Grammar Analysis: Revelation 19:6–9¶

Overview¶

The climactic hallelujah-chorus and wedding-announcement of the Apocalypse. Following the fall of Babylon (Rev 17–18) and the double heavenly Hallelujah over her judgment (19:1–5), the scene pivots in v. 6 from destruction to consummation — from "Babylon the harlot" to "the wife of the Lamb" (γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, v. 7). The passage resolves into the fourth beatitude of the book (v. 9) and a divine-speech authentication formula ("these are the true words of God").

Structural panels:

v. 6 — Seer hears a threefold-simile heavenly voice ("as voice of great crowd / as voice of many waters / as voice of mighty thunders") with a participial speech-frame (λεγόντων) introducing the direct-speech Hallelujah and its ὅτι-grounded acclamation: "for the Lord God, the Almighty, has begun-to-reign (ἐβασίλευσεν)".
v. 7 — Two first-person-plural present subjunctives (hortatory) + one future indicative summon the heavenly community to rejoice, with ὅτι-clause grounding: the marriage of the Lamb has come (ἦλθεν) and his wife has prepared herself (ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν — reflexive).
v. 8 — Divine passive (ἐδόθη αὐτῇ) + ἵνα-purpose subjunctive (περιβάληται — middle) clothes the bride; a narrator γάρ-gloss (not the voice of v. 6–7) decodes the symbol: "the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints".
v. 9 — The speech-situation shifts from heard-crowd-voice to a direct interlocutor ("he says to me") — presumably the interpreting angel first introduced in 17:1. Aorist imperative Γράψον commands the seer; makarism predicates blessedness on those having-been-called (κεκλημένοι — perfect passive participle) to the marriage supper; a second "he says to me" caps the speech with a divine-speech authentication formula.

Genre: heavenly-liturgy oracle inside an apocalyptic vision-report, with an embedded beatitude and a meta-textual authentication clause.

Text¶

Verse 6¶

Greek (NA/Byzantine): Καὶ ἤκουσα ὡς φωνὴν ὄχλου πολλοῦ καὶ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῶν ἰσχυρῶν, λεγόντων Ἁλληλουϊά, ὅτι ἐβασίλευσεν Κύριος ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν ὁ Παντοκράτωρ.

KJV: And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Verse 7¶

Greek: χαίρωμεν καὶ ἀγαλλιῶμεν, καὶ δώσομεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἦλθεν ὁ γάμος τοῦ Ἀρνίου, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν,

KJV: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Verse 8¶

Greek: καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῇ ἵνα περιβάληται βύσσινον λαμπρὸν καθαρόν· τὸ γὰρ βύσσινον τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν.

KJV: And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Verse 9¶

Greek: Καὶ λέγει μοι Γράψον Μακάριοι οἱ εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου κεκλημένοι. καὶ λέγει μοι Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν.

KJV: And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Word-by-Word Parsing¶

Revelation 19:6¶

#	Word	Lemma	Strong	Parsing	Gloss
1	Καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
2	ἤκουσα	ἀκούω	G191	V-AAI-1S	I heard
3	ὡς	ὡς	G5613	ADV	as / like
4	φωνὴν	φωνή	G5456	N-ASF	voice (acc.)
5	ὄχλου	ὄχλος	G3793	N-GSM	of a crowd
6	πολλοῦ	πολύς	G4183	A-GSM	great
7	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
8	ὡς	ὡς	G5613	ADV	as
9	φωνὴν	φωνή	G5456	N-ASF	voice (acc.)
10	ὑδάτων	ὕδωρ	G5204	N-GPN	of waters
11	πολλῶν	πολύς	G4183	A-GPN	many
12	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
13	ὡς	ὡς	G5613	ADV	as
14	φωνὴν	φωνή	G5456	N-ASF	voice (acc.)
15	βροντῶν	βροντή	G1027	N-GPF	of thunders
16	ἰσχυρῶν	ἰσχυρός	G2478	A-GPF	mighty
17	λεγόντων	λέγω	G3004	V-PAP-GPM	saying (pres. act. ptcp., gen. pl. masc.)
18	Ἁλληλουϊά	ἁλληλουϊά	G239	HEB (indecl. Hebrew loanword)	Hallelujah
19	ὅτι	ὅτι	G3754	CONJ	because / that
20	ἐβασίλευσεν	βασιλεύω	G936	V-AAI-3S	has begun-to-reign (ingressive aorist)
21	Κύριος	κύριος	G2962	N-NSM	Lord
22	ὁ	ὁ	G3588	T-NSM	the
23	Θεός	θεός	G2316	N-NSM	God
24	ἡμῶν	ἐγώ	G1473	P-1GP	our
25	ὁ	ὁ	G3588	T-NSM	the
26	Παντοκράτωρ	παντοκράτωρ	G3841	N-NSM	Almighty

