independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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The command from the temple 16:1
1
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,independent — the smoke-filled temple none could enter (15:8) — the voice from within is God's own
“Gocontent — the dispatch — one word, as the cherubs' Ἔρχου in ch. 6
and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth.”content — ἐκχέω — the LXX pouring-out of wrath (Ps 68:25; Jer 10:25; Zeph 3:8); the mandate the whole chapter executes
The first five bowls — sores, sea, rivers, sun, darkness 16:2–11
v. 2 — the first bowl: into the earth — the foul sore on the mark-bearers
2
And the first went offindependent — the series formula opens — ἀπῆλθεν only here, launching all seven; ὁ πρῶτος alone, the ordinal carries the series (as 8:7)
and poured out his bowl into the earth;independent — the pouring-verb of the mandate (v. 1) taken up — first target: the earth
and there came a foul and malignant sore upon the peopleindependent — the plague of boils (Exod 9:9–11; Deut 28:35) — the καὶ ἐγένετο consequence-formula begins
who had the mark of the beastparticipial — attributive — the χάραγμα of 13:16–17 answered in kind: the mark-bearers marked with sores
and who worshiped its image.participial — the pair's second limb — mark and worship (13:15), the plague's precise address
v. 3 — the second bowl: into the sea — blood as of a corpse
3
And the second poured out his bowl into the sea;independent — the formula compressed — no ἀπῆλθεν from here on
and it became blood as of a dead man,independent — the Nile plague (Exod 7:17–21) totalized — corpse-blood, dark and congealing; the trumpet's third (8:8) is gone
and every living soul died —independent — πᾶσα ψυχὴ ζωῆς — 'every soul of life' (Gen 1:21 LXX); πᾶσα, not τὸ τρίτον (8:9)
the things in the sea.phrase modifier — appended apposition — neuter plural τά on feminine ψυχή, construction ad sensum (cf. 8:9 τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς)
vv. 4–7 — the third bowl: into the rivers and springs — and the vindication hymn
4
And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of the waters;independent — the fresh waters, down to the springs — Wormwood's territory (8:10) now struck whole
and they became blood.independent — singular ἐγένετο — the consequence clipped to two words; blood everywhere water was
5
And I heard the angel of the waters saying,independent — the angel set over the waters (cf. 1 En 66:2; the winds' angels, 7:1) — his own element turned to blood, and he assents
“Righteous are you,content — the hymn opens — the justice of the judge confessed before the sentence is explained (cf. 15:3–4; Ps 119:137)
the One who is and who was,phrase modifier — the frozen title in the NOMINATIVE — ὁ ἦν, a finite verb wearing an article: the indeclinable formula (1:4, 8); the third member ὁ ἐρχόμενος dropped, as at 11:17 — he is no longer coming; he has come
the Holy One,phrase modifier — ὁ ὅσιος — the harder reading, printed over the TR's ὁ ἐσόμενος; covenant-faithful holiness (Deut 32:4 LXX; Rev 15:4)
because you have judged these things,cause — the ground of the acclamation — ταῦτα, the blood-plagues just poured
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because they poured out the blood of saints and prophets,cause — the inner ground — ἐξέχεαν: THEY did the first pouring-out; the martyrs' cry of 6:10 here answered
and blood you have given them to drink;cause — still inside the ὅτι — the talion's answering limb: blood for blood (Isa 49:26; Wis 11:16); perfect δέδωκας, the sentence standing
they are deserving.”content — the verdict — two words, back at the hymn's surface; the grim inverse of 3:4, where the same ἄξιοί εἰσιν robes the worthy in white
7
And I heard the altar saying,independent — the altar itself speaks — beneath it the slain souls prayed (6:9–10), from it the fire fell (8:3–5): the prayer answers itself
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,content — the antiphon — Ναί with the full nominative-for-vocative title (1:8; 4:8)
true and righteous are your judgments.”content — verbless predication — the refrain of the song of Moses and the Lamb (15:3) and of the hallelujah to come (19:2)
vv. 8–9 — the fourth bowl: upon the sun — men scorched, unrepentant
8
And the fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun;independent — the preposition shifts — εἰς gives way to ἐπί for the remaining bowls: sun, throne, river, air
and it was given to itindependent — divine passive — αὐτῷ, the sun itself deputized; even the plague's instrument acts only by grant (cf. 6:4, 8)
to scorch the people with fire.content — complement infinitive (the λαβεῖν of 6:4 pattern) — the sun that shall not strike the sealed (7:16) turned loose on the rest
9
And the people were scorched with great heat,independent — cognate accusative καῦμα μέγα on the passive — 'scorched a great scorching', the Hebraizing intensive
and they blasphemed the name of God,independent — the blasphemy-refrain begins (vv. 9, 11, 21) — the beast's own speech (13:6) now on every tongue
