Ἐγὼ παραδώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς μάχαιραν πάντες ἐν σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε ὅτι ἐκάλεσα ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε ἐλάλησα καὶ παρηκούσατε καὶ ἐποιήσατε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξασθε (Isaiah 65:12 LXX)
A Chain of Clauses with Grammatical Progression
This verse unfolds as a sequence of clauses that move from a future prophetic threat to a retrospective indictment. The transition of tenses—from the future indicative to multiple aorist indicatives—is not random; it serves to contrast what will come with what has already transpired. The grammar sharpens the theological edge of the prophecy: the future judgment is certain because the past responses to God’s calls have been persistently disobedient.
The Future Indicative of Certainty: παραδώσω
παραδώσω (“I will hand over”) is a first person singular future active indicative of παραδίδωμι. In the prophetic register of the LXX, the future indicative often functions as a declarative promise—or in this case, a promise of judgment. It is not contingent; it reflects the divine decision as irrevocable. The direct object ὑμᾶς and the prepositional phrase εἰς μάχαιραν (“to the sword”) sharpen the image into a legal sentence of execution.
Enclosing the Guilty: πάντες ἐν σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε
Here we meet πεσεῖσθε, a second person plural future middle indicative of πίπτω (“to fall”). The middle voice can carry a reflexive or intransitive nuance, but in prophetic idiom, it often simply marks the subject as directly involved in the action’s consequence. The phrase ἐν σφαγῇ (“in slaughter”) is a vivid locative dative—depicting the condition in which the falling occurs, not merely the instrument.
Aorist Narration of Refusal: The Past That Seals the Future
The verse then pivots to a string of aorist verbs: ἐκάλεσα (“I called”), ὑπηκούσατε (“you obeyed/listened”), ἐλάλησα (“I spoke”), παρηκούσατε (“you disobeyed”), ἐποιήσατε (“you did”), and ἐξελέξασθε (“you chose”). The aorist here carries its classic function: viewing past acts as complete wholes. They are presented as factual events in the divine record—unchanged and unchangeable.
Negated Responses: οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε and παρηκούσατε
Notice the balance: ἐκάλεσα // οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, and ἐλάλησα // παρηκούσατε. The first negates obedience, the second specifies a wrong kind of hearing (παρα- + ἀκούω, “to mishear” or “refuse to heed”). This parallelism in the syntax reinforces the theme of total rejection of God’s overtures.
The Object of Displeasure: τὸ πονηρὸν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ
The accusative τὸ πονηρόν (“the evil”) is qualified by the prepositional phrase ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ (“before me / in my presence”). In LXX usage, ἐναντίον often functions to intensify the personal affront—the evil is not abstract but committed consciously before God’s face.
The Will of God Rejected: ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξασθε
Here we find a relative pronoun ἃ introducing the object of ἐξελέξασθε (“you chose”), with a negated imperfect ἐβουλόμην (“I was willing”) in between. The imperfect here expresses God’s sustained disposition of will, not a momentary desire. The mismatch between God’s ongoing will and the people’s decisive choice (aorist middle) deepens the tragedy.
Aspectual Interplay: From Future to Aorist
The progression from future to aorist is rhetorically potent: first the prophet declares the certain outcome (παραδώσω, πεσεῖσθε), then grounds it in the factual record of past refusals. The aorists function almost like legal exhibits—“Here is what happened; therefore the verdict stands.”
Morphology Table: Key Verbal Forms
| Greek Form | Parsing | Root | Lexical Meaning | Aspectual/Voice Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| παραδώσω | Future Active Indicative 1st sg. | παραδίδωμι | Hand over, deliver | Certainty of prophetic judgment |
| πεσεῖσθε | Future Middle Indicative 2nd pl. | πίπτω | Fall | Involvement in outcome; middle voice nuance |
| ἐκάλεσα | Aorist Active Indicative 1st sg. | καλέω | Call | Completed past summons |
| ὑπηκούσατε | Aorist Active Indicative 2nd pl. | ὑπακούω | Obey, listen | Negative factual refusal |
| παρηκούσατε | Aorist Active Indicative 2nd pl. | παρακούω | Disobey, disregard | Deliberate failure to heed |
| ἐξελέξασθε | Aorist Middle Indicative 2nd pl. | ἐκλέγομαι | Choose, select | Decisive self-involved choice |
Grammar as Divine Lawsuit
Isaiah 65:12 LXX reads like a covenant lawsuit: the future indicatives declare the sentence, while the aorist verbs recite the evidence. The alternation of aspect mirrors the movement of a courtroom—verdict first, evidence second. In this way, grammar itself participates in the prophetic act, binding together divine judgment and human history.