Revelation 19:7¶

#	Word	Lemma	Strong	Parsing	Gloss
1	χαίρωμεν	χαίρω	G5463	V-PAS-1P	let us rejoice (pres. act. subj., 1 pl.)
2	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
3	ἀγαλλιῶμεν	ἀγαλλιάω	G21	V-PAS-1P	let us be glad (pres. act. subj., 1 pl.)
4	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
5	δώσομεν	δίδωμι	G1325	V-FAI-1P	we will give (future act. ind., 1 pl.)
6	τὴν	ὁ	G3588	T-ASF	the
7	δόξαν	δόξα	G1391	N-ASF	glory (acc.)
8	αὐτῷ	αὐτός	G846	P-DSM	to him
9	ὅτι	ὅτι	G3754	CONJ	because
10	ἦλθεν	ἔρχομαι	G2064	V-2AAI-3S	has come (2nd aor. act. ind.)
11	ὁ	ὁ	G3588	T-NSM	the
12	γάμος	γάμος	G1062	N-NSM	marriage / wedding
13	τοῦ	ὁ	G3588	T-GSN	of the
14	Ἀρνίου	ἀρνίον	G721	N-GSN	Lamb
15	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
16	ἡ	ὁ	G3588	T-NSF	the
17	γυνὴ	γυνή	G1135	N-NSF	wife / woman
18	αὐτοῦ	αὐτός	G846	P-GSN	his
19	ἡτοίμασεν	ἑτοιμάζω	G2090	V-AAI-3S	has prepared (aor. act. ind.)
20	ἑαυτήν	ἑαυτοῦ	G1438	F-3ASF	herself (reflexive)

Revelation 19:8¶

#	Word	Lemma	Strong	Parsing	Gloss
1	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
2	ἐδόθη	δίδωμι	G1325	V-API-3S	it was granted (aor. pass. ind. — divine passive)
3	αὐτῇ	αὐτός	G846	P-DSF	to her
4	ἵνα	ἵνα	G2443	CONJ	that (purpose/content)
5	περιβάληται	περιβάλλω	G4016	V-2AMS-3S	she might clothe herself (aor. mid. subj.)
6	βύσσινον	βύσσινος	G1039	A-ASN	fine-linen (acc., substantival)
7	λαμπρὸν	λαμπρός	G2986	A-ASN	bright / shining
8	καθαρόν	καθαρός	G2513	A-ASN	clean / pure
9	τὸ	ὁ	G3588	T-NSN	the
10	γὰρ	γάρ	G1063	CONJ	for (explanatory)
11	βύσσινον	βύσσινος	G1039	A-NSN	fine-linen (nom., substantival)
12	τὰ	ὁ	G3588	T-NPN	the
13	δικαιώματα	δικαίωμα	G1345	N-NPN	righteous-deeds / righteous-requirements
14	τῶν	ὁ	G3588	T-GPM	of the
15	ἁγίων	ἅγιος	G40	A-GPM	saints (substantival)
16	ἐστίν	εἰμί	G1510	V-PAI-3S	is

Revelation 19:9¶

#	Word	Lemma	Strong	Parsing	Gloss
1	Καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
2	λέγει	λέγω	G3004	V-PAI-3S	he says (historical/narrative present)
3	μοι	ἐγώ	G1473	P-1DS	to me
4	Γράψον	γράφω	G1125	V-AAM-2S	write! (aor. act. impv., 2 sg.)
5	Μακάριοι	μακάριος	G3107	A-NPM	blessed (nom. pl. masc., substantival-predicate)
6	οἱ	ὁ	G3588	T-NPM	the ones
7	εἰς	εἰς	G1519	PREP	to / unto
8	τὸ	ὁ	G3588	T-ASN	the
9	δεῖπνον	δεῖπνον	G1173	N-ASN	supper / banquet
10	τοῦ	ὁ	G3588	T-GSM	of the
11	γάμου	γάμος	G1062	N-GSM	wedding
12	τοῦ	ὁ	G3588	T-GSN	of the
13	Ἀρνίου	ἀρνίον	G721	N-GSN	Lamb
14	κεκλημένοι	καλέω	G2564	V-RPP-NPM	having been called (perf. pass. ptcp., nom. pl. masc.)
15	καὶ	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
16	λέγει	λέγω	G3004	V-PAI-3S	he says
17	μοι	ἐγώ	G1473	P-1DS	to me
18	Οὗτοι	οὗτος	G3778	D-NPM	these
19	οἱ	ὁ	G3588	T-NPM	the
20	λόγοι	λόγος	G3056	N-NPM	words / sayings
21	ἀληθινοὶ	ἀληθινός	G228	A-NPM	true / genuine
22	τοῦ	ὁ	G3588	T-GSM	of the
23	Θεοῦ	θεός	G2316	N-GSM	God
24	εἰσιν	εἰμί	G1510	V-PAI-3P	are

(Word-by-word data directly from python greek_parser.py --verse "REV 19:6/7/8/9".)