who has the authority over these plagues,participial — attributive — they curse the very authority the plagues prove; ἐξουσία over the plagues, not the plagues' victims'
and they did not repentindependent — the refrain's second limb (cf. 9:20–21) — judgment hardens where it does not humble
to give him glory.content — epexegetic infinitive — repentance defined as doxology (11:13; 14:7): the one thing not given
vv. 10–11 — the fifth bowl: upon the beast's throne — darkness and gnawed tongues
10
And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast;independent — the throne the dragon gave (13:2) — the plague strikes the rival seat of power itself
and its kingdom became darkened,independent — ἐγένετο + perfect participle — the plague of darkness (Exod 10:21–23) on the beast's whole realm, and it stays dark
and they were gnawing their tongues for the pain,independent — imperfect ἐμασῶντο — continuous gnawing; plural ad sensum, the kingdom's subjects; ἐκ causal
11
and they blasphemed the God of heaven for their pains and for their sores,independent — the refrain, second strike — the doubled causal ἐκ; the ἕλκη of bowl one still festering under bowl five: the plagues accumulate
and they did not repent of their works.independent — μετανοεῖν ἐκ — repentance as turning OUT OF one's works (2:21–22; 9:20–21); the refrain complete
The sixth bowl — the Euphrates, the frogs, Armageddon 16:12–16
v. 12 — the sixth bowl: upon the Euphrates — the way of the kings prepared
12
And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates;independent — the Euphrates again at the sixth of the series (9:14) — the frontier river, boundary of the land and of the empire
and its water was dried up,independent — divine passive — the sea and Jordan dried for Israel (Exod 14; Josh 3), the Euphrates for Cyrus (Isa 44:27; Jer 50:38): the exodus-motif inverted for an invasion
so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.purpose — purpose — a 'way prepared' (Isa 40:3) for kings from the sunrise: God's own drying serves the muster he will judge
vv. 13–14 — the three unclean spirits like frogs
13
And I saw,independent — the seer's formula — the only εἶδον of the chapter: a vision inside the bowl-audition
out of the mouth of the dragonphrase modifier — the triple ἐκ fronted before its object — first mouth: the dragon (12:9)
and out of the mouth of the beastphrase modifier — second mouth: the beast from the sea (13:1) — the mouth given to speak blasphemies (13:5)
and out of the mouth of the false prophetphrase modifier — third mouth: ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης — the beast from the land (13:11) here first given its lasting name (19:20; 20:10); the counterfeit trinity complete
three unclean spirits like frogs;phrase modifier — the delayed object of εἶδον — ὡς βάτραχοι in the NOMINATIVE where the accusative is expected: solecism; the frog-plague (Exod 8:2–7), unclean things from unclean mouths
14
for they are spirits of demonscause — the seer's γάρ-aside — the frogs identified: demonic spirits (cf. 9:20)
performing signs,participial — attributive — the false prophet's σημεῖα (13:13–14; 19:20) now the whole trio's credential
which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world,relative — neuter plural ἅ with singular ἐκπορεύεται — the classical concord, rare in this book; the mission widens: not the eastern kings only but the οἰκουμένη entire
to gather them to the battle of the great day of God the Almighty.purpose — purpose infinitive — THE battle (articular, cf. 19:19; 20:8) of the great day (Joel 2:11; Zeph 1:14): the demons muster an army for God's own day
v. 15 — the interjection: 'I am coming as a thief'
15
“Behold, I am coming like a thief.independent — the risen Christ's own voice breaks into the vision unannounced — no λέγοντος frames it (3:3; Matt 24:43; 1 Thess 5:2); between the muster and Armageddon, the church is addressed
Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments,independent — verbless beatitude — the third of the book's seven (1:3; 14:13); the watchman who sleeps not, undressed by no thief (cf. 3:17–18)
that he may not walk nakedpurpose — the beatitude's purpose — γυμνός, the shame Laodicea was counselled to cover (3:18)
and they see his shame.”purpose — the ἵνα continued with a subject-shift — βλέπωσιν, the indefinite 'they': exposure before onlookers unnamed
v. 16 — the gathering at Armageddon
16
And they gathered them to the placeindependent — singular συνήγαγεν with the neuter-plural πνεύματα as subject — the spirits' mission (v. 14) done; some hear God as the unnamed gatherer behind it
called in Hebrew Armageddon.participial — the Hebrew naming formula — Ἑβραϊστί (9:11; John 19:13): Har-Magedon, the mountain of Megiddo, the plain where kings fall (Judg 5:19; 2 Kgs 23:29; Zech 12:11); the name indeclinable, the battle deferred to 19:19
The seventh bowl — 'It is done' 16:17–21
vv. 17–18 — into the air: Γέγονεν, and the unmatched earthquake
17
And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air;independent — the last bowl, the last element — earth, sea, waters, sun, throne, river, and now the air men breathe
