Tuesday, January 23, 2018

English being unclear

Revelation 14:4 :

οὗτοί εἰσιν οἳ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν· παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν. οὗτοι οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ Ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγῃ· οὗτοι ἠγοράσθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρχὴ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τῷ Ἀρνίῳ


Rendered, in the KJV, as :

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.


So, "defiled with women"...yeaahhhh.....

I, like probably pretty much any native English speaker, read this as "defiled by naughty deeds with girls", which has always seemed like some sudden and random put down of women in John's Revelation. 

Not really.

The problem with the translation is that the Greek word for 'with', "μετὰ", does not express agency.  It is spatial or temporal, and, with the genitive, as it is used above, means 'among'.  In this sense it can even mean 'with' as in 'those who are supportive of women', like, if you can forgive this reference, "I'm with her".

So, more like :

These are they who, supportive of women OR among women have not been made unclean

ἐμολύνθησαν means 'made dirty', 'defiled' seems a bit strong here.

continuing :

for they are chaste.

Yep, παρθένος has, according to my Greek dictionary, been applied to St. Joseph as well, so, it very well might mean just chaste here.

Also, "redeemed from among men" quite clearly is "redeemed from among humanity", Greek has a word for male human, it was not used.

ἠγοράσθησαν incorporates the word for agora, so it's referencing a slave market. 'bought' seems better to me than 'redeemed', because it conveys the saved's lack of control over the situation and the impending service to another master if they don't go with the lamb.

So, putting everything together, I'd see this as a valid translation :

These are they who, amongst their women, have not made themselves dirty, for they are chaste.  These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.  These were bought from among humanity, those first for God and the Lamb.




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