Κύριε (Kurie) in Revelation 22:20: Noun Singular Masculine
Κύριε (Kurie) in Revelation 22:20
Textual Witness
The witness reads, 'Ναί, ἔρχου, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ,' so the form stands inside a direct invocation in the closing sentence.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form strengthens the sense of a personal appeal to Jesus and helps the verse sound like worshipful request rather than detached narration.
How To Communicate It
Readers may hear the line as a concise prayer: 'Yes, come, Lord Jesus,' with the grammar serving the urgency and reverence of that appeal.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Vocative case indicates address, not a full theology by itself.
- Masculine grammatical gender is descriptive and should not be turned into a gendered theological claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a person and here functions as a direct form of address, not as a verb or modifier.
Vocative: the form usually marks direct address, so the speaker is calling on the one named rather than describing him.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, addressing one person as the addressee.
Masculine: the noun belongs to the masculine grammatical class, which by itself does not make a theological claim about gender.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἔρχου, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ.
The vocative is shaped by the direct appeal after the imperative and the name that follows, so it functions within a personal petition.
It identifies the one being addressed, supporting the prayer-like call, 'Come, Lord Jesus.'
It does not tell the reader that the word is the subject of the clause, nor does it change the lemma into another meaning.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The noun addresses Jesus as Lord in Revelation's closing petition.
Vocative singular masculine direct address. identifies the one being addressed. Attached to the closing petition come, Lord Jesus. Governed by the direct appeal following the affirmation of Christ's coming. The vocative names the addressee; the imperative supplies the requested action.
How is Jesus addressed in the closing petition? He is addressed as Lord in the phrase Lord Jesus.
Direct: The direct-address form supports English wording such as "Lord Jesus."
The form is address, not a nominative subject claim; the prayer context controls the function.
Masculine grammatical class makes a separate gender argument: The masculine form is the grammar of this title here; the verse uses it to address the Lord Jesus.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads, 'Ναί, ἔρχου, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ,' so the form stands inside a direct invocation in the closing sentence.
The lemma is κύριος, a term for lord, master, or Lord, and this form addresses Jesus by title.
The vocative fits the surrounding imperative and confirms that the speaker is addressing Jesus directly in response to the promise, 'I am coming quickly.'
The verse moves from Christ's promise to the church's reply, and this form helps express reverent, personal longing for his coming.
In the wider canon, such address supports the confession of Jesus' authority and keeps the closing hope centered on his return.
For teaching or reading aloud, the form can be rendered as 'Lord' in direct address, preserving the prayerful tone of the line.
Do not infer from vocative case alone more than direct address, and do not make grammatical masculine gender into a doctrinal claim.