αὐτοῦ (autou) in Revelation 22:6: Genitive Singular Masculine
αὐτοῦ (autou) in Revelation 22:6
Textual Witness
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Revelation 22:6, within the phrase ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form gently reinforces that the angel is associated with the Lord God as sender, but the sentence context carries the main interpretive force.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, this can be rendered simply as his, with explanation that the pronoun marks relationship to the sending God.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- The masculine gender is grammatical and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
- Do not overread the genitive; keep the interpretive claim limited to what the verse and its syntax support.
What Does The Label Mean?
Pronoun: the form refers back to a previously mentioned person or thing rather than naming it again.
Genitive: the form usually expresses relationship, possession, source, or kindred association in the clause.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and points to one referent in context.
Masculine: the form is masculine in grammar, but that feature only reflects agreement and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The form is attached to the noun phrase τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ and identifies the angel relationally.
The genitive likely relates to the immediate noun phrase and identifies the angel as belonging to or sent by the Lord God named in the sentence.
It marks a relational link, most naturally showing whose angel is in view within the sending action.
It does not change the referent into a different being, and it does not by itself prove more than the context already supplies.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive pronoun ties the angel to the Lord God as sender, which matters for the authority of the message.
Genitive pronoun modifying angel. marks the angel as belonging to or being sent by the Lord God named in the sentence. Attached to the his angel phrase. Governed by the sending verb and its object phrase. The pronoun clarifies relationship to the sender; the sending clause carries the authority claim.
Whose angel is sent? The pronoun points to the Lord God as the sender of the angel.
Direct: The form directly supports his angel.
The genitive can express possession or close association, and the sending verb guides the relation here. The form keeps sender and messenger distinct but should not be pressed beyond the immediate clause.
Genitive pronoun collapses sender and messenger: The genitive marks relation; the syntax still distinguishes the Lord God who sends from the angel sent.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads αὐτοῦ in Revelation 22:6, within the phrase ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ.
The lemma αὐτός is a flexible pronoun whose form can mean his, her, its, their, or self depending on context.
Here the genitive singular masculine form fits the nearby singular sender and most naturally expresses belonging or agency in the sending of the angel.
The verse presents God as sending his angel to show his servants what must soon happen, so the pronoun supports that relational idea.
In the broader biblical pattern, divine messengers are commonly described as belonging to or being sent by God, and this form fits that idiom.
For readers and speakers, the form helps keep the sender and the messenger distinct while preserving a close possessive or relational link.
Do not infer from the masculine form alone any statement about divine gender, nor treat the pronoun as if it independently settles every syntactic detail.