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Grammar Analysis: Revelation 18:1-8

Theme: The fall of Babylon announcement, the call "come out of her, my people," and the judicial imperative to double back to her as she mixed.

Text

KJV (Rev 18:1-8): 1. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

Word-by-Word Parsing

Revelation 18:1

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 Μετὰ μετά G3326 PREP after
2 ταῦτα οὗτος G3778 D-APN these things
3 εἶδον ὁράω G3708 V-2AAI-1S (Aor Act Ind 1Sg) I saw
4 ἄλλον ἄλλος G243 A-ASM another
5 ἄγγελον ἄγγελος G32 N-ASM angel
6 καταβαίνοντα καταβαίνω G2597 V-PAP-ASM (Pres Act Ptcp Acc Sg M) coming down
7 ἐκ ἐκ G1537 PREP out of
8 τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐρανός G3772 N-GSM heaven
9 ἔχοντα ἔχω G2192 V-PAP-ASM (Pres Act Ptcp Acc Sg M) having
10 ἐξουσίαν ἐξουσία G1849 N-ASF authority
11 μεγάλην μέγας G3173 A-ASF great
12 ἡ γῆ γῆ G1093 N-NSF the earth
13 ἐφωτίσθη φωτίζω G5461 V-API-3S (Aor Pass Ind 3Sg) was illumined
14 ἐκ τῆς δόξης δόξα G1391 N-GSF from the glory
15 αὐτοῦ αὐτός G846 P-GSM his

Revelation 18:2

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ἔκραξεν κράζω G2896 V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind 3Sg) he cried
2 ἐν ἰσχυρᾷ φωνῇ ἰσχυρός/φωνή G2478/G5456 A-DSF / N-DSF with a mighty voice
3 λέγων λέγω G3004 V-PAP-NSM (Pres Act Ptcp Nom Sg M) saying
4 Ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν πίπτω G4098 V-2AAI-3S × 2 (Aor Act Ind 3Sg doubled) is fallen, is fallen
5 Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη Βαβυλών G897 N-NSF + A-NSF Babylon the great
6 ἐγένετο γίνομαι G1096 V-2ADI-3S (Aor Mid Ind 3Sg) she has become
7 κατοικητήριον κατοικητήριον G2732 N-NSN dwelling place
8 δαιμονίων δαιμόνιον G1140 N-GPN of demons
9 φυλακὴ φυλακή G5438 N-NSF prison/hold
10 παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου various — A-GSN + N-GSN + A-GSN every unclean spirit
11 παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου ὄρνεον G3732 N-GSN every unclean bird
12 μεμισημένου μισέω G3404 V-RPP-GSN (Perf Pass Ptcp Gen Sg N) having been hated

Revelation 18:3

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ὅτι ὅτι G3754 CONJ because
2 ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς — — stacked genitives from the wine of the wrath of her fornication
3 πέπωκαν πίνω G4095 V-RAI-3P (Perf Act Ind 3Pl) have drunk
4 πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἔθνος G1484 N-NPN all the nations
5 οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς βασιλεύς/γῆ G935/G1093 N-NPM + N-GSF the kings of the earth
6 ἐπόρνευσαν πορνεύω G4203 V-AAI-3P (Aor Act Ind 3Pl) committed fornication
7 οἱ ἔμποροι ἔμπορος G1713 N-NPM the merchants
8 ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ στρήνους αὐτῆς στρῆνος G4764 stacked genitives from the power of her luxury
9 ἐπλούτησαν πλουτέω G4147 V-AAI-3P (Aor Act Ind 3Pl) grew rich

Revelation 18:4

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ἤκουσα ἀκούω G191 V-AAI-1S (Aor Act Ind 1Sg) I heard
2 ἄλλην φωνὴν ἄλλος/φωνή G243/G5456 A-ASF + N-ASF another voice
3 λέγουσαν λέγω G3004 V-PAP-ASF (Pres Act Ptcp Acc Sg F) saying
4 Ἐξέλθατε ἐξέρχομαι G1831 V-2AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv 2Pl) Come out!
5 ὁ λαός μου λαός G2992 N-NSM (voc sense) + P-1GS my people
6 ἐξ αὐτῆς αὐτός G846 PREP + P-GSF out of her
7 ἵνα μὴ — — CONJ + PRT-N in order that not
8 συνκοινωνήσητε συγκοινωνέω G4790 V-AAS-2P (Aor Act Subj 2Pl) ye may share with
9 ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῆς ἁμαρτία G266 N-DPF in her sins
10 ἐκ τῶν πληγῶν αὐτῆς πληγή G4127 N-GPF of her plagues
11 ἵνα μὴ λάβητε λαμβάνω G2983 V-2AAS-2P (Aor Act Subj 2Pl) that ye receive not

