| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of two coordinated clauses joined by kai {καὶ | kaí}, forming a sequence of judgment and its aftermath. The subject of the first clause is hoi loipoi {οἱ λοιποὶ | hoí loipoí} ‘the rest’, referring to those not already destroyed in the preceding context. The aorist passive verb apektanthēsan {ἀπεκτάνθησαν | apektánthēsan} presents their death as a completed act, with the passive implying divine agency behind the judgment. The prepositional phrase en tē romphaia {ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ | en tē rhomphaíā} functions instrumentally, indicating the means by which they were killed. This instrument is further specified by the genitive tou kathēmenou epi tou hippou {τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου | toû kathēménou epí tou híppou}, linking the sword to the rider on the horse. The dative participle tē exelthousē ek tou stomatos autou {τῇ ἐξελθούσῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ | tē exelthoúsē ek tou stómatos autoû} adjectivally describes the sword as coming from His mouth, symbolizing the power of His spoken word. The second clause’s subject, panta ta ornea {πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα | pánta tá órnea} ‘all the birds’, with echortasthēsan {ἐχορτάσθησαν | ekhortásthēsan} and the prepositional phrase ek tōn sarkōn autōn {ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν | ek tōn sarkṓn autṓn}, depicts the birds gorged on the flesh of the slain, emphasizing the completeness and humiliation of the defeat. The formal reconstruction retains the participial and prepositional structure to reflect the original syntax and theological emphasis. |