| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the subject–relative clause complex τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδες ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ μέλλει ἀναβαίνειν ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου, where the relative clause ὃ εἶδες modifies τὸ θηρίον and the sequence of verbs ἦν, οὐκ ἔστιν, μέλλει ἀναβαίνειν forms a threefold temporal description of the beast’s past, present, and imminent future. The periphrastic construction μέλλει {μέλλει | mél-lei} + infinitive ἀναβαίνειν highlights an impending action rather than a simple future. The coordinated clause καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ὑπάγει adds the ultimate destiny of the beast, with the prepositional phrase εἰς ἀπώλειαν foregrounding its end in destruction.
A new clause follows with καὶ θαυμασθήσονται οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, where the future passive θαυμασθήσονται depicts the earth-dwellers as undergoing an internal reaction of astonishment. The substantival participle οἱ κατοικοῦντες functions as the subject, further defined by the genitive relative clause ὧν οὐ γέγραπται τὸ ὄνομα ἐπὶ τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς. This genitive relative clause restricts the group to those “whose name has not been written,” using the perfect passive form γέγραπται {γέγραπται | gé-grap-tai} to stress a completed and enduring state of non-inscription. The temporal prepositional phrase ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου locates this state “from the foundation of the world,” implying a long-standing, even primordial, book of life, with ζωῆς {ζωῆς | zō-ēs} “of life” specifying its saving character.
The genitive participial phrase βλεπόντων τὸ θηρίον ὅτι ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ παρέσται depends on ὧν, indicating what these people are doing as they marvel: they are “seeing the beast” and apprehending its paradoxical timeline, expressed again by the triad ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ παρέσται. This repetition creates a rhythmic, almost liturgical formula that underlines the mysterious, deceptive character of the beast’s career. In English, the translation preserves the repeated verbal pattern (“was, and is not, and will be present”) and maintains the participial structure (“seeing the beast”) to reflect the close link between perception and astonishment in the Greek discourse. |