Unveiling 2

Μετά τινος (metá tinos) and σύν τινι (sýn tini) both denote relationships of cooperation or alliances in warfare.

Specifically, μετά τινος means "with" or "alongside someone," indicating a partnership or joint effort in conflict, as seen in Xenophon’s works (e.g., Hellenica 7.1.27) and other contexts. Similarly, σύν τινι means "with" or "together with," describing collaborative military actions or alliances (e.g., Anabasis 2.6.5). In contrast, περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς π. (perì tēs archēs p.), meaning "about the control of," refers to wars fought over the control or rule of territories or authority, as illustrated in Herodotus (e.g., 6.98). These phrases capture the nuances of military cooperation and conflicts over political control in ancient Greek contexts. (cf. Logeion πολεμήσω)

Interpreters of the NT took the word mετά (with/after) for "against", perhaps thinking that our modern usage of the verb (i.e. "at war with") is a justifiable means of interpreting the ancient usage of "to wage war." 

Νεφρός primarily refers to the kidneys, typically used in the plural (Diog. Apoll. 6, Hp. Aph. 4.78, Pl. Ti. 91a). It is occasionally found in the singular (Ar. Lys. 962) and the dual (Ar. Ra. 475). The term is sometimes used euphemistically for testicles (Philippid. 5.4) and metaphorically in the Septuagint to signify inner thoughts or emotions (LXX Ps. 15(16).7). The word shares etymological ties with Old High German "nioro" and Latin "nefrones" or "nebrundines," reflecting a broader cultural link between kidneys and emotional states.

When in Doubt, Leave it Out!

The phrase "ἄχρις οὗ ἂν ἥξω" is an interesting construction and is a mysterious blend of standard and non-standard elements in Ancient Greek. It has stumped scholars who thought it must refer somehow to an unknown (indefinite) date or time of coming, rather than a conditionality of the coming.

"The Greek for "till I come" is remarkable - ἄχρις οῦ ἂν ἥξω; where the ἂν conveys a touch of indefiniteness as to the date specified - until the time whensoever I shall come. We have a similar construction in 1 Corinthians 15:25. Revelation 2:25"

Pulpit Commentary (1889)

However, there is no "time" indicated in this text, only "until." Until what? Here's a breakdown of the components and their typical uses:

1. "ἄχρις": This means "until" or "up to the point when..." It introduces a temporal clause that indicates a limit or endpoint in time.

2.  "οὗ": This means "who/which/what." It is a genitive masculine singular of ὅς, the relative pronoun. 

3. "ἂν": This particle is used with the subjunctive mood to express conditions, potentiality, or hypothetical situations. It is not typically combined with the future indicative.

4. "ἥξω": This is the future indicative form of the verb "ἥκω," meaning "I will come."

In standard Ancient Greek, a more conventional way to express "until I come" (which would indicate that there is a time) would be:

• "ἄχρις ἥξω" (correct in classical usage), meaning "until I come" or "up to the point when I will come."

However the use of "οὗ" and "ἂν" in this context throws this meaning off. It might be unconventional but since it was intentional, it should be interpreted/exposed and not put out of view. 

whosoever might. The scholars themselves teach the proper use of ὅς when combined with the particle ἂν. Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) the widely respected Hebrew-English lexicon for biblical studies and a standard reference work for students and scholars of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic makes it plain:

Whenever or Whoever?

If someone were unfamiliar with the word ὅταν, meaning "when," they might not realize that Classical Greek already has a clear and proper way to express "when/whenever." The standard and conventional method to convey "whenever" or a conditional temporal relationship is the construction ὅτε + ἄν, which contracts to form ὅταν—not ὅς ἄν. While ὅς ἄν is used for general or conditional relative clauses ("whoever," "whichever"), ὅταν is specifically designed to indicate temporal generality.

A conditionality of who, with a definite "I will come." The writer is attempting to convey a conditional aspect of "who." Though it's non-standard, the writer is using "ἂν" to introduce a hypothetical or uncertain condition, perhaps to emphasize the uncertainty or conditionality of who will arrive...

"When in doubt, leave it out!"

A rendering of "when" in this respect would be false, and basically assume that the writer mixed up his Greek. Thus, most translations disregard completely the "ὅς ἄν" and leave it out. The KJV added the word already in italics. The Berean Literal Bible, in effort to give the literal, came close and rendered "until which." But in order to keep the reader from wondering "which what?" they apparently couldn't resist adding the word in italics "until which time" which is no different than rendering as though it were ὅταν, which it is not. 

Strong's #G4464 ῥάβδος rhabdos. This means rod, wand, or stick. It is something shorter than a typical walking staff. In the context of Ancient Greek poetry and literature, the term ῥάβδος refers to a line or verse of poetry. This is a more specialized or technical usage of the word.

Ancient Greek texts, including poetry and drama, were often analyzed and discussed in terms of their formal structure. Scholars and commentators would use specific terminology to describe parts of these texts. ῥάβδος (rhabdos) in this literary or scholarly sense refers to a line or verse within a poem or a piece of verse. This use reflects the idea of a "stave" or "line" of written text, analogous to how we use "line" to describe a single row of text in modern poetry.

Pindar the Poet

This usage of ῥάβδος is found in the scholia (commentary) on Pindar's Odes (Pindar's work, Book I, line 4.63). Scholarly annotations and commentaries on classical texts often used specific terms to describe textual elements and their analysis.

Considering the presence of the preposition ἐν "in/within a rod" which was ignored by interpreters, it makes more grammatical sense to take this meaning.

(cf. Logeion ῥάβδῳ)