λέγει (legei) in Revelation 22:9: Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
λέγει (legei) in Revelation 22:9
Textual Witness
The witness reads καὶ λέγει μοι, with a direct address and the imperative that follows in the same verse.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form makes the verse feel immediate and conversational, highlighting that the correction is spoken directly to the hearer.
How To Communicate It
Readers should hear the clause as a living address in the scene, preparing them for the warning not to worship the messenger.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not overread tense, voice, or mood beyond the speech function plainly present here.
- Do not turn verbal form into a theological claim apart from the surrounding command and dialogue.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: the form names an action or speech event, here the act of saying or speaking.
Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.
Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.
Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.
Third person: the form speaks about someone or something rather than directly as I/we or you.
Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular, pointing to one speaking subject in this clause.
Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is attached to καὶ and the following indirect object μοι, introducing the spoken warning.
The verb is governed by the narrative flow and by the dative listener μοι, which marks who receives the speech.
It functions as the main speech verb in the clause, framing the command and the explanation that follows.
It is not the content of the warning itself, and it does not by itself identify the speaker beyond the narrative context.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The speech verb introduces the warning and worship directive after John responds to the vision.
Third-person present active indicative warning-introducing verb. introduces the command and explanation that follow. Attached to the singular speaker addressing John. Governed by the narrative frame with John as the listener. The verb frames the speech; the command and explanation are supplied by the quoted words.
What speech does the form introduce? It introduces the warning to John and the instruction about worship.
Direct: The present speech verb directly supports the English reporting clause before the command.
The form introduces a command, but the command force belongs to the quoted imperative rather than the speech verb itself.
Speech verb by itself supplies the worship command: The verb introduces the words; the quoted command carries the directive.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads καὶ λέγει μοι, with a direct address and the imperative that follows in the same verse.
The lemma λέγω means to say or speak, so the form signals speech rather than a separate lexical idea.
The singular present active indicative fits a single speaker addressing John and introducing a brief corrective warning.
In context, the form introduces a personal spoken reply that leads into restraint, explanation, and worship directed to God.
Across Scripture, this verb often marks direct speech, so here it naturally serves the dialogue and instruction of the scene.
For communication, the form helps readers hear the verse as spoken counsel, not as narration detached from the addressee.
Do not derive doctrinal weight from present tense alone, and do not use the grammar to override the plain force of the spoken command.