Clause Structure¶

v. 6 — four clauses¶

Main: Καὶ ἤκουσα [ὡς φωνὴν ὄχλου πολλοῦ καὶ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῶν ἰσχυρῶν] — aorist-indicative narrative spine (ἤκουσα, the seer's characteristic "I heard" of Revelation). Direct object = threefold ὡς-simile φωνὴν chain.
Participial speech-frame: λεγόντων — genitive plural agreeing by sense with the collective-crowd referent (the accusative φωνήν is grammatically feminine singular; ἀνθρώπων/ὄχλων is the implied notional antecedent). See Key Feature 1 below: concord-by-sense.
Direct-speech Hallelujah: Ἁλληλουϊά (indeclinable Hebrew loanword, morph tag HEB).
ὅτι-ground: ἐβασίλευσεν Κύριος ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν ὁ Παντοκράτωρ — the acclamation's reason; single main verb ἐβασίλευσεν with a triple-titled subject in predicative succession.

v. 7 — three main clauses + one ὅτι-subordinate containing two clauses¶

Main 1 (hortatory subj.): χαίρωμεν — "let us rejoice"
Main 2 (hortatory subj.): ἀγαλλιῶμεν — "let us be glad"
Main 3 (future ind.): δώσομεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτῷ — "we will give him the glory" (functioning as a volitive future; see Key Feature 3)
ὅτι-ground containing two clauses:
ἦλθεν ὁ γάμος τοῦ Ἀρνίου — "the wedding of the Lamb has come"
ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν — "his wife has prepared herself" (reflexive direct object)

v. 8 — two clauses joined by γάρ¶

Clause 1: καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῇ ἵνα περιβάληται βύσσινον λαμπρὸν καθαρόν — impersonal passive main verb + ἵνα + middle subjunctive (content/purpose). The ἵνα-clause fills the semantic slot of what-was-granted (epexegetic). βύσσινον λαμπρὸν καθαρόν is a substantival adjective string, not a noun phrase with a head noun.
Clause 2 (γάρ-explanatory narrator's aside): τὸ βύσσινον τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἁγίων ἐστίν — articular subject + articular predicate nominative plural (τὰ δικαιώματα, pl.) with singular copula ἐστίν. The singular copula with plural predicate is regular when the subject (τὸ βύσσινον, neuter sg.) is singular. Classic allegorical-identification formula (X is Y = X means Y), paralleling Rev 1:20; 5:6; 5:8; 17:9, 12, 15.

v. 9 — four clauses¶

Clause 1: Καὶ λέγει μοι — narrative/historical present λέγει, the signature Apocalyptic speech-introduction formula.
Clause 2 (direct speech imperative): Γράψον — 2 sg. aorist active imperative.
Clause 3 (direct speech — the beatitude): Μακάριοι οἱ εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου κεκλημένοι — verbless makarism formula: Μακάριοι (predicate adjective, nom. pl. m.) + οἱ … κεκλημένοι (articular perfect-passive participle used substantivally). The whole εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον … Ἀρνίου prepositional phrase intrudes between the article οἱ and its participle κεκλημένοι — classic Greek attributive-position embedding.
Clause 4 (second speech-introduction + authentication formula): καὶ λέγει μοι Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν — nominal-identification clause with demonstrative subject Οὗτοι, articular subject-complement οἱ λόγοι … τοῦ Θεοῦ, anarthrous predicate adjective ἀληθινοὶ, and explicit copula εἰσιν.

Key Grammatical Features¶

1. λεγόντων — genitive-masculine participle after accusative-feminine noun (v. 6) — concord-by-sense¶

Form: V-PAP-GPM — present active participle, genitive plural masculine, lemma λέγω.
Grammatical "problem": The immediate antecedent φωνήν is accusative feminine singular. The only plural antecedents in the simile chain are ὄχλου (gen. sg. m.), ὑδάτων (gen. pl. n.), βροντῶν (gen. pl. f.) — none gen. pl. m. exactly. Yet the participle is gen. pl. m.
Resolution: Constructio ad sensum — the participle agrees by sense with the implied referent "the people of the crowd / the mass of speakers" (notionally masculine-plural persons), not with any surface case-matched noun. Rev does this repeatedly: see Rev 4:8 (neuter-sg. ζῷα referred to by masc.-pl. ptcp. λέγοντες in many MSS); Rev 7:9–10 (acc. ὄχλον answered by κράζουσιν); Rev 11:15 (nom.-pl. φωναί followed by masc.-pl. participial agreement); Rev 19:14 (neut. στρατεύματα followed by masc. ἐνδεδυμένοι).
Exegetical consequence: the threefold-ὡς simile (crowd / waters / thunders) is not describing three acoustic phenomena speaking — only the first (the crowd) is the speaker. The gen.-pl.-masc. participle selects the human-crowd antecedent from the triad. The waters-and-thunders terms are acoustic comparanda for the volume, not the speakers.
Grammar reference: concord-shift-neuter-to-masculine covers the gender-shift-by-sense category; this verse is the canonical gender-and-case-shift example.

2. ἐβασίλευσεν — ingressive aorist (v. 6)¶

Form: V-AAI-3S of βασιλεύω "to reign, be king". Aorist active indicative.
Significance: The aorist of an inherently stative verb (βασιλεύω = "to be king / to reign") characteristically functions as an ingressive aorist: "he began to reign / has taken up his reign / has entered into his kingly rule". KJV "reigneth" conceals the aorist; NASB/NET "has begun to reign" / "began to reign" is the grammatically weighted rendering. Compare Rev 11:17 (ἐβασίλευσας in the 7th-trumpet Hallelujah, same form, 2 sg.) — the same ingressive sense anchors both triumph-hymns.
The ingressive aorist locates the transition point: from "the kingdom of the world" (11:15 perf. ἐγένετο) to "the reign is-taken-up". In narrative-apocalyptic frame, it marks the eschatological accession moment.
Grammar-library gap: no canonical entry for "ingressive aorist" yet. Flagged.

