31
SYNTAX: PART 4
INFORMAL CONDITIONS AND DISCOURSE
31.1. In addition to the formal conditions studied in the previous chapter, Greek may also express conditional ideas in less formal ways. They will be our subject in this chapter along with direct and indirect discourse.
Informal conditions use various syntactical structures that do not employ an explicit if . . . then construction as is found in the four classes of formal conditions. In such instances the conditional factor is implied by the statement as a whole. Some of the more common ways in which this is done use constructions involving adverbial participles, imperatives, indefinite pronouns, or indefinite relative pronouns. In each case there will be a protasis and an apodosis, sometimes explicitly stated, other times only implied. Frequently this will be best represented in English with an if . . . then construction, but other times that is either not necessary or too clumsy. In any event, the conditional relationship should be noted. Only some of the more common informal conditions are discussed here; you will encounter other possibilities in future study.
Informal Conditions Involving Adverbial Participles
31.2. Each of the following examples has an adverbial participle that modifies the main verb. The question that must be asked in each instance is, what is the relationship between the action described in the participle and that of the main verb? You will remember from chapters 23 and 24 that there are multiple possibilities for such adverbial relationships. The one that is relevant here is that the participle specifies a condition necessary for the main verb to occur. That is, the participle functions as the protasis, and the main verbal clause is the apodosis.[1]
| Gal. 6:9, καιρῷ ἰδίῳ θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι. | In due time we will reap if we do not give up. |
| 1 Tim. 4:4, πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ καλὸν καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον μετὰ εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον. | Every creation of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. |
| Heb. 7:12, μετατιθεμένηςa γὰρ τῆς ἱερωσύνηςb ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ νόμου μετάθεσις γίνεται. | For if there is a change of the priesthood, then of necessity there is also a change of law. |
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a This is a μι verb (see the next chapter): μετατίθημι (μετά + stem θε), “I change”; note the cognate noun in the next clause: μετάθεσις, εως, ἡ, “change.” b You will notice that this example is found as part of a genitive absolute. Although most genitive absolutes are temporal, they can express any of the adverbial nuances of an adverbial participle. |
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| Exod. 9:15, νῦν γὰρ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρα πατάξω σε καὶ τὸν λαόν σου θανάτῳ, καὶ ἐκτριβήσῃ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. | For now if I had sent my hand, then I would have struck you and your people with death, and you would have been destroyed from the land. |
In this statement, the aorist participle ἀποστείλας appears to be describing a hypothetical past condition. God tells Pharaoh that if he had done something that he had not done (i.e., “sent his hand”), then following that (two future tense-forms, πατάξω and ἐκτριβήσῃ) the consequences would have been dire for Egypt.
| Luke 9:25, τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖται ἄνθρωπος κερδήσας τὸν κόσμον ὅλον ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀπολέσας. | |
| Heb. 2:3, πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας. | |
| Job 35:3, ἢ ἐρεῖς, Τί ποιήσω ἁμαρτών; | |
| Song 8:1, εὑροῦσά σε ἔξω φιλήσω σε. | |
| Lev. 18:5, φυλάξεσθε πάντα τὰ προστάγματάa μου καὶ πάντα τὰ κρίματά μου καὶ ποιήσετε αὐτά, ἃ ποιήσας ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν. | |
a πρόσταγμα, ατος, τό, “order, command(ment), injunction” |
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Informal Conditions Involving an Imperative
31.5. Imperatives do not, by themselves, express a condition. They are volitional statements expressing the will of the speaker. There is a construction, however, that includes an imperative functioning in the protasis of an informal condition. The syntactical pattern involved is as follows.
Imperative + καί + future indicative
In most cases where this construction is found in the NT and the LXX, the imperative specifies a command that, if obeyed, will result in the condition described by the future indicative verb. That is, the imperative is part of the protasis, and the future is part of the apodosis.
| Matt. 11:28, Δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. | Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. |
This statement is equivalent to the following condition: “If you come to me, then I will give you rest.”[2] The command to come must be obeyed for the rest to be obtained; the imperative is, in essence, a condition that must be met. In this example, δεῦτε is not an imperative form (technically, it is an adverb, “here”), but it functions with the force of a verb (short for “Come here!”). The statement as a whole functions as an informal condition. (The same expression occurs in the example from Mark 1:17 in §31.7.)
