Ὅσα ἐδόξασεν αὑτὴν καὶ ἐστρηνίασε, τοσοῦτον δότε αὐτῇ βασανισμὸν καὶ πένθος. ὅτι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς λέγει, ὅτι κάθημαι καθὼς βασίλισσα καὶ χήρα οὐκ εἰμὶ καὶ πένθος οὐ μὴ ἴδω, (Revelation 18:7)
As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give her that much torment and mourning. For in her heart she says, “I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and I will never see mourning.”
How Case Usage Frames Judgment
This verse is a judicial pronouncement against Babylon, whose self-glorification is matched in measure by her judgment. The Greek declensions carefully frame the proportion (“ὅσα… τοσοῦτον”), the pronoun references, and the internal monologue of pride. The result is a grammatical parallelism that binds cause and effect.
Declension Analysis Table
| Greek Word | Morphology | Case & Syntactic Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ὅσα | Relative pronoun, accusative neuter plural | Direct object of ἐδόξασεν and ἐστρηνίασε | “As much as…” — introduces the measure of her pride and luxury |
| αὑτήν | Reflexive pronoun, accusative feminine singular | Object of ἐδόξασεν | “She glorified herself” — self-directed action |
| τοσοῦτον | Demonstrative pronoun, accusative neuter singular | Object of δότε | “That much” — matches the measure of the earlier clause |
| αὐτῇ | 3rd person personal pronoun, dative feminine singular | Dative of indirect object | Recipient of torment and mourning |
| βασανισμόν | 2nd declension masculine accusative singular | Accusative direct object | One of the punishments rendered |
| πένθος | 3rd declension neuter accusative singular | Accusative direct object | Mourning — paired with torment in parallel accusative objects |
| τῇ καρδίᾳ | 1st declension feminine dative singular with article | Dative of location (metaphorical) | “In her heart” — inner seat of thought |
| αὐτῆς | 3rd person personal pronoun, genitive feminine singular | Genitive of possession | Modifies καρδίᾳ |
| βασίλισσα | 1st declension feminine nominative singular | Predicate nominative with κάθημαι | “I sit as queen” — boastful self-description |
| χήρα | 1st declension feminine nominative singular | Predicate nominative with εἰμί | “I am not a widow” — denial of vulnerability |
| πένθος (second occurrence) | 3rd declension neuter accusative singular | Accusative direct object of ἴδω | “Mourning” — emphatically denied in her claim |
Parallelism in Declension and Judgment
The structure ὅσα… τοσοῦτον creates a proportional relationship: her self-glorification and luxury (accusative objects) directly determine the measure of her punishment (accusative objects given to her). The dative αὐτῇ receives both, underlining the personal nature of judgment.
Datives and Genitives in Inner Speech
– ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς uses the dative for metaphorical location and genitive for possession.
– This frames the internal boast as self-contained and self-assured, intensifying the arrogance.
Predicate Nominatives as Boasts
The nominatives βασίλισσα and χήρα are presented as titles in her self-talk, expressing status and security. These are negated or asserted to build a profile of invulnerability — soon to be shattered.
Declensions That Condemn Pride
The verse’s declensions are more than grammatical—they are judicial instruments. The accusatives quantify both sin and sentence, the dative marks the recipient of divine retribution, the genitive situates the boast in the seat of thought, and the nominatives crown her arrogance. The grammar ensures that Babylon’s pride and her punishment are perfectly measured.