Revelation 18:5

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ἐκολλήθησαν κολλάω G2853 V-API-3P (Aor Pass Ind 3Pl) they were joined/cleaved
2 αὐτῆς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἁμαρτία G266 N-NPF her sins
3 ἄχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐρανός G3772 ADV + N-GSM up to heaven
4 ἐμνημόνευσεν μνημονεύω G3421 V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind 3Sg) God remembered
5 ὁ Θεὸς θεός G2316 N-NSM God
6 τὰ ἀδικήματα αὐτῆς ἀδίκημα G92 N-APN her iniquities

Revelation 18:6

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ἀπόδοτε ἀποδίδωμι G591 V-2AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv 2Pl) render back!
2 αὐτῇ αὐτός G846 P-DSF to her
3 ὡς καὶ ὡς/καί G5613/G2532 ADV + CONJ even as
4 αὐτὴ ἀπέδωκεν ἀποδίδωμι G591 P-NSF + V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind 3Sg) she herself paid
5 διπλώσατε διπλόω G1363 V-AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv 2Pl) double!
6 τὰ διπλᾶ διπλοῦς G1362 A-APN the double things
7 κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς ἔργον G2041 PREP + N-APN according to her works
8 ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ ποτήριον G4221 N-DSN in the cup
9 ᾧ ἐκέρασεν ὅς / κεράννυμι G3739/G2767 R-DSN + V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind 3Sg) which she mixed
10 κεράσατε κεράννυμι G2767 V-AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv 2Pl) mix!
11 αὐτῇ διπλοῦν διπλοῦς G1362 P-DSF + A-ASN to her, a double

Revelation 18:7

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 ὅσα ὅσος G3745 K-APN (correlative) as much as
2 ἐδόξασεν αὐτὴν δοξάζω G1392 V-AAI-3S she glorified herself
3 ἐστρηνίασεν στρηνιάω G4763 V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind 3Sg) she lived luxuriously
4 τοσοῦτον τοσοῦτος G5118 D-ASM (correlative) so much
5 δότε δίδωμι G1325 V-2AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv 2Pl) give!
6 αὐτῇ βασανισμὸν βασανισμός G929 N-ASM her torment
7 πένθος πένθος G3997 N-ASN sorrow
8 ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς καρδία G2588 N-DSF in her heart
9 λέγει λέγω G3004 V-PAI-3S (Pres Act Ind 3Sg) she says
10 Κάθημαι κάθημαι G2521 V-PNI-1S (Pres Mid/Pas Ind 1Sg) I sit
11 βασίλισσα βασίλισσα G938 N-NSF a queen
12 χήρα οὐκ εἰμί χῆρος/εἰμί G5503/G1510 N-NSF + V-PAI-1S I am not a widow
13 οὐ μὴ ἴδω ὁράω G3708 PRT-N + V-2AAS-1S (Aor Subj — emphatic negation) I shall by no means see

Revelation 18:8

# Word Lemma Strong Parsing Gloss
1 διὰ τοῦτο — G1223/G3778 PREP + D-ASN on account of this
2 ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἷς/ἡμέρα G1520/G2250 A-DSF + N-DSF in one day
3 ἥξουσιν ἥκω G2240 V-FAI-3P (Fut Act Ind 3Pl) shall come
4 αἱ πληγαὶ αὐτῆς πληγή G4127 N-NPF her plagues
5 θάνατος, πένθος, λιμός θάνατος/πένθος/λιμός G2288/G3997/G3042 N-NSM/N-NSN/N-NSM death, mourning, famine
6 ἐν πυρὶ πῦρ G4442 N-DSN with fire
7 κατακαυθήσεται κατακαίω G2618 V-FPI-3S (Fut Pass Ind 3Sg) she shall be burned up
8 ἰσχυρὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἰσχυρός/κύριος/θεός G2478/G2962/G2316 A-NSM + N-NSM mighty is the Lord God
9 ὁ κρίνας αὐτήν κρίνω G2919 V-AAP-NSM (Aor Act Ptcp Nom Sg M) the one who judged her