and a great voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying,independent — the voice that commanded (v. 1) closes the cycle — doubled source, ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου: from the sanctuary, from the throne itself
“It is done.”content — one word, perfect tense — the wrath completed (15:1); the throne's counterpart to the cross's Τετέλεσται (John 19:30; cf. 21:6 Γέγοναν)
18
And there came lightnings and voices and thunders,independent — the Sinai-storm formula in its final, fullest form — the crescendo of 4:5; 8:5; 11:19 completed
and there came a great earthquake,independent — the σεισμὸς μέγας of the sixth seal (6:12) returns for the end
such as had not happenedcomparative — the incomparability formula — οἷος οὐκ ἐγένετο (Exod 9:24 of the hail; Dan 12:1; Mark 13:19)
since man came to be upon the earth —conditional — ἀφ’ οὗ temporal — the measure is the whole of human history; ἐγένετο three times in the verse, each a different sense
so great an earthquake, so mighty.phrase modifier — resumptive fragment — the sentence circles back to pile up τηλικοῦτος and οὕτω μέγας: emphasis by sheer repetition
vv. 19–20 — the city in three; Babylon remembered; islands and mountains gone
19
And the great city was split into three parts,independent — ἐγένετο εἰς — Hebraizing 'became into'; ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη read as Babylon, named two lines down (17:18), against the Jerusalem of 11:8
and the cities of the nations fell.independent — the capital's fall drags down every lesser city — ἔπεσαν, the verb of Babylon's own dirge (14:8; 18:2)
And Babylon the great was remembered before God,independent — divine remembrance unto judgment — her sins heaped to heaven and remembered (18:5); the passive: God does not forget, he defers
to give to her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.content — epexegetic infinitive — what the remembering entails; the four-deep genitive chain piles cup on wine on fury on wrath (14:10; 19:15; Jer 25:15): she who made the nations drink (14:8) now drinks
20
And every island fled,independent — the geography of 6:14 finished — there the islands were moved; now they flee outright
and mountains were not found.independent — οὐχ εὑρέθησαν — the formula of final disappearance (18:21; 20:11): not moved, not hidden — gone
v. 21 — the talent-weight hail and the final blasphemy
21
And great hail, weighing about a talent, comes down out of heaven upon the people;independent — historic present καταβαίνει amid aorists — the hail falling before the eyes; ταλαντιαία, a hundredweight a stone: the plague of Exod 9:24 past all measure (cf. Josh 10:11)
and the people blasphemed God for the plague of the hail,independent — the blasphemy-refrain's third and last strike (vv. 9, 11) — under the final plague, still cursing; no οὐ μετενόησαν needed now: the time for it is past
because its plague is exceedingly great.cause — the ground — present ἐστίν, the plague still falling as the chapter ends; σφόδρα flung to the last position: exceedingly
Analysis. Revelation 16 is the third and last plague-septet, and the layout keeps the liturgy of the seal and trumpet chapters: seven near-identical columns, one movement label per bowl, the formula Καὶ ὁ (ordinal) ἐξέχεεν τὴν φιάλην αὐτοῦ εἰς/ἐπί… standing flush-left at the head of each and the paratactic καὶ ἐγένετο consequences drumming beneath — no thirds now; the measure of 8:7–12 is gone and the plagues run total. What hangs, hangs at the two hinges. First the vindication-hymn (vv. 5–7): the angel of the waters' Δίκαιος εἶ carries the frozen nominative title ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν, ὁ ὅσιος as dashed verbless apposition-lines (the indeclinable formula, its third member no longer ὁ ἐρχόμενος — he has come), the ὅτι ταῦτα ἔκρινας ground takes the inner ὅτι of the saints' blood at depth 3 with the καὶ αἷμα αὐτοῖς δέδωκας πιεῖν kept INSIDE the ὅτι as the talion's answering limb, and the clipped verdict ἄξιοί εἰσιν returns to depth 1 under λέγοντος; the altar's antiphon (v. 7) answers in two verbless lines (6:9–10 — the prayer under the altar heard). Second the frog-spirits (vv. 13–14): the three fronted ἐκ τοῦ στόματος lines hang as a triple under εἶδον before the delayed object πνεύματα τρία ἀκάθαρτα ὡς βάτραχοι (the nominative βάτραχοι after ὡς flagged as solecism), and the seer's γάρ-aside chains identification → participle → relative → purpose infinitive to the chapter's depth-4 floor at συναγαγεῖν. Verse 15 is set flush-left and unframed: no λέγοντος introduces it — the risen Christ's own voice breaks into the vision (3:3), and the book's third beatitude hangs its ἵνα beneath τηρῶν. The layout takes v. 16's singular συνήγαγεν with the spirits as subject, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη of v. 19 as Babylon (named two lines down, against the Jerusalem of 11:8), and the double blasphemy-refrain of vv. 9, 11 — with its third strike at v. 21 — as the chapter's counter-liturgy: judgment poured out, and no repentance anywhere in it.