| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the coordinating conjunction kai {καὶ | kai} ‘linking this passage to the prior vision.’ The aorist passive verb edothē {ἐδόθη | edó-thē} ‘it was given’ appears twice, marking both the granting of a mouth and of exousía {ἐξουσία | exousía} ‘authority,’ with the dative pronoun autō {αὐτῷ | autôi} indicating the recipient. The noun stoma {στόμα | stó-ma} serves as the subject of the participle laloûn {λαλοῦν | la-ló-oun} ‘speaking,’ which takes megála {μεγάλα | megála} and blasphemías {βλασφημίας | blasphemías} as its objects, portraying ongoing, characterizing speech. The repetition of edothē with an infinitive purpose phrase poiēsai {ποιῆσαι | poiêsai} ‘to act’ clarifies how the authority is to be exercised. Finally, the accusative time expression mēnas tessarákonta dýo {μῆνας τεσσεράκοντα δύο | mē-nas tessarákonta dý-o} specifies a bounded duration of forty-two months, a symbolic period in apocalyptic literature. The passive constructions underscore that these capacities are conferred rather than assumed. |