Key Grammatical Features

1. Ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν — Doubled Aorist of Certainty (v.2)

  • Form: Second aorist active indicative, 3rd singular of πίπτω ("fall"), repeated back-to-back.
  • Significance: The repetition is a prophetic/dramatic aorist borrowed directly from Isaiah 21:9 LXX ("Πέπτωκεν πέπτωκεν Βαβυλών") and already anticipated in Rev 14:8. The aorist tense presents the fall as a completed, single-point event from the vantage of the angel — although from the reader's chronological standpoint the fall is still future. The doubling functions as an emphatic Semitic-style affirmation: not "has fallen and then fell again" but "her fall is absolutely certain." The aorist here is proleptic — an event spoken of as past because its certainty is guaranteed in the divine decree.
  • Grammar reference: See grammar-reference/greek/apocalyptic-narrative-prolepsis.md (the proleptic aorist in apocalyptic narrative).
  • Word study: word-studies/G897-babylon.md, word-studies/WG-fall.md.

2. Ἐξέλθατε — Aorist Active Imperative of Separation (v.4)

  • Form: Second aorist active imperative, 2nd plural of ἐξέρχομαι ("go out, come out"). This is a first-aorist ending (-ατε) on a second-aorist stem — a Koine-period mixed form common in Revelation.
  • Significance: The aorist imperative of motion verbs specifies a decisive, undivided action rather than progressive behavior. It is not "keep coming out over time" but "make the break, now, once." Combined with ἐξ αὐτῆς (ἐκ + genitive = separation), the command evokes LXX summons to leave Babylon (Isa 48:20; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45) and Lot's exit from Sodom (Gen 19:12 LXX). The vocative-functioning nominative ὁ λαός μου ("my people") identifies the addressees as God's own — separation is demanded from within the people who might otherwise be mistaken for Babylon's populace.
  • Grammar reference: grammar-reference/greek/mood-aorist-imperative.md.

3. ἵνα μὴ συνκοινωνήσητε / ἵνα μὴ λάβητε — Purpose Clause with Aorist Subjunctive Negation (v.4)

  • Form: ἵνα + aorist subjunctive with μή. Two parallel purpose clauses depend on "come out." συνκοινωνήσητε is from συγκοινωνέω ("share with, participate jointly"); λάβητε from λαμβάνω ("receive").
  • Significance: The aorist subjunctive with μή after ἵνα expresses the negated purpose as a bounded action to be prevented — not "lest ye habitually associate" but "lest the act of joining happen at all." The choice of συγκοινωνέω (with the συν-prefix plus a κοινων-root, "fellowship-with") is crucial: remaining geographically or socially in Babylon constitutes shared participation in her sins. Conversely, "come out" is the logical-causal separation from her ongoing business. The double ἵνα μή separates two outcomes: (a) complicity in sin, (b) exposure to plagues — showing that separation is as much protective as it is ethical.
  • Grammar reference: See grammar-reference/greek/mood-aorist-imperative.md for aorist subjunctive in purpose clauses.
  • Word study: word-studies/WG-plagues.md.

4. ἐκολλήθησαν — Aorist Passive "Stacked Up" Metaphor (v.5)

  • Form: Aorist passive indicative 3rd plural of κολλάω ("glue, cement, join"). Subject: αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς ("her sins").
  • Significance: Though the verb normally means "cleave to, stick with" (cf. Matt 19:5, "a man shall cleave to his wife"), here it carries a cumulative, architectural nuance: "her sins were joined / piled / reached" all the way up (ἄχρι) to heaven. This is almost certainly an allusion to Genesis 11:4-5 LXX (Babel's tower "to heaven"), reinforcing the Babylon-typology. The aorist passive presents the accumulation as completed — the tower of sin is now fully built. The parallel καὶ ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ Θεός ("and God remembered") is a covenantal-judicial aorist: when sins "reach heaven," the next step in the biblical pattern is God's active remembrance, which always precedes judgment (cf. Gen 8:1; Ex 2:24; Lev 26:42).
  • Grammar reference: grammar-reference/greek/aorist-passive-indicative.md.

