| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the preposition meth’ {μεθʼ | meth’} 'with', which combines with the relative pronoun hēs {ἧς | hēs} 'whom' to form a relative clause referring back to the woman described in the preceding context. The finite verb eporneusan {ἐπόρνευσαν | epórneusan} 'they committed sexual immorality' takes as its subject hoi basileis {οἱ βασιλεῖς | hoi basileîs} 'the kings', further specified by the genitive phrase tēs gēs {τῆς γῆς | tēs gēs} 'of the earth', indicating that the rulers in view are worldwide rather than local. The coordinating conjunction kai {καὶ | kai} 'and' introduces a second clause with a new subject, hoi katoikountes {οἱ κατοικοῦντες | hoi katoikoûntes} 'the ones dwelling', clarified by the object tēn gēn {τὴν γῆν | tēn gēn} 'the earth', giving the sense of earth-dwellers in general. Its verb emethysthēsan {ἐμεθύσθησαν | emethýsthēsan} 'they were made drunk' is aorist passive, emphasizing that the inhabitants undergo an effect imposed upon them rather than acting independently. The prepositional phrase ek tou oinou tēs porneias autēs {ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς | ek tou oínou tēs porneías autēs} 'from the wine of her sexual immorality' expresses means or instrument, with the genitive chain tou oinou … tēs porneias functioning both to denote the source and to characterize the nature of the intoxicant. In English, the relative clause and the coordinated clause are rendered as two tightly linked statements, preserving the causal progression while adopting a clear subject–verb–object sequence. |