πρόσωπον (prosopon) in Revelation 22:4: Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
πρόσωπον (prosopon) in Revelation 22:4
Textual Witness
The witness reads τὸ πρόσωπον in Revelation 22:4 within the clause καὶ ὄψονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form strengthens a concrete, relational reading: the text says what will be seen, and the grammar helps keep the promise vivid and specific.
How To Communicate It
In teaching or translation, this form can be rendered simply as the direct object of seeing, such as 'his face' or 'his countenance,' according to context.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative singular neuter here signals function in the clause, not a hidden doctrine by itself.
- Do not turn grammatical gender into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a thing or reality here, specifically the face or countenance in the clause.
Accusative: the form commonly marks the direct object, and here it fits the thing seen by the subject.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, referring to one countenance in the sentence.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which does not by itself make a theological statement about gender.
What The Form Does In This Verse
It is attached to ὄψονται and the article τὸ in the clause, forming τὸ πρόσωπον.
The verb ὄψονται governs the phrase as what is seen, so the accusative supports a direct-object reading in context.
It names the object of sight: the ones in view will see his face or countenance.
It does not by itself function as the subject, and it does not create a separate theological category from its form.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The accusative noun names what God's servants see in the final vision.
Accusative object of seeing. names the face or countenance as what is seen. Attached to τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. Governed by ὄψονται. The grammar identifies the object of sight; the vision context supplies the theological weight of seeing his face.
What do the servants see? The accusative noun names his face as the object seen.
Direct: The direct-object role supports rendering the line as they will see his face.
The form identifies what is seen, but the meaning of seeing his face is governed by Revelation's final-vision context.
Accusative case proves the vision's theology: The case marks the object of sight; the passage and canon supply the theological significance.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads τὸ πρόσωπον in Revelation 22:4 within the clause καὶ ὄψονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ.
The lemma πρόσωπον normally denotes a face, countenance, or presence-related aspect, and that basic sense fits the verse.
Its accusative singular form works with ὄψονται to identify what will be seen, while the article keeps the reference specific.
The verse presents a future vision of direct looking upon God or the one referred to by αὐτοῦ, not merely abstract knowledge.
This fits biblical patterns where seeing the face or presence signals closeness, access, or fulfillment without needing extra claims from morphology alone.
For communication, the form helps translators and readers preserve the concrete visual image of seeing the face, countenance, or presence.
Do not derive hidden meanings from accusative case, singular number, or neuter gender beyond the clause's straightforward object relation.