| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the article–particle pair tois de {τοῖς δὲ | toîs dè} ‘but for’, introducing a coordinated dative catalogue of those destined for condemnation. The series deilois {δειλοῖς | deiloîs} ‘cowardly ones’, apistois {ἀπίστοις | apístois} ‘unbelieving ones’, ebdelygmenois {ἐβδελυγμένοις | ebdelygménois} ‘detestable ones’, phoneusi {φονεῦσι | phoneûsi} ‘murderers’, pornois {πόρνοις | pórnois} ‘fornicators’, pharmakois {φαρμάκοις | pharmákois} ‘sorcerers’, eidololatrais {εἰδωλολάτραις | eidōlolátrais} ‘idolaters’, and pseudesin {ψευδέσιν | pseudésin} ‘liars’ functions as a dative of disadvantage, marking the recipients of the fate. The phrase to meros auton {τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν | tò méros autōn} ‘their portion’ serves as the subject of the implied future verb, and it is specified by the prepositional phrase en tē limnē tē kaiomenē pyri kai theiō {ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ | en tē límnē tē kaioménē pyrì kaí theíō} ‘in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur’. The articular participle kaiomenē {καιομένῃ | kaioménē} ‘burning’ functions like a defining relative clause, while the dative nouns pyri {πυρὶ | pyrì} and theiō {θείῳ | theíō} operate instrumentally to indicate the means of combustion. Finally, the relative clause ho estin ho thanatos ho deuteros {ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος | hó estin hó thánatos hó deúteros} ‘which is the second death’ equates the fiery lake with eschatological destruction, the double article conveying a formal, titular designation. |