3. χαίρωμεν / ἀγαλλιῶμεν — hortatory (cohortative) present subjunctives (v. 7)¶

Form: V-PAS-1P for both. Present active subjunctive, 1 pl. Paired as synonymous "rejoice and be glad" — the standard LXX/NT hendiadys for festive celebration (cf. Matt 5:12 χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε; 1 Pet 1:8; 4:13).
Function: Hortatory subjunctive (also called "volitive subjunctive") — the 1st-person-plural subjunctive is Greek's normal way of expressing "let us X"; there is no dedicated cohortative mood in Greek as there is in Hebrew. The present (vs. aorist) tense-stem is aspectually imperfective — "let us be rejoicing / keep on rejoicing". For a sustained festal action this is the expected stem.
Semitic background: Matches the Hebrew 1cp cohortative form נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה "let us rejoice and be glad" (Isa 25:9; Ps 118:24). The chorus in v. 7 is deliberately echoing the OT eschatological-banquet celebration vocabulary in Greek dress.
Grammar-library gap: no canonical "hortatory subjunctive" entry yet. Flagged.

4. δώσομεν — future indicative as continuation of hortatory series (v. 7)¶

Form: V-FAI-1P of δίδωμι — future active indicative, 1 pl.
Function: The future indicative in the third member of a volitive series after two hortatory subjunctives is best read as a volitive future — "and we will give him the glory" in the sense "and let us give…". This assimilation of futures into volitional series is common NT-Koine usage (cf. Matt 5:48 ἔσεσθε, Rom 6:2 ζήσομεν). Some manuscripts (א A) read δῶμεν (aor. act. subj., 1 pl. — "let us give"), harmonizing the series to three subjunctives; the majority reading δώσομεν is preferred as the lectio difficilior.
Exegetical consequence: The textual-variant and the grammatical flexibility both reflect the same reality — the three verbs form a single volitive triad, however the final member is morphologically marked.

5. ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν — aorist active + reflexive object (v. 7)¶

Form: V-AAI-3S of ἑτοιμάζω "to prepare" + F-3ASF ἑαυτήν "herself" (reflexive pronoun, 3rd person, acc. sg. fem.).
Significance: Active voice with reflexive object — "she prepared herself". The bride is the agent of her own readiness. This is theologically striking in light of v. 8, where the clothing is given by divine passive (ἐδόθη). The grammar holds two complementary truths in adjacent clauses:
v. 7 — the bride prepared herself (human agency, reflexive).
v. 8 — it was granted to her that she might clothe herself (divine gift + middle subjunctive).
The pairing is resolved by v. 8's γάρ-gloss equating the fine linen with τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἁγίων — the bride's "self-preparation" is the righteous deeds she has done, and those deeds are themselves granted by God (ἐδόθη). The grammar mirrors the Phil 2:12–13 pattern ("work out your own salvation… for God is the one working in you").
Compare Greek middle alternative: the writer could have written ἡτοιμάσατο "she prepared herself" in the middle voice. He used the active + reflexive instead, which emphasizes the bride as subject-and-object distinctly — her agency is foregrounded more emphatically than a bare middle would have.

6. ἐδόθη — divine passive (v. 8)¶

Form: V-API-3S of δίδωμι — aorist passive indicative, 3 sg. "it was given / it was granted".
Function: Textbook divine passive (passivum divinum). No expressed agent; God is the implied giver; context (marriage-of-the-Lamb consummation) makes the divine agency unambiguous. ἐδόθη is Revelation's signature divine-passive form — it occurs 22× in the book (e.g. Rev 6:2, 4, 8; 7:2; 9:1, 3, 5; 11:1, 2; 13:5, 7, 14, 15; 16:8; 19:8; 20:4). Each occurrence signals something permitted-by-divine-decree within the apocalyptic drama.
Here the construction is impersonal ("it was granted to her that…"), with the content-purpose being filled by the ἵνα-clause. This is identical in form to Rev 6:4 ἐδόθη αὐτῷ… ἵνα "it was given to him that…".
Grammar reference: divine-passive — canonical entry; this is example Rev 19:8. Also aorist-passive-indicative for the morphology.

7. ἵνα περιβάληται — ἵνα + aorist middle subjunctive (v. 8)¶

Form: ἵνα (G2443) + V-2AMS-3S of περιβάλλω (G4016) "to clothe (around)".
Voice: Middle (not passive). περιβάλλομαι in the middle = "I clothe myself / put on (clothing)". Not "she should be clothed" (passive sense) but "she should clothe herself" — she is the agent of her own dressing, though the clothing itself was given to her.
Function of ἵνα: Content/epexegetic ἵνα — the ἵνα-clause fills the semantic content of what was granted. ἵνα with subjunctive here is substantival (the thing-granted) rather than purely telic (in order that). Compare Rev 6:4, 9:5, 13:12, etc., where ἐδόθη + ἵνα fuses "grant-permission" with content-specification.
Aspect: Aorist stem — perfective/constative; the single dressing-event (not an ongoing habit).
The combination of divine passive (ἐδόθη) + middle subjunctive (περιβάληται) is theologically precise: the bride's dressing-action is her own (middle), but the occasion/possibility/the clothing itself is the divine grant (passive). See also the reflexive ἑαυτήν of v. 7 — three different grammatical strategies, all pointing to the same human-divine cooperation in the bride's readiness.

