Stingers and Power: Similitude, Purpose, and Present Force in Revelation 9:10

Καὶ ἔχουσιν οὐρὰς ὁμοίας σκορπίοις καὶ κέντρα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσι τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μῆνας πέντε. (Revelation 9:10)

When Grammar Stings

The Book of Revelation offers grammar wrapped in apocalyptic fire. In Revelation 9:10, John describes the locust-scorpion hybrids unleashed in judgment, focusing on their tails. But the Greek here is more than description — it constructs a syntax of threat, using repetition, genitive infinitive purpose, and comparative clauses.

This lesson explores how Koine Greek uses present verbs, genitive articular infinitives, and simile-based structures to convey ongoing, limited, divinely permitted destruction.

Focus Phenomena:

1. Similitude Clause with ὁμοίας (“like”)
2. Double Present Indicatives for emphasis: ἔχουσιν… ἔχουσι
3. Genitive Articular Infinitive of Purpose: τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι

Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

καὶ ἔχουσιν οὐρὰς ὁμοίας σκορπίοις καὶ κέντρα
“And they have tails like scorpions, and stingers”

This is a comparative construction using:
– ὁμοίας (“similar to”) modifying οὐρὰς (“tails”)
– σκορπίοις in the dative case — expected with ὅμοιος for comparisons
– καὶ κέντρα introduces an additional feature: stingers

Then we have the repetition:

καὶ ἐν ταῖς οὐραῖς αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσι
“And in their tails, they have authority”

Followed by a genitive articular infinitive of purpose:

τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μῆνας πέντε
“to harm men for five months”

Key Morphology and Parsing

1. ὁμοίας
   • Root: ὅμοιος
   • Form: Accusative Feminine Plural Adjective
   • Lexical Meaning: “like,” “similar to”
   • Contextual Notes: Agrees with οὐρὰς in gender/number/case; takes dative objects (e.g., σκορπίοις)
2. κέντρα
   • Root: κέντρον
   • Form: Accusative Neuter Plural
   • Lexical Meaning: “stingers,” “pricking-points”
   • Contextual Notes: Linked coordinately to οὐρὰς, emphasizing the weaponized anatomy
3. ἔχουσιν / ἔχουσι
   • Root: ἔχω
   • Form: Present Active Indicative, 3rd Person Plural
   • Lexical Meaning: “they have,” “they possess”
   • Contextual Notes: Repeated twice for emphasis — physical features and delegated authority
4. ἐξουσίαν
   • Root: ἐξουσία
   • Form: Accusative Feminine Singular
   • Lexical Meaning: “authority,” “power,” “jurisdiction”
   • Contextual Notes: Often associated with divine permission in apocalyptic contexts
5. τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι
   • Root: ἀδικέω
   • Form: Genitive Aorist Active Infinitive
   • Lexical Meaning: “to harm,” “to act unjustly”
   • Contextual Notes: This is a genitive articular infinitive of purpose — expresses the intended outcome of their “authority”

Syntax and Emphasis

The structure of the verse emphasizes three interlocking realities:

1. Similitude: Their tails are not literally scorpions, but like them — the danger is symbolic and real.
2. Delegated Authority: They don’t harm on their own initiative; the authority is given and limited in scope.
3. Temporal Limitation: The phrase μῆνας πέντε (“five months”) gives both a warning and a mercy — judgment is severe, but not eternal.

Table: Syntax and Function

When Tails Speak Theology

This verse is not just about creatures — it’s about grammar acting as a vessel of judgment. The repetition of ἔχουσιν creates tension: first, the appearance of danger; second, the power to execute it. The infinitive τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι explains not what they are, but what they are for. John’s syntax makes their mission feel sanctioned, chilling, and controlled.

Even the time frame — “five months” — comes last in the sentence like a gracious restraint trailing behind the sting. Syntax delivers doom, but it also reminds us that in Revelation, even the destroyers are bound by divine decree.

Sting with a Sentence

Revelation 9:10 reminds us that Koine Greek doesn’t just describe horror — it choreographs it. The grammar controls what they look like, what they do, and how long they do it. Similitude sets the scene. Present tense enforces the immediacy. Genitive infinitive lays out intent. And the word order drips with dread.

It is not merely the stingers that strike — it is the syntax that wounds. And in that grammar, we find that judgment is not chaotic, but composed.