| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the nominative phrase hoi loipoi ton nekron {οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν νεκρῶν | hoí loipoí tôn nekrôn} “the rest of the dead,” where the adjective loipoi functions substantivally and is limited by the genitive tōn nekrōn, marking this group as the remaining portion of all the dead. The finite verb ezēsan {ἔζησαν | ézēsan} “they lived” is negated by ouk {οὐκ | ouk}, forming the main clause “the rest of the dead did not live.” This clause is temporally bounded by the conjunction achri {ἄχρι | áchri} followed by the aorist passive subjunctive telesthē {τελεσθῇ | telesthḗ}, which together introduce a temporal “until” clause: “until the thousand years were completed.” In this subordinate clause, ta chilia etē {τὰ χίλια ἔτη | tà chília étē} “the thousand years” functions as the logical subject of the passive verb telesthē, with the aorist subjunctive portraying the completion of a divinely determined span of time. The second sentence, haute hē anastasis hē prōtē {αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη | haútē hē anástasis hē prṓtē}, is an equative clause lacking an explicit copula, which must be supplied in translation as “is.” The demonstrative haute placed first gives prominence to identification: “this” (earlier resurrection just described in the broader context) “is the first resurrection,” with the attributive adjective prōtē marked by the article hē to define the resurrection’s unique rank and priority. The Greek word order foregrounds the temporal limit (“until the thousand years were completed”) and then the qualitative designation (“the first resurrection”), underscoring both delay for “the rest of the dead” and the distinctive status of the earlier resurrection. |