Tag Archives: John 15:5

Abide and Bear: Participles and Prepositions in the Vine Metaphor

ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα· ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὗτος φέρει καρπὸν πολύν, ὅτι χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν. (John 15:5) Unpacking the Sacred Image: Overview of Grammar in John 15:5

In this rich vine metaphor, Jesus uses grammatical constructions that emphasize union, fruitfulness, and dependence. The verse pivots on two main structures:

The participle: ὁ μένων (“the one abiding”) The prepositional phrase: ἐν ἐμοὶ and ἐν αὐτῷ (“in Me” and “in him”)

These structures are not incidental — they carry significant syntactic weight and theological meaning. Let us reflect deeply on these two areas.… Learn Koine Greek

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