5. ἀπόδοτε … διπλώσατε … κεράσατε — Imperative Chain of Lex Talionis (v.6)

  • Form: Three coordinated aorist active imperatives, 2nd plural:
  • ἀπόδοτε (G591, ἀποδίδωμι) — "render back, repay" — with direct object αὐτῇ ("to her")
  • διπλώσατε (G1363, διπλόω) — "double" — with cognate object τὰ διπλᾶ
  • κεράσατε (G2767, κεράννυμι) — "mix (a drink)" — with dative αὐτῇ and accusative διπλοῦν
  • Significance: This is a classic retributive chain modeled on OT talionic language (Jer 50:15, 29 LXX — "ἀπόδοτε αὐτῇ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς"; Ps 137:8). Three aspects:
  • ἀπόδοτε as comparative-symmetric talion — as (ὡς καὶ) she paid, pay her. The καί ("also, likewise") in ὡς καὶ αὐτὴ ἀπέδωκεν strengthens the equivalence.
  • διπλώσατε τὰ διπλᾶ is a cognate-accusative intensification: "double the doubles" — a Hebraism turning "repay in kind" into "repay in measure-for-measure plus a super-measure," echoing Isa 40:2 ("she hath received of the Lord's hand double") and Jer 16:18.
  • κεράσατε … διπλοῦν shifts the metaphor from payment to the mixing bowl: she who mixed wine of fornication (v.3) now has a double-strength draught mixed for her. The verb κεράννυμι properly means "to blend wine with water (or other ingredients)" — in ancient practice wine was diluted; "to mix double" means to mix it double-strength (less water, more wine — a more potent drink). The cup-of-wrath motif draws on Ps 75:8; Jer 25:15-17; Isa 51:17.
  • Who are the addressees? The 2nd-plural imperatives are unspecified — probably angelic executors of judgment, not the "my people" of v.4. The saints are told to leave; the judicial agents are told to pour.
  • Grammar reference: grammar-reference/greek/mood-aorist-imperative.md.
  • Word studies: word-studies/WG-wine.md, word-studies/G4202-porneia.md.

6. ᾧ ἐκέρασεν … κεράσατε … διπλοῦν — Relative Clause as Poetic Mirror (v.6c)

  • Form: ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ ᾧ ἐκέρασεν, κεράσατε αὐτῇ διπλοῦν. Literal word order: "in the cup [to which / in which] she mixed, mix (imperatival 2pl) to her a double."
  • Significance: The same root κεράννυμι appears twice — once as aorist indicative describing her past mixing (ἐκέρασεν, 3 sg), once as aorist imperative directed against her (κεράσατε, 2 pl). The ᾧ (dative relative pronoun, attracted to its antecedent ποτηρίῳ) creates a tight syntactic box: the very cup in which she mixed is the cup now being used to mix her double portion. This is grammatical lex talionis — the same container, the same verb, the same act — but intensified. διπλοῦν is an accusative singular adjective used substantivally ("a double [portion]"), paralleling διπλᾶ in the earlier clause and tying the strophe together.

7. ἐδόξασεν αὐτὴν … ἐστρηνίασεν — Reflexive Accusative (v.7)

  • Form: ἐδόξασεν (aorist active indicative 3sg of δοξάζω) + αὐτὴν (3rd person accusative pronoun, functioning reflexively). Literally "she glorified her[self]."
  • Significance: Koine sometimes uses the ordinary personal pronoun αὐτήν where classical Greek would prefer ἑαυτήν (the proper reflexive). The context makes the reflexive force certain — she is both subject and object. This is followed by ἐστρηνίασεν (aorist of στρηνιάω, a rare verb meaning "to live in luxury, to wax wanton"; related to στρῆνος in v.3). The pairing — self-glorification + wanton luxury — gives the moral basis for the ὅσα … τοσοῦτον correlation ("as much … so much").
  • Word study: word-studies/G897-babylon.md.

8. Κάθημαι βασίλισσα καὶ χήρα οὐκ εἰμί — Present of Settled State + Self-Quotation (v.7)

  • Form: Κάθημαι — present middle/deponent indicative 1sg ("I sit, I am seated"). εἰμί — present active indicative 1sg ("I am"). Both are presents of settled state introduced by the verb of saying λέγει.
  • Significance: Babylon's boast uses three clauses of self-assertion, each in the present tense, to express her self-perceived permanence:
  • Κάθημαι βασίλισσα — "I sit as a queen" (the verb κάθημαι carries throne-imagery; cf. Rev 17:1, the harlot "sitting" upon many waters)
  • χήρα οὐκ εἰμί — "I am not a widow"
  • πένθος οὐ μὴ ἴδω — "mourning I shall not ever see"
  • The verb κάθημαι without an explicit κάθισμα ("seat") or θρόνος conveys enthronement implicitly — she sits as if enthroned. The nominative βασίλισσα is a predicate nominative of status after κάθημαι. This self-quotation deliberately echoes Isa 47:7-8 LXX ("I shall be a sovereign forever … I shall not sit as a widow"), marking Babylon as the deliberate antitype of Tyrian / Assyrian arrogance.
  • The direct quotation is introduced by a redundant ὅτι-recitativum: λέγει ὅτι Κάθημαι … — the ὅτι functions as quotation marks, not as "because" or "that." This is normal Koine narrative style for reporting internal speech.

