| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the imperative euphrainou {εὐφραίνου | eu-phraínou} “rejoice,” issuing an exhortation to heavenly and earthly believers. The preposition ep {ἐπʼ | ep’} plus the dative autê {αὐτῇ | autê} “over her” identifies Babylon as the object of celebration. The vocative ourané {οὐρανέ | ourané} “heaven” directly addresses the cosmic realm, followed by a coordinated series of nominative substantives: hágioi {ἅγιοι | hágioi} “holy ones,” apóstoloi {ἀπόστολοι | apóstoloi} “apostles,” and prophêtai {προφῆται | prophêtai} “prophets.” The conjunction hóti {ὅτι | hóti} introduces the cause clause, leading into ékrinen ho theós {ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς | ékrinen ho theós} “God has judged,” an aorist indicative that marks a completed divine action. The accusative object tò kríma {τὸ κρίμα | tò kríma} “the judgment” takes the genitive humôn {ὑμῶν | humôn} indicating the case brought on behalf of the addressees, and the prepositional phrase ex autês {ἐξ αὐτῆς | ex autês} conveys the adversarial source from Babylon. In translation, this relational nuance is captured by rendering ex autês as “for you against her,” thus preserving the sense of vindication alongside the cause of joy. |