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How αὐτῶν Works in Revelation 22:14
A focused form insight on Genitive Plural Masculine in Revelation 22:14.
Revelation 22:14 - BSB
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.
The Question
How does αὐτῶν function in Revelation 22:14?
Short Answer
αὐτῶν is a Genitive Plural Masculine in Revelation 22:14. The pronoun makes the promise sound personal and corporate: the authority belongs to the group already in view, not to an unnamed abstract class.
What the Form Is Doing
αὐτῶν appears in Revelation 22:14 as a Genitive Plural Masculine. It functions as a possessive or related-reference pronoun, indicating that the authority belongs to, or is associated with, the same group described earlier.
In this clause, the genitive naturally links the authority to the preceding plural group. The grammar supports a reading of shared or possessed authority without forcing a more specific sense than the context gives.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The pronoun makes the promise sound personal and corporate: the authority belongs to the group already in view, not to an unnamed abstract class.
The genitive plural pronoun ties the promised authority or right to the blessed people in Revelation 22:14.
Translation Effect
The form directly supports their authority or their right.
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not derive a separate subject, a new doctrinal category, or a gender-based theological conclusion from the masculine plural form alone.
Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
Genitive case here indicates relation, but the exact nuance must be taken from the sentence, not from case alone.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The witness reads αὐτῶν in Revelation 22:14 within the phrase ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον.
In translation or explanation, the form is best rendered in a way that shows relation, such as 'their authority,' while keeping the focus on the verse's promise.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not derive a separate subject, a new doctrinal category, or a gender-based theological conclusion from the masculine plural form alone.
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case here indicates relation, but the exact nuance must be taken from the sentence, not from case alone.
- Masculine plural grammar identifies the form, not a theological claim about gender.