ἀρνίου. (arniou) in Revelation 22:1: Noun Genitive Singular Neuter
ἀρνίου. (arniou) in Revelation 22:1
Textual Witness
The witness reads ἀρνίου in Revelation 22:1 within the phrase τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form gently supports the picture of shared source and authority in the throne phrase, while leaving the larger meaning to the verse context.
How To Communicate It
In teaching or translation, describe the Lamb as part of the throne phrase and avoid making the case ending carry more interpretation than the sentence provides.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive form can indicate relationship, but the exact sense must be read from the phrase and verse.
- Neuter gender is grammatical only here and should not be treated as a theological gender statement.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a thing or reality, here the referent designated as
Genitive: the form usually marks a dependent relationship, and here it belongs to the phrase with the throne.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so it points to one referent in the phrase.
Neuter: the noun belongs to the neuter grammatical class, which by itself does not make a theological or personal claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου
The genitive is governed by the prepositional phrase ἐκ and stands within the chain after τοῦ, so it participates in the source phrase describing what the river comes from.
It functions as a coordinated genitive with Θεοῦ, naming the Lamb as part of the source associated with the throne from which the river proceeds.
It is not the subject of the clause, and the genitive ending by itself does not determine a specific theological relation beyond what the sentence states.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive Lamb phrase is coordinated with God in the throne-source expression for the river of life.
Coordinated genitive noun in the throne phrase. includes the Lamb in the throne-centered source description. Attached to the throne of God and of the Lamb phrase. Governed by the source phrase describing where the river proceeds from. The genitive contributes to the shared throne phrase, while Revelation's broader context identifies the Lamb.
Who is included in the throne phrase from which the river proceeds? The Lamb is named alongside God in the genitive throne expression.
Direct: The form directly supports of the Lamb in the coordinated throne phrase.
Neuter grammatical gender belongs to the Greek noun for lamb and does not depersonalize the referent. The genitive relation supports the throne phrase, but the full christological significance comes from Revelation's wider presentation of the Lamb.
Neuter Lamb language weakens personal reference: The noun's grammatical gender is not a statement about personhood; the context identifies the Lamb by Revelation's own imagery.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads ἀρνίου in Revelation 22:1 within the phrase τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου.
The lemma ἀρνίον means a lamb, and the form here is its genitive singular neuter inflection.
Because it appears after τοῦ and is joined by καὶ to Θεοῦ, the form contributes a shared genitive relationship in the throne phrase rather than standing alone.
The verse presents the river of life as coming from the throne associated with God and the Lamb, so the form supports a single combined source expression.
Within Revelation, the Lamb is already a recognized referent, and this genitive keeps the image tied to the throne without adding a new referent.
For readers, the grammar helps show that the Lamb is included in the throne-centered source scene and should be read with the surrounding phrase.
Do not derive more from genitive case alone than the text gives, and do not turn grammatical gender into a claim about sex, personhood, or theology.