9. οὐ μὴ ἴδω — Emphatic Double Negation with Aorist Subjunctive (v.7)

  • Form: οὐ μή + aorist subjunctive active 1sg of ὁράω (ἴδω, from second aorist stem ιδ-).
  • Significance: The construction οὐ μή + aorist subjunctive is the strongest negation possible in Koine Greek — "I shall absolutely never see." It denies any future occurrence of the event, not merely its probability. Babylon's boast is maximally confident — and therefore maximally shattered by God's response in v.8 (ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ ἥξουσιν — "in one day her plagues shall come"). The grammar itself dramatizes the reversal: the aorist subjunctive of "seeing mourning" is negated by the future indicative of "plagues coming." Her "absolutely never" is answered by God's "in one day."

10. ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ … ἥξουσιν … κατακαυθήσεται — Temporal Dative + Contrasting Future Tenses (v.8)

  • Form:
  • ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ — dative of time within which ("in one day").
  • ἥξουσιν (future active indicative 3pl of ἥκω) — "they shall arrive/come."
  • κατακαυθήσεται (future passive indicative 3sg of κατακαίω, "burn down, consume with fire") — future passive, an example of the divine passive (passivum divinum) — God is the unstated agent.
  • Significance: ἥκω is a lexically perfective present (present form with resultative force: "I have come and am here"); in the future tense ἥξουσιν retains a nuance of decisive arrival, not slow approach — the plagues "swoop in, land." The contrast with Babylon's self-assured present Κάθημαι ("I sit") is pointed: her static enthronement meets the rushing-in of her plagues. κατακαυθήσεται with the κατα- intensifier means "utterly burned down," and the passive deflects the agent to God (made explicit in the following clause ὁ κρίνας αὐτήν — "the one who judged her"). The speed — ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ — matches the prophetic-aorist Ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν of v.2: the fall, once announced, is a single-point event.
  • Grammar reference: grammar-reference/greek/divine-passive.md for the future passive as passivum divinum.

11. ὁ κρίνας αὐτήν — Articular Aorist Participle (v.8)

  • Form: ὁ (nominative masculine article) + κρίνας (aorist active participle nominative singular masculine of κρίνω) + αὐτήν (accusative 3sf).
  • Significance: The articular participle functions substantivally in apposition to ὁ Θεός — "the God who judged her" (or "the judging-her one"). The aorist participle expresses antecedent or contemporaneous completed action relative to the main verb. Here, with the main clause being ἰσχυρὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεός (nominal sentence, "strong is the Lord God"), the aorist participle presents God's judgment of Babylon as already decided / accomplished in the divine counsel — even though her burning is still in the future tense (κατακαυθήσεται). The judgment is enacted in time, but settled in eternity.

Clause / Discourse Structure

The passage falls into four movements, tracked by the voices and the aspect shifts:

Movement 1 — Announcement (vv.1-3): - Narrative aorists εἶδον … ἔκραξεν establish the vision frame. - Participles καταβαίνοντα, ἔχοντα, λέγων give background (attendant circumstance). - The announcement itself uses the proleptic aorist (Ἔπεσεν) and perfects (πέπωκαν "have drunk," μεμισημένου "having been hated"). Perfect tenses express fixed, settled state — the nations' drunkenness and the abominations' status are not transient but established.

Movement 2 — The Call (vv.4-5): - Switches speaker: ἄλλην φωνήν ("another voice") — not the angel of v.1 but, contextually, a heavenly/divine voice (note "my people"). - Aorist imperative Ἐξέλθατε carries the weight. - ὅτι clause grounds the command in the fact that sins have "cemented up" (ἐκολλήθησαν — aorist passive, stative-resultative flavor) and God has remembered (ἐμνημόνευσεν — aorist of settled divine action).

Movement 3 — Sentence Execution (vv.6-7a): - Chain of three aorist imperatives: ἀπόδοτε … διπλώσατε … κεράσατε … δότε. The fourth (δότε from δίδωμι) closes the chain. - Each imperative is paired with a retrospective aorist describing her past deed (ἀπέδωκεν, ἐκέρασεν, ἐδόξασεν, ἐστρηνίασεν) — creating a four-fold lex talionis structure: - As she paid → pay her - In the cup she mixed → mix her a double - As she glorified and luxuriated → give her torment and sorrow

Movement 4 — Babylon's Boast and Its Reversal (vv.7b-8): - Present-tense self-quotation (λέγει / Κάθημαι / εἰμί / οὐ μὴ ἴδω) captures her permanence-illusion. - διὰ τοῦτο ("on account of this") introduces the consequence. - Future tenses (ἥξουσιν, κατακαυθήσεται) announce the answering judgment. - Closing nominal sentence (ἰσχυρὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεός) with articular aorist participle (ὁ κρίνας) grounds the certainty in God's strength and settled verdict.

Aspect summary

Aspect Where used Function in passage
Aorist indicative Narrative frame (εἶδον, ἔκραξεν, ἤκουσα); proleptic announcement (Ἔπεσεν); past deeds (ἀπέδωκεν, ἐκέρασεν) Single-point, completed events; proleptic certainty
Perfect indicative πέπωκαν (nations' drunkenness); μεμισημένου (hated state) Settled, resultant state
Present indicative Babylon's boast (Κάθημαι, εἰμί, λέγει) Claimed permanence
Aorist imperative Ἐξέλθατε (v.4); ἀπόδοτε, διπλώσατε, κεράσατε, δότε (vv.6-7) Decisive, once-for-all action
Aorist subjunctive (ἵνα μή) συνκοινωνήσητε, λάβητε (v.4) Negated purpose, bounded
Aorist subjunctive (οὐ μή) ἴδω (v.7) Emphatic denial (Babylon's)
Future indicative ἥξουσιν, κατακαυθήσεται (v.8) God's answering judgment
Aorist participle (articular) ὁ κρίνας (v.8) God as settled judge
Aorist/present participles (attributive/adverbial) καταβαίνοντα, ἔχοντα, λέγων, λέγουσαν (vv.1-4) Background / attendant circumstance

Cross-References

  • grammar-reference/greek/mood-aorist-imperative.md — aorist imperatives Ἐξέλθατε, ἀπόδοτε, διπλώσατε, κεράσατε, δότε
  • grammar-reference/greek/aorist-passive-indicative.md — ἐκολλήθησαν ("were joined/piled up"), ἐφωτίσθη ("was illumined")
  • grammar-reference/greek/divine-passive.md — κατακαυθήσεται (future passive with divine agent implied)
  • grammar-reference/greek/apocalyptic-narrative-prolepsis.md — Ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν (doubled proleptic aorist)
  • grammar-reference/greek/participle-legon-discourse.md — λέγων, λέγουσαν as discourse-introducing participles
  • grammar-reference/greek/participle-perfect-passive-state.md — μεμισημένου ("having been hated," settled state)

Word studies

  • word-studies/G897-babylon.md — Βαβυλών
  • word-studies/G4202-porneia.md — πορνεία
  • word-studies/WG-fall.md — fall (πίπτω and related)
  • word-studies/WG-fornication.md — fornication
  • word-studies/WG-plagues.md — πληγή
  • word-studies/WG-wine.md — οἶνος

OT / intertextual anchors cited by the grammar

  • Isa 21:9 LXX — "πέπτωκεν πέπτωκεν Βαβυλών" (source of the doubled verb in v.2).
  • Isa 47:7-8 LXX — "I shall be a sovereign forever … I shall not sit as a widow" (source of Babylon's self-quotation in v.7).
  • Isa 48:20; Jer 50:8; 51:6, 45 — the LXX "come out of her" summons (source of v.4's imperative).
  • Jer 50:15, 29 LXX — "ἀπόδοτε αὐτῇ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς" (source of the talionic chain in v.6).
  • Isa 40:2; Jer 16:18 — the "double" motif.
  • Gen 11:4-5 LXX — sins / tower reaching "to heaven" (ἄχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ in v.5).
  • Ps 75:8; Jer 25:15-17; Isa 51:17 — the cup-of-wrath imagery.

Source: D:/bible/tools/greek/greek_parser.py for parsing; D:/bible/tools/data/kjv.txt for English text. All parsings verified tool-side.