ἐθνῶν. (ethnon) in Revelation 22:2: Noun Genitive Plural Neuter
ἐθνῶν. (ethnon) in Revelation 22:2
Textual Witness
The witness reads τῶν ἐθνῶν in Revelation 22:2 within the phrase εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar reinforces that the healing is outward-looking and communal, but the surrounding vision supplies the main meaning.
How To Communicate It
In exposition, this form can be rendered as 'of the nations' or 'for the nations,' with the verse context guiding the best sense.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case can indicate relationship, source, or concern, but the exact nuance must be read from the sentence.
- Neuter grammatical gender is a formal category and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this word names a people or nations, and here it contributes to the picture of who receives the tree's healing benefit.
Genitive: the form usually marks a relationship to another noun, here linking the nations to the healing mentioned in the clause.
Plural: the form speaks of more than one nation or people-group, which fits a collective public scope in the verse.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which is a formal feature and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
εἰς θεραπείαν
The genitive phrase follows the noun θεραπείαν and names the group toward whom that healing is directed.
It functions as a genitive of reference or related concern, identifying the nations as those in view for the healing use of the leaves.
It is not a subject, and the case form alone does not tell the whole theology of who the nations are in every sense.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive plural names the nations as the recipients or concern of the tree's healing.
Genitive plural dependent on healing. identifies the nations as the group in view for the healing use of the leaves. Attached to the phrase for the healing of the nations. Governed by therapeian in Revelation 22:2. The genitive marks relation; the vision supplies the scope and meaning of healing.
Who are the healing leaves for? The phrase points to the nations as the recipients or concern of the healing.
Direct: The genitive directly supports "of the nations" and can explain the sense "for the nations" in context.
The genitive can be explained as relation or concern here without overdefining every nuance. The plural nations language should not be turned into a detailed social scheme apart from the vision.
Genitive alone defines the healing theology: The genitive marks relation, while the vision and canon define the healing theme. neuter gender carries theology: Neuter grammatical gender is a noun-class feature, not a theological gender claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads τῶν ἐθνῶν in Revelation 22:2 within the phrase εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν.
The lemma ἔθνος can mean nation, people, or Gentiles, so the context must decide the sense rather than the gloss alone.
The genitive plural gives a relational link to θεραπείαν and supports a collective object of concern without forcing a narrower sense.
In this verse the leaves of the tree are described as serving for the healing of the nations, signaling a wide restorative purpose.
This fits the chapter's final vision of ordered life and blessing extending beyond a single people, with healing reaching outward.
For readers and teachers, the form helps express the breadth of the scene while keeping the focus on the tree's healing role.
Do not derive from the genitive alone a detailed social, ethnic, or theological scheme beyond what the verse clearly states.