Θεῷ (Theo) in Revelation 22:9: Noun Dative Singular Masculine
Θεῷ (Theo) in Revelation 22:9
Textual Witness
The witness reads τῷ Θεῷ προσκύνησον in Revelation 22:9, and the form Θεῷ is the dative singular of θεός.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the sentence sound like a direct and exclusive command of worship toward God, which sharpens the reverent force of the verse.
How To Communicate It
For readers, the grammar supports a clear rendering such as worship God, while leaving the main emphasis on the commanded action and its proper recipient.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not turn masculine grammatical gender into a theological gender claim.
- Do not overread the dative case beyond the immediate command and its recipient.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this word names a person, reality, or referent, and here it points to God in the sentence.
Dative: the form usually marks an indirect object or other dative relation, and here it stands with the command to indicate the one toward whom the action is directed.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so the address is to one referent rather than many.
Masculine: the noun belongs to the masculine grammatical class, which is a grammatical feature and does not itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
προσκύνησον
The dative Θεῷ is governed by the worship command and identifies the recipient or focus of the action in this verse.
It functions as the object of devotion in the clause, showing who is to be worshiped rather than describing the worshiper.
It is not a subject, and it does not by itself introduce a new topic or alter the meaning of the lemma.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The dative noun names the proper recipient of worship in the angel's corrective command.
Dative singular noun with a worship command. identifies God as the one toward whom worship is directed. Attached to the command to worship in Revelation 22:9. Governed by the imperative that redirects worship. The form marks the worship recipient; the command supplies the action and exclusivity in the scene.
Whom is the hearer commanded to worship? The dative identifies God as the one to be worshiped.
Direct: The dative construction directly supports wording such as "worship God."
The dative marks the recipient or focus of worship here because of the imperative and context. The form should not be detached from the angel's refusal of misplaced worship.
Dative always has one fixed English equivalent: The worship command determines the dative's force as recipient or focus in this occurrence. grammar alone carries the doctrine of worship: The dative names the recipient; the correction and command carry the worship claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads τῷ Θεῷ προσκύνησον in Revelation 22:9, and the form Θεῷ is the dative singular of θεός.
The lemma is θεός, which in this context denotes God as the one to be worshiped.
The dative works with the imperative to show the target of worship, and the surrounding refusal of misplaced honor makes the reference clear.
The verse instructs the hearer to worship God alone, not the speaker or any other servant figure in the scene.
This fits the wider biblical pattern in which worship is directed to God, and the scene uses grammar to keep that distinction clear.
In translation and teaching, the dative can be rendered naturally as the one worshiped, so readers hear the command plainly.
Do not infer from the dative case alone that the noun changes meaning, that gender implies biology, or that grammar replaces the immediate context.