John 7:42 — ExegesisTAB

The verse is framed as a rhetorical question, initiated by the negative particle oukh {οὐχ | oukh} placed first for emphasis, which in context expects an affirmative answer. The subject hē graphē {ἡ γραφὴ | hē graphḗ} functions as a personified authority, followed by the aorist verb eipen {εἶπεν | eîpen} in a declarative sense, “has said” or “said,” presenting Scripture as an established, completed witness. The conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hóti} introduces the content clause, which states what Scripture has said. Within this clause, two coordinated prepositional phrases introduced by ek {ἐκ | ek} and kai apo {καὶ ἀπὸ | kaí apó} specify the expected origins of the Messiah: ek tou spermatos Dauid {ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Δαυίδ | ek toû spérmatos Dauíd} highlights genealogical descent “from the seed of David,” while apo Bethleem tēs kōmēs {ἀπὸ Βηθλέεμ τῆς κώμης | apó Bēthléem tês kṓmēs} denotes geographic origin “from Bethlehem, the village.” The genitive tēs kōmēs depends on Bethleem, either appositional (“Bethlehem, the village”) or possessive (“Bethlehem of the village”), and is further specified by the relative clause hopou ēn Dauid {ὅπου ἦν Δαυίδ | hópou ên Dauíd}, grounding Bethlehem in David’s own history (“where David was”). The present middle indicative erchetai {ἔρχεται | érchetai} with the subject ho christos {ὁ χριστός | ho Christós} employs a prophetic or futuristic present, expressing a vivid expectation that “the Christ comes” from these locations. The definite article ho with the title christos marks a specific, known figure, “the Messiah,” which guided the decision to retain “the Christ” as a formal title in English while indicating expectation in both reconstructions.