû Khristoû}, a substantival genitive construction meaning “those who belong to Christ.” Finally, en tē parousia autou {ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ | en tē parousía autoû} employs parousia to denote the visible arrival of Christ, with the dative indicating the temporal sphere “at His coming,” which determines when believers will rise. |