ταύτης, (tautes) in Revelation 22:19: Genitive Singular Feminine
ταύτης, (tautes) in Revelation 22:19
Textual Witness
In the provided witness, the surface form is tautēs in the phrase 'βίβλου τῆς προφητείας ταύτης'.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The demonstrative makes the warning specific and direct: tampering with the words of this prophecy has the stated consequence.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, the form can be rendered with an explicit 'this' to preserve the verse's pointed, immediate force.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Feminine gender is grammatical agreement only and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
- When syntax is supplied by the nearby phrase, interpret the form conservatively and do not overstate what case alone can prove.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the word points to an identified referent rather than naming it directly, and here it is a demonstrative form.
Genitive: the form usually marks a relationship, possession, or close association, and here it links the reference to the preceding phrase.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so it points to one identified thing or unit.
Feminine: the form belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which helps agreement with the nearby noun phrase and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It stands with the phrase betaiblou tēs prophēteias, 'of the book of the prophecy.'
Its genitive form is governed by the noun phrase it completes, identifying which prophecy is in view by pointing back to the book just named.
It functions as a demonstrative qualifier, narrowing the reference to 'this prophecy' rather than prophecy in general.
It does not introduce a new subject, and it does not change the lemma into another word or add a separate action.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The feminine genitive demonstrative identifies this prophecy in the warning against taking away from its words.
Genitive singular feminine demonstrative. specifies the prophecy being protected by the warning. Attached to the prophecy phrase in Revelation 22:19. Governed by the genitive phrase about the book of this prophecy. The form agrees with prophecy and makes the reference pointed and local.
Which prophecy is being protected in the warning? This prophecy, the prophecy of the book in view, is being protected.
Direct: The form directly supports this in the phrase this prophecy.
Feminine gender is agreement with prophecy, not a theological gender claim. The demonstrative specifies the immediate prophecy and should not be detached from the noun. The case relation should be read with the larger book-of-prophecy phrase.
Grammatical gender creates theology: The feminine form agrees with prophecy and does not make a separate theological point. demonstrative alone settles the warning's full scope: The demonstrative specifies the prophecy here; the verse and book context govern the scope.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
In the provided witness, the surface form is tautēs in the phrase 'βίβλου τῆς προφητείας ταύτης'.
The lexeme is οὗτος, a demonstrative pronoun that can mean 'this' and depends on context for its exact reference.
The genitive singular feminine form agrees with 'προφητείας' and likely qualifies the whole phrase as 'of this prophecy,' while the wider sentence warns against removing words from it.
The grammar supports a specific reference, not an abstract one: the prohibition concerns the words of this prophecy, namely the book or prophetic message just named in the verse.
Within the immediate passage, the demonstrative helps keep the warning tied to the present writing and its contents, not to prophecy in a broad, detached sense.
For readers and hearers, the form sharpens the warning by making the target concrete and local to the text they are receiving.
Do not derive extra theological categories from feminine gender, and do not press the form beyond the context by making it say more than 'this prophecy'.