| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the plural imperative eípate {Εἴπατε | eípate} ‘say’, signaling a prophetic command. The dative reference tē thugatēr Siṓn {τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών | tê thugatēr Siṓn} ‘to the daughter of Zion’ personifies Jerusalem as a female figure. The attention marker idòu {Ἰδοὺ | idòu} ‘behold’ introduces the main oracle. The nominative subject ho basileús sou {ὁ βασιλεύς σου | ho basileús sou} ‘your king’ is paired with the present middle-passive indicative érchetai {ἔρχεταί | érchetai} ‘is coming’, conveying assured arrival. The adjective prâus {πραῢς | prâus} ‘gentle’ highlights the king’s demeanor, while the perfect participle epibebēkṓs {ἐπιβεβηκὼς | epibebēkṓs} ‘having mounted’ indicates completed action prior to arrival. The paired prepositional phrases epì ónon {ἐπὶ ὄνον | epì ónon} ‘upon a donkey’ and epì pôlon huión hupozygíou {ἐπὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου | epì pôlon huión hupozygíou} ‘upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’ fulfill the Zechariah 9:9 prophecy, underscoring humility and divine kingship within a single prophetic citation. |