8. τὸ γὰρ βύσσινον τὰ δικαιώματα … ἐστίν — allegorical-identification formula (v. 8)¶

Form: Articular neuter-singular substantival adjective τὸ βύσσινον (subject, "the fine-linen") + articular neuter-plural predicate nominative τὰ δικαιώματα τῶν ἁγίων + singular copula ἐστίν.
Narrator's aside (γάρ): The voice shifts. vv. 6–7 are spoken by the heavenly multitude; v. 8a continues the narrator's description; v. 8b is a parenthetical γάρ-explanation in John's own interpretive voice. Revelation does this repeatedly — e.g. Rev 1:20 (John's Lord identifies symbols); 5:6 (seer's description + parenthetical identification of horns/eyes); 17:9 ("this calls for wisdom"), 17:12, 15 (explicit symbol-decoding). The γάρ-aside in 19:8 is of this decoding type.
Singular verb with plural predicate: ἐστίν agrees with the subject τὸ βύσσινον (sg.), not with the predicate τὰ δικαιώματα (pl.). This is regular Greek. The effect is to identify one symbol with one abstract collection ("the fine linen [as a whole] is-equivalent-to the righteous-deeds").
δικαιώματα pl. — concrete "righteous-deeds / righteous-acts" (plural abstract → concrete), not the abstract "righteousness" (δικαιοσύνη, G1343). The word G1345-dikaioma ranges from "ordinance/legal-statute" (Rom 1:32; 2:26; 8:4; Heb 9:1, 10; Luke 1:6) to "righteous-act" (Rom 5:18; Rev 15:4; 19:8) to "verdict/acquittal-act" (Rom 5:16). Here the plural with τῶν ἁγίων makes it concrete deeds by/of the saints.
Genitive τῶν ἁγίων: ambiguous between subjective ("the righteous-deeds done-by the saints") and possessive/pertinence ("the righteous-deeds pertaining-to / belonging-to the saints"). Given the reflexive self-preparation of v. 7, the subjective genitive is most natural — deeds done by the saints. The divine-passive of v. 8a and the γάρ-aside together require the source of these deeds to be God's grant, even while the doer is the saint.
Word-study: G1345-dikaioma — canonical entry; this is the climactic Revelation occurrence.

9. Γράψον — aorist active imperative (v. 9)¶

Form: V-AAM-2S of γράφω. Aorist active imperative, 2 sg. — "Write!"
Function: A command for a single act (the writing-down of the beatitude that follows). Aorist imperatives typically command a specific punctiliar action; present imperatives command habitual/ongoing action. Rev uses Γράψον repeatedly as the inspired-dictation formula: Rev 1:11, 19; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5 — each time a specific declaration follows which John is to inscribe. The formula authenticates the following speech as canonical / to be written / authoritative.
Grammar reference: mood-aorist-imperative — canonical entry covers the punctiliar-command function; Rev 19:9 is a paradigmatic "write this down" dictation-imperative.
Word study: G1125-grapho.

10. Μακάριοι … κεκλημένοι — makarism with perfect passive participle (v. 9)¶

Form: Verbless beatitude. Μακάριοι (A-NPM, predicate adjective, nom. pl. masc.) + οἱ … κεκλημένοι (articular substantival perfect passive participle, V-RPP-NPM, nom. pl. masc., lemma καλέω).
Beatitude formula: Standard NT makarism pattern — "Blessed [are] those who …". Revelation has seven beatitudes (Rev 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14); 19:9 is the fourth. Each is verbless predication with Μακάριοι/Μακάριος fronted for emphasis.
κεκλημένοι — perfect passive participle: The perfect-tense stem of the participle denotes a completed past action with present-enduring result. "Those who have-been-called (and therefore stand-as-called)". The passive voice conceals the agent — another divine passive: God is the caller. The substantival article οἱ turns the whole construction into a noun phrase ("the ones-who-have-been-called").
Attributive position: The prepositional phrase εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου sits between the article οἱ and its participle κεκλημένοι — classic first-attributive-position embedding. The article's scope gathers the entire prepositional phrase under the participle's headship.
Compare the Synoptic wedding-feast parables: κεκλημένοι is the standard participle used in Matt 22:3, 4, 8; Luke 14:7, 8, 10, 17, 24 for "the invited" to wedding feasts. The form in Rev 19:9 is deliberately echoing Jesus' parables — the ones from the parables who accepted the invitation and made it to the feast.
Grammar reference: participle-perfect-passive-state — canonical entry; Rev 19:9 is an explicit example case.
Word study: G3107-makarios (if exists — flagged as gap otherwise); G2564-kaleo (gap); G1173-deipnon (gap); G721-arnion — canonical entry exists.

11. τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου — triple-stacked genitive chain (v. 9)¶

Form: N-ASN τὸ δεῖπνον "the supper" + N-GSM τοῦ γάμου "of the wedding" + N-GSN τοῦ Ἀρνίου "of the Lamb". Three nouns, two genitive-dependency layers.
Structure: "The supper [belonging-to the wedding [of the Lamb]]". γάμος is itself genitively dependent on δεῖπνον; Ἀρνίου is genitively dependent on γάμος. Each genitive names the occasion/owner of the preceding noun. Compare v. 7 ὁ γάμος τοῦ Ἀρνίου (simple) → v. 9 τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου (extended).
Significance: γάμος (G1062) = the whole marriage-ceremony/wedding-festival-period; δεῖπνον (G1173) = the specific banquet-meal within that festival. The seven-day Jewish wedding-feast (cf. Gen 29:27; Judg 14:10–17; Tob 11:18) had a δεῖπνον as its central meal; γάμος named the whole festive complex. So δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου = "the banquet proper of the wedding" — the culminating meal, not the whole festival.
Semitic / OT background: The triple-stacked genitive ("X of Y of Z") is native Greek idiom but echoes Hebrew construct-chains. The motif of a banquet of the wedding of the messianic figure traces back through Isa 25:6 (YHWH's mountain-banquet for all peoples) and Jesus' parables (Matt 22:1–14; Luke 14:15–24).
Grammar reference gap: no canonical "stacked genitive chain" entry.

12. Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν — authentication formula (v. 9)¶

Form: Demonstrative-subject nominal clause: Οὗτοι (D-NPM) + οἱ λόγοι (articular N-NPM) + ἀληθινοὶ (anarthrous predicate adjective A-NPM) + τοῦ Θεοῦ (genitive modifier) + εἰσιν (V-PAI-3P copula).
Word-order analysis: The predicate adjective ἀληθινοὶ stands between the articular subject-phrase (οἱ λόγοι … τοῦ Θεοῦ) and the copula εἰσιν. This is the anarthrous-predicate-adjective pattern: "These-the-words-are true-of-God". Greek routinely signals the predicate by not giving it an article when the subject has one.
Function: An authentication/authorization formula — a meta-textual seal placed on the beatitude that precedes it. Revelation uses this formula twice more with minor variation:
Rev 21:5 — οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί εἰσιν (the throne-speech "behold, I make all things new").
Rev 22:6 — οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί (the book-closing statement).
Each instance certifies a preceding speech-act as genuine divine speech, faithfully transmitted.
ἀληθινός (G228) vs ἀληθής (G227): ἀληθινός = "genuine, real, authentic, corresponding-to-reality" (not merely "not-false"). It denotes the real thing as opposed to the imitation. Used of Christ (John 1:9; 6:32; 15:1), of God (John 17:3; 1 Thess 1:9), of the heavenly sanctuary (Heb 8:2; 9:24), and of the divine words (Rev 19:9; 21:5; 22:6).
Significance: The formula does double duty — it certifies the beatitude of v. 9a, and by extension (as a self-reflexive Apocalyptic authentication) it anchors the chain back through the hallelujah oracle of vv. 6–8. The narrator's γάρ-gloss in v. 8b is absorbed under this same authentication umbrella.

Discourse Structure¶

Segment	Speaker	Speech-introduction	Verb type(s)	Function
v. 6a	Seer	ἤκουσα (main-line)	aor. ind.	vision-report (heard)
v. 6b	Heavenly voice	λεγόντων (ptcp. frame)	pres. ptcp. → ὅτι + aor.	acclamation
v. 7	Heavenly voice (continuing)	—	2× pres. subj. + fut. ind. + ὅτι + aor.	festal summons + ground
v. 8a	Narrator	—	aor. pass. + ἵνα + aor. mid. subj.	report of grant
v. 8b	John (γάρ-aside)	τὸ γάρ	pres. ind. copula	allegorical gloss
v. 9a	Interpreting angel	Καὶ λέγει μοι (hist. pres.)	aor. impv. + makarism + perf. pass. ptcp.	dictation-beatitude
v. 9b	Interpreting angel	καὶ λέγει μοι (hist. pres.)	pres. ind. copula	authentication formula

Seams: - v. 6 → v. 7: continuous voice (crowd-chorus), no new speech-frame needed; the ὅτι-ground of v. 6 transitions into the hortatory 1 pl. of v. 7 without break. - v. 7 → v. 8a: the narrator's voice takes over; the subject shifts from "we" (chorus) to "her" (the bride); the verb shifts from volitive to divine-passive. - v. 8a → v. 8b: γάρ-parenthesis by John; copula-ἐστίν allegorical identification. - v. 8b → v. 9a: Καὶ λέγει μοι — full speaker-change; new interlocutor (interpreting angel); new speech-mode (direct 2 sg. dictation). - v. 9a → v. 9b: the repeated καὶ λέγει μοι resets the frame for the authentication-formula; it is a separate speech-act, not a continuation of the beatitude.

Key Word-Level Observations¶

Ἁλληλουϊά (G239, v. 6)¶

Indeclinable Hebrew loanword הַלְלוּיָהּ ("praise [imperative pl.] + Yah"). Morph tag HEB (parser's Hebraism category). Occurs in the NT only in Rev 19:1, 3, 4, 6 — four times, clustered in this single oracle. The LXX uses it as a Psalm-title (LXX Psalms 104–106, 110–118, 134–135, 145–150). The concentration of four Hallelujahs in Rev 19 frames the hinge from Babylon-judgment (19:1–5) to Lamb-wedding (19:6–9).

