Jude 6

An Exegetical Analysis of Jude 6: Grammatical Structure and Textual Considerations

The Epistle of Jude, often noted for its polemical tone and distinctive literary style, presents several exegetical challenges, particularly concerning its elaborate sentence structures. One such instance is found in verse 6, where the direct object appears significantly separated from its main verb by an extended series of participial and prepositional phrases. This syntactical arrangement raises questions regarding the author’s linguistic proficiency, the intended emphasis, and the most accurate translation into modern languages. This analysis will examine the grammatical relationships within Jude 6, considering textual and lexical insights, and proposing various translational approaches.

καὶ ἀγγέλους τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχὴν ἀλλὰ ἀπολιπόντας τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλης ἡμέρας δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις ὑπὸ ζόφον τετήρηκεν.
(Nestle 1904)

Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):

• There are no significant textual differences in the wording of Jude 6 between the Nestle 1904 edition and the SBLGNT (2010). Both editions present identical Greek text for this verse.

Textual Criticism (NA28) and Lexical Notes (KITTEL, BDAG):

A review of the Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28) reveals no significant textual variants for Jude 6 that impact the grammatical or lexical issues under discussion. The text is largely stable across major manuscript traditions.

• ἀγγέλους (angelous): Accusative plural of ἄγγελος (angelos), meaning “messenger” or “angel.” BDAG defines it as “one who is sent, a human messenger; one of a host of heavenly beings who are conceived of as messengers or agents of God.” (BDAG 2000, 7). In this context, it refers to celestial beings.
• τηρήσαντας (tērēsantas): Aorist active participle, accusative plural masculine, from τηρέω (tēreō), “to keep, guard, observe.” It functions adjectivally, modifying ἀγγέλους. BDAG notes its meaning as “to maintain a state or condition, keep, preserve, guard” (BDAG 2000, 1001).
• ἀρχὴν (archēn): Accusative singular of ἀρχή (archē), meaning “beginning, rule, realm, domain.” Here, it refers to the angels’ proper sphere of authority or jurisdiction. BDAG specifies “position of rank or authority, rule, realm” (BDAG 2000, 137). KITTEL (TDNT) discusses its various applications, including “origin, beginning,” and “place of authority, rule.”
• ἀπολιπόντας (apolipontas): Aorist active participle, accusative plural masculine, from ἀπολείπω (apoleipō), “to leave, abandon, forsake.” Like τηρήσαντας, it modifies ἀγγέλους. BDAG lists its primary meaning as “to abandon, leave behind” (BDAG 2000, 106).
• οἰκητήριον (oikētērion): Accusative singular of οἰκητήριον (oikētērion), meaning “dwelling, habitation.” BDAG defines it as “a place of habitation, dwelling, abode” (BDAG 2000, 698). In this verse, it refers to the angels’ assigned residence.
• δεσμοῖς (desmois): Dative plural of δεσμός (desmos), meaning “bond, chain, fetter.” This is an instrumental dative, indicating the means by which the angels are “kept.” BDAG provides “a bond, chain, fetter” (BDAG 2000, 220).
• ζόφον (zophon): Accusative singular of ζόφος (zophos), meaning “gloom, darkness, thick darkness.” BDAG defines it as “gloom, darkness, thick darkness” (BDAG 2000, 429). KITTEL (TDNT) emphasizes its connotation of deep, often infernal, darkness, linking it to divine judgment.
• τετήρηκεν (tetērēken): Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular, from τηρέω (tēreō), “to keep, guard.” This is the main verb of the sentence, with an unstated subject (likely God/the Lord, carried over from verse 5). The perfect tense indicates a completed action with ongoing results, emphasizing their present state of being kept.

Translation Variants and Grammatical & Rhetorical Analysis

The primary exegetical issue in Jude 6 revolves around the extended separation of the direct object, ἀγγέλους, from its main verb, τετήρηκεν. This structure, which might appear unusual to a reader accustomed to simpler Greek prose (e.g., in John’s Gospel), is characteristic of a more elevated or “literary” Koine Greek style.

Grammatically, ἀγγέλους is unequivocally the direct object of τετήρηκεν. The accusative case signals this relationship. The intervening phrases serve to identify and describe these angels, building suspense before the climactic verb. These descriptive phrases include:

• The participial phrase τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχὴν (the ones who did not keep their own domain). Here, τηρήσαντας is an aorist participle modifying ἀγγέλους.
• Another participial phrase ἀλλὰ ἀπολιπόντας τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον (but abandoned their own habitation), also modifying ἀγγέλους.
• Prepositional phrases indicating the purpose and condition of their keeping: εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλης ἡμέρας (for the judgment of the great day) and δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις ὑπὸ ζόφον (in eternal chains under gloom).

The rhetorical effect of this elongated sentence structure is to build a detailed description of the condemned angels, emphasizing their transgression and the severe conditions of their imprisonment, before finally disclosing the decisive action of God (“He has kept”). This delayed verb (anastrophe) creates a sense of solemnity and highlights the divine judgment. This sophisticated arrangement indicates a writer who is quite capable in Greek, choosing a more formal and impactful style rather than simple declarative sentences. It is not an indication of awkwardness but rather of rhetorical design, often found in more complex Greek prose, both classical and Koine. The subject of τετήρηκεν is implied as divine, likely God or the Lord, continuing the narrative thread from Jude 5.

Conclusions and Translation Suggestions

Jude 6 presents a grammatically coherent sentence, albeit one with a complex and rhetorically charged word order. The accusative ἀγγέλους is indeed the object of the perfect verb τετήρηκεν, with the lengthy intervening material serving to characterize the angels and their transgression. The author’s Greek is not awkward but rather sophisticated, employing a literary style that builds emphasis through descriptive clauses and a delayed main verb. The perfect tense of τετήρηκεν underscores the continuing state of these angels’ imprisonment pending final judgment.

• 1. “And those angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper habitation, He has kept in eternal chains under gloom for the judgment of the great day.”
  This translation attempts to retain some of the original Greek’s word order, placing the descriptive clauses first to maintain the rhetorical build-up before the main verb.
• 2. “God has kept those angels who did not remain within their proper authority, but instead left their assigned dwelling place, held in eternal chains under darkness, awaiting the judgment of the great day.”
  This version reorders the clauses for greater clarity in English, explicitly stating the implied subject and making the flow more natural for modern readers, while still conveying the full scope of the Greek.
• 3. “As for the angels who did not safeguard their authority but deserted their rightful abode—these He has held fast in everlasting bonds, shrouded in deepest darkness, until the great Day of Judgment.”
  This translation offers a more dynamic rendering, emphasizing the decisive action of God (‘held fast’) and the finality of their state (‘everlasting bonds,’ ‘deepest darkness’), while ensuring the grammatical relationship is clear.