| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction kai {Καὶ | Kaì} ‘and’, which links this vision to the preceding revelation while introducing the apocalyptic report. The aorist verb eidon {εἶδον | eî-don} ‘I saw’ marks the onset of the vision clause. The paratactic objects ouranon kainon {οὐρανὸν καινὸν | oura-nòn kainòn} ‘a new heaven’ and gēn kainēn {γῆν καινήν | gēn kainḗn} ‘a new earth’ use noun–adjective order to heighten the sense of comprehensive renewal. In the causal clause introduced by gar {γὰρ | gàr} ‘for’, the articles ho and hē identify the compound subject ho protos ouranos {ὁ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς | ho prō-tos oura-nos} ‘the first heaven’ and hē protē gē {ἡ πρώτη γῆ | hē prṓ-tē gḗ} ‘the first earth’, with the aorist plural verb apêlthan {ἀπῆλθαν | apêl-than} ‘they went away’ signifying the definitive departure of the original creation. The final coordinating kai {καὶ | kaí} ‘and’ leads into the clause hē thalassa ouk estin eti {ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι | hē thá-las-sa ouk é-stin é-ti} ‘and the sea is not any longer’, where the present-tense description evokes a permanent absence through the negated verb ‘is not any longer’. This syntactic progression from vision-report to causal ground and then further coordinate declaration underscores the transformational character of the new creation. |