Καὶ ἔστησα τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὥστε δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὴν γῆν τῶν Χαναναίων τὴν γῆν ἣν παρῳκήκασιν ἐν ᾗ καὶ παρῴκησαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς (Exodus 6:4 LXX)
Divine Covenant as a Grammatical Act
The verse begins with divine initiative in the perfect tense:
καὶ ἔστησα τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτοὺς
— “And I established my covenant with them”
- ἔστησα: aorist active indicative of ἵστημι — “I set up, I established”
- The covenant is not fluid or metaphorical — it is a fixed, grounded structure in time.
- τὴν διαθήκην μου: “my covenant” — a legal, enduring agreement
- πρὸς αὐτοὺς: toward them — shows directionality and personal relationship
This is a grammatical declaration of divine will, anchoring the covenant in past action with continuing implications.
ὥστε δοῦναι αὐτοῖς — The Purpose Clause of Grace
- ὥστε introduces a result or purpose clause.
- δοῦναι: aorist active infinitive — “to give”
- αὐτοῖς: dative plural — “to them”
God’s establishment of the covenant leads to the intentional granting of land — the gift is embedded in the grammar.
τὴν γῆν τῶν Χαναναίων — A Possessed Land
- τὴν γῆν: accusative singular — “the land”
- τῶν Χαναναίων: genitive plural — “of the Kenaʿanites”
The grammar links a specific land with a specific people. The land belongs to the Kenaʿanites — but is promised to the Israelites by divine authority.
Repetition and Relocation: τὴν γῆν ἣν παρῳκήκασιν
The phrase is then reiterated with a relative clause:
- ἣν: relative pronoun, feminine accusative singular — “which”
- παρῳκήκασιν: perfect active indicative of παροικέω — “they have sojourned”
- The perfect tense denotes a completed action with present relevance.
The land given is not new — it’s the same land where the ancestors have already sojourned. The promise is rooted in memory, not novelty.
ἐν ᾗ καὶ παρῴκησαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς — Dual Location and Emphasis
This clause intensifies the point with double prepositions:
- ἐν ᾗ: “in which” — again referring to the land
- καὶ παρῴκησαν: aorist active indicative — “they sojourned”
- ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς: “on it” — emphatic repetition
The text uses both “in which” and “on it” to stress complete presence and dwelling. It’s not a vague or symbolic relationship with the land — it is a physical, historical, lived-in connection.
Covenant Memory Is Grammatical Memory
This verse’s structure is full of redundancy, but that redundancy is theological:
- The repetition of “the land” emphasizes continuity.
- The double reference to sojourning binds past suffering with future inheritance.
- The tense choices (aorist and perfect) root God’s covenant in historical permanence and present relevance.
This is not just a divine speech. It is a grammatical monument — a memorial in syntax, declaring:
“What I promised to your fathers where they walked, I now give to you.”
The language of gift is enacted through verbs of anchoring, pronouns of proximity, and tense of permanence.
Walking the Promised Clause
To study Exodus 6:4 in Greek is to walk again in their steps — linguistically. Every phrase is a theological footprint: they sojourned there, and now the promise walks with their children.
Grammar becomes inheritance. Syntax becomes land. The covenant becomes flesh in clauses.