ὁ Παντοκράτωρ (G3841, v. 6)¶

"The Almighty / All-Ruler". Articular, in apposition to ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν. LXX's standard rendering of צְבָאוֹת ("of hosts") and of שַׁדַּי ("Shaddai"). Revelation uses it 9×: 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22. Always articular, always in YHWH-title contexts. The title here bridges v. 6 back to the OT enthronement-hymn tradition (esp. Ps 93, 97, 99; Isa 24:23, which locates YHWH's reign at Mount Zion).

γάμος (G1062, v. 7, v. 9)¶

"Wedding, marriage-celebration". Distinct from δεῖπνον — γάμος is the whole festival; δεῖπνον is the banquet-meal inside it. The word-study G1060-gameo covers the cognate verb; a dedicated γάμος entry is a gap.

δεῖπνον (G1173, v. 9)¶

"Banquet, principal meal (typically evening)". NT uses: Matt 23:6 (chief seats at dinners); Mark 6:21 (Herod's birthday δεῖπνον); Mark 12:39; Luke 14:12, 16, 17, 24 (parable-banquet); Luke 20:46; John 12:2; 13:2, 4; 21:20 (Last Supper); 1 Cor 11:20–21 (κυριακὸν δεῖπνον, the Lord's Supper); Rev 19:9, 17 (the marriage supper of the Lamb vs. the "great supper of God" — an anti-banquet in v. 17 where the birds are invited to eat the flesh of kings). The v. 9 δεῖπνον and the v. 17 δεῖπνον are deliberately paralleled-and-contrasted: the Lamb's wedding banquet vs. the vultures' flesh-banquet on those who opposed the Lamb.

Ἀρνίον (G721, v. 7, v. 9)¶

"Lamb" (diminutive form). The signature Christological title in Revelation — used 29× of Christ (plus 1× of the second-beast/antichrist figure in Rev 13:11). Revelation prefers ἀρνίον over the Gospels' ἀμνός (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19). See G721-arnion.

βύσσινος (G1039, v. 8)¶

"Fine linen". Substantival adjective — no head noun; the adjective stands for "fine-linen (garment)". Used elsewhere in NT only at Rev 18:12, 16 (Babylon's cargo and clothing) and 19:14 (the heavenly armies' clothing). The deliberate echo of 18:16 ("clothed in fine linen") by 19:8 and 19:14 constructs an antithetical pair: Babylon-in-fine-linen (commercial/harlot) vs. Bride-in-fine-linen (righteous-deeds) vs. Armies-in-fine-linen (eschatological). OT background: the priestly and tabernacle bysses (Exod 26:1, 31, 36; 28:5; etc.); Esther's royal garments (Esth 8:15).

Cross-References¶

Grammar library¶

divine-passive — ἐδόθη (v. 8), impersonal with ἵνα-content.
aorist-passive-indicative — morphology of ἐδόθη.
mood-aorist-imperative — Γράψον (v. 9), dictation-imperative.
participle-perfect-passive-state — κεκλημένοι (v. 9).
participle-legon-discourse — λεγόντων (v. 6) discourse-frame participle.
concord-shift-neuter-to-masculine — λεγόντων concord-by-sense (v. 6).

Grammar-library gaps flagged for future entries¶

ingressive-aorist — ἐβασίλευσεν (v. 6); stative-verb aorist pattern; high-value entry.
hortatory-subjunctive — χαίρωμεν / ἀγαλλιῶμεν (v. 7); "let us" construction.
volitive-future-indicative — δώσομεν (v. 7); future in place of hortatory subj.
hina-epexegetic — ἵνα περιβάληται (v. 8); content/epexegetic ἵνα-clause after verbs of giving/permission.
middle-voice-self-action — περιβάληται (v. 8); "clothe oneself".
makarism-formula — Μακάριοι + articular participle (v. 9); the seven beatitudes of Revelation.
authentication-formula — Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοί (v. 9; 21:5; 22:6).
constructio-ad-sensum — λεγόντων (v. 6); the Apocalypse's systematic concord-by-sense pattern.
stacked-genitive-chain — τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ Ἀρνίου (v. 9); Semitic-style noun-of-noun chaining.
anarthrous-predicate-adjective — ἀληθινοὶ in v. 9b.
allegorical-identification-copula — τὸ βύσσινον … ἐστίν (v. 8); X-is-Y decoding formula (cf. Rev 1:20; 5:6; 17:9, 12, 15).

Word studies¶

G721-arnion — Ἀρνίον (v. 7, 9).
G1325-didomi — δώσομεν, ἐδόθη (v. 7, 8).
G1345-dikaioma — δικαιώματα (v. 8).
G1125-grapho — Γράψον (v. 9).
G1060-gameo — cognate verb of γάμος.

Word-study gaps flagged¶

G936 βασιλεύω — "to reign"; ἐβασίλευσεν pivotal in both Rev 11:17 and 19:6.
G3841 Παντοκράτωρ — "Almighty"; the 9× Revelation title, LXX for צְבָאוֹת / שַׁדַּי.
G239 Ἁλληλουϊά — Hebrew loanword; the 4× clustering in Rev 19.
G5463 χαίρω — "rejoice"; Revelation's festal verb, paired with ἀγαλλιάω.
G21 ἀγαλλιάω — "be glad / exult"; LXX eschatological-joy verb.
G1062 γάμος — "wedding / marriage-festival"; distinct from δεῖπνον.
G1135 γυνή — "woman / wife"; the eschatological-bride imagery.
G2090 ἑτοιμάζω — "to prepare"; Rev 19:7 reflexive with ἑαυτήν; also Matt 25:34 ("prepared for you from the foundation").
G4016 περιβάλλω — "to clothe (around)"; Rev 19:8 middle; Rev 3:5, 18; 4:4; 7:9, 13; 10:1; 11:3; 12:1; 17:4; 18:16; 19:13.
G1039 βύσσινος — "fine linen"; Rev 18:12, 16; 19:8, 14; OT priestly/tabernacle background.
G2986 λαμπρός — "bright / shining"; clothing quality.
G2513 καθαρός — "clean / pure"; clothing quality; Levitical and moral overlap.
G40 ἅγιος — "holy / saint"; substantival plural τῶν ἁγίων for the covenant community.
G3107 μακάριος — "blessed"; the seven beatitudes of Revelation.
G2564 καλέω — "to call / invite"; the wedding-feast-call of Matt 22 and Luke 14.
G1173 δεῖπνον — "supper / banquet"; Rev 19:9 vs 19:17 antithesis.
G3056 λόγος — "word / saying"; in the authentication formula.
G228 ἀληθινός — "true / genuine / real"; v. 9 + the other Revelation authentication loci (21:5; 22:6).

OT background and NT parallels¶

Isa 25:6–9 — the universal-mountain-banquet with death swallowed; the structural OT template for Rev 19:6–9. See isa-25-6-9.
Isa 61:10; 62:5 — bride/bridegroom imagery of YHWH and his restored people; the clothing motif ("he has clothed me with garments of salvation").
Ps 45 — the royal wedding psalm; messianic bride-and-king imagery.
Hosea 2:19–20 — "I will betroth you to me forever"; covenant-as-marriage.
Matt 22:1–14 — the wedding-feast parable; κεκλημένοι "the invited"; the invitation-rejection → invitation-extension pattern; the wedding-garment (22:11–12, directly paralleling Rev 19:8's βύσσινον).
Matt 25:1–13 — the ten virgins; the bridegroom's delayed arrival; the preparation-readiness motif.
Matt 26:29 / Mark 14:25 / Luke 22:18 — Jesus' deferral of the covenant cup until the kingdom's consummation; Last-Supper → Marriage-Supper trajectory.
John 3:29 — John the Baptist's "friend of the bridegroom" self-identification.
2 Cor 11:2 — Paul betrothing the Corinthians to Christ "as a pure virgin to one husband".
Eph 5:25–32 — Christ-and-the-Church as husband-and-wife; the cleansing (5:26) and the presenting-holy-and-blameless (5:27, ἔνδοξον) directly anticipating the Rev 19:7–8 self-preparation/clothing pattern.
Rev 3:4–5; 3:18; 7:9, 13–14 — white-garment clothing of the overcomers; λευκά and βύσσινα clothing categories.
Rev 17:14; 19:19 — the Lamb's battle-victory immediately preceding the wedding.
Rev 19:17 — the other δεῖπνον: the "great supper of God" for the birds to feast on the slain — the antithetical counterpoint to 19:9's "marriage supper of the Lamb".
Rev 21:2, 9 — the bride prepared as a city; the Lamb's wife = the New Jerusalem; the wedding of 19:7–9 is consummated in the descending-city of 21:2.
Rev 22:17 — "the Spirit and the bride say, Come"; the bride's voice finally speaks in her own name.

Grammatical Summary¶

Five grammatical features most tightly carry the exegesis of Rev 19:6–9:

ἐβασίλευσεν (ingressive aorist, v. 6) — dates the reign's beginning; the acclamation is a transition-marker, not a timeless report.
ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν (active + reflexive) vs. ἐδόθη … ἵνα περιβάληται (divine passive + middle subjunctive) — the passage holds self-preparation and divine grant in adjacent clauses without dissolving either; the γάρ-aside decodes the synthesis: the bride's deeds are her own (reflexive) and the clothing is granted (passive) because her self-prepared deeds are themselves the gift.
λεγόντων (concord-by-sense, v. 6) — the gen.-pl.-masc. participle after an acc.-sg.-fem. noun selects the human-crowd antecedent from the triple simile, clarifying that only the crowd (not waters/thunders) speaks.
κεκλημένοι (perfect passive participle, v. 9) — the beatitude falls on those whose call is a completed-past act with present-enduring result; the perfect tense's grammatical force undergirds the theology of effectual calling.
Οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν (authentication formula, v. 9) — the metatextual seal that authenticates the preceding oracle as canonical divine speech, parallel to Rev 21:5; 22:6.

Together these grammatical features construct the passage as: a datable eschatological-accession acclamation (v. 6), a volitive festal summons grounded in wedding-arrival and bride-readiness (v. 7), a dual-agency clothing (divine grant + self-preparation = righteous deeds, v. 8), and a dictation-beatitude for the invited guests sealed with a divine-authenticity formula (v. 9).