| James 4:7, ὑποτάγητεa οὖν τῷ θεῷ, ἀντίστητεb δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ φεύξεταιc ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν. | Therefore submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
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a ὑποτάγητε, 2nd pl. aor. pass. impv. ► ὑποτάσσω b ἀντίστητε, 2nd pl. aor. act. impv. ► ἀνθίστημι c φεύξεται, 3rd sg. fut. mid. ind. ► φεύγω |
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This statement is equivalent to the following condition: “If you submit to God and resist the devil, then he will flee.” The commands to submit and resist must be obeyed so that the devil will flee. The imperatives are, in essence, conditions that must be met. The verb form ὑποτάγητε is still an imperative, but the statement as a whole functions as an informal condition.
| Gen. 42:18, Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ, Τοῦτο ποιήσατε καὶ ζήσεσθε. | So he said to them on the third day, “Do this, and you will live.” |
That is: “If you do this, then you will live.”
| Mark 1:17, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου,a καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. | |
a Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, formally, “come behind me”; idiomatically, “follow me” |
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| Ps. 36:3 (37:3 Eng.), κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς. |
Informal Conditions Involving Indefinite Relative Pronouns
31.8. Relative pronouns can sometimes introduce a statement that functions as an informal condition. This usually involves an indefinite relative pronoun such as ὅστις or ὃς ἄν. Although these can usually be represented in English with the usual forms for the relative pronoun, it is sometimes helpful to make the intent of the text clear by making the if . . . then explicit.
| Matt. 5:39, ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ· ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις σε ῥαπίζει εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα σου, στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην. | But I say to you, do not resist the evil person, but if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, then turn the other to him also. |
| 1 John 3:17, ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ; | But if anyone has the goods of [this] world and sees his brother who has a need and shuts up his compassion from him, then how does the love of God rest in him? |
| Gen. 44:9, παρ᾿ ᾧ ἂν εὑρεθῇ τὸ κόνδυ τῶν παίδων σου, ἀποθνῃσκέτω. | With whom, then, should be found the cup among your servants, he must die.a |
a The translation given is very formal. More idiomatically to show the condition: “If anyone of your servants should be found to have the cup, then he must die.” |
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| Matt. 5:41, ὅστις σε ἀγγαρεύσει μίλιον ἕν, ὕπαγε μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ δύο. | |
| Luke 9:26, ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, τοῦτον ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων. | |
| Exod. 12:15, ὃς ἂν φάγῃ ζύμην, ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. | |
Informal Conditions Involving Indefinite Pronouns
31.11. The indefinite nuance of the pronoun τις enables it to be used in a statement with an implied condition. English translations have traditionally phrased the following example from James 5 as a question,[3] but the punctuation in the Greek NT uses a comma, not a question mark. Recognizing the informal condition in this verse makes better sense of the comma. The translation given uses a singular “they”; some will prefer to use generic “he” instead. (Notice the use of the third-person imperatives in the apodosis of both sentences.)
| James 5:13, Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν, προσευχέσθω· εὐθυμεῖ τις, ψαλλέτω. | If anyone among you is suffering, they should pray. If anyone is cheerful [giddy?], they should sing psalms. |
| Gen. 19:12, Εἶπαν δὲ οἱ ἄνδρες πρὸς Λώτ, Ἔστιν τίς σοι ὧδε, γαμβροὶ ἢ υἱοὶ ἢ θυγατέρες, ἢ εἴ τίς σοι ἄλλος ἔστιν ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἐξάγαγε ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τούτου. | So the men said to Lot, “If you have anyone here, sons-in-law or sons or daughters, or if anyone else [is related] to you in the city, then bring [them] out of this place.” |
The first part of this text is often punctuated as a question (“Have you anyone here . . . ?”), but since that statement is parallel with the explicit εἴ τίς in the next clause, it makes better sense to read this as a single statement, recognizing the first part as an informal condition.
| James 5:14, ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν, προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου. | |
| James 2:16, εἴπῃ δέ τις αὐτοῖς ἐξ ὑμῶν, Ὑπάγετε ἐν εἰρήνῃ, θερμαίνεσθε καὶ χορτάζεσθε, μὴ δῶτε (give) δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τοῦ σώματος, τί τὸ ὄφελος; | |
| Prov. 6:27–28, ἀποδήσει τις πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια οὐ κατακαύσει; ἢ περιπατήσει τις ἐπ᾿ ἀνθράκων πυρός, τοὺς δὲ πόδας οὐ κατακαύσει; | |
This example need not be translated explicitly as a condition, but the conditions and results (protasis and apodosis) are obvious.
| Prov. 3:30, μὴ φιλεχθρήσῃςa πρὸς ἄνθρωπον μάτην, μή τι εἰς σὲ ἐργάσηται κακόν. | |
a φιλεχθρέω, “I exercise enmity against, quarrel with” |
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31.14. The recording of or reference to what people say or think is an important part of narrative texts. You have read many such statements already, but we have not studied such statements as a category of discourse. Here we learn how both direct and indirect discourse are expressed in Greek texts and how that differs from English conventions.
Definitions
Direct discourse is the reporting of someone’s statement (or sometimes, thought) with some indication that the words are given as originally spoken. Indirect discourse is the reporting of someone’s statement or thought in such a way that the content is preserved but the exact words are not recorded.
English Examples
31.15. We will begin with some examples from a popular English epic, The Lord of the Rings.
[1]“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all we who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
—Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, book 1, chap. 2
[2]“That sounds like a bit of old Bilbo’s rhyming,” said Pippin. “Or is it one of your imitations? It does not sound altogether encouraging.”
“I don’t know,” said Frodo. “It came to me then, as if I were making it up; but I may have heard it long ago. Certainly it reminds me very much of Bilbo in the last years, before he went away. . . . ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,’ he used to say.”
—Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, book 1, chap. 3
[3]“Well, Sam!” he said. “What about it? I am leaving the Shire as soon as ever I can—in fact I have made up my mind now not even to wait a day at Crickhollow, if it can be helped.”
“Very good, sir!”
“You still mean to come with me?”
“I do.”
“It is going to be very dangerous, Sam. It is already dangerous. Most likely neither of us will come back.”
“If you don’t come back, sir, then I shan’t, that’s certain,” said Sam. “‘Don’t you leave him!’ They said to me. ‘Leave him!’ I said. ‘I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon; and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they’ll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with,’ I said. They laughed.”
—Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, book 1, chap. 4
[4]So refreshed and encouraged did they feel at the end of their supper (about three quarters of an hour’s steady going, not hindered by unnecessary talk) that Frodo, Pippin, and Sam decided to join the company. Merry said it would be too stuffy.
—Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, book 1, chap. 9
[5]The Bree-hobbits were, in fact, friendly and inquisitive, and Frodo soon found that some explanation of what he was doing would have to be given. He gave out that he was interested in history and geography (at which there was much wagging of heads, although neither of these words were much used in the Bree-dialect). He said that he was thinking of writing a book (at which there was silent astonishment), and that he and his friends wanted to collect information about hobbits living outside the Shire, especially in eastern lands.
—Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, book 1, chap. 9
Comments on the English Examples
31.16. We have a regular system of written conventions in English to indicate direct discourse. The examples above illustrate several of these, including paragraph breaks/indents and quotation marks (both single and double). We also have standard means of introducing both direct and indirect discourse.
Evaluate the five examples given above, and mark all direct discourse and all indirect discourse. How has the author communicated the intended nature of each statement? How is the speaker identified? List or mark each relevant typographical feature and each introductory statement.
Greek Discourse
31.17. The conventions of direct discourse in Greek are quite different from English. That is true of both the original texts and our modern printed editions. Greek did not use quotation marks or even capitalization during the Koine period. There were only limited indications of direct discourse, such as common introductory phrasing; most occurrences were identified by context. Our modern printed editions have updated these practices slightly, but they are still much more limited than English. Printed texts have no quotation marks and no paragraphing system that is related to discourse. The only addition to the ancient system is the use of an initial capital letter to mark direct discourse—and not all editions are consistent in the use of this convention.
Direct Discourse
31.18. Direct discourse is usually easy to identify, since it is almost always introduced with a verb of speaking[4] that may be supplemented with a participle either before or after the main verb—for example, εἶπεν λέγων or ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν. This sounds redundant in English but was normal Greek style. It is also common (more so in some writers than others—Mark, for example) to use a conjunction following the verb of speaking, typically ὅτι. The technical name for this is a recitative ὅτι. In this situation the ὅτι clause functions as the complement of the verb of speaking (some would call this the direct object of the verb). In English the ὅτι is represented by quotation marks (do not translate it as “that”). Do not assume that every ὅτι following a verb of speaking is direct discourse, because it can also introduce indirect discourse. Direct discourse gives the statement as an independent clause embedded in the larger sentence.
Indirect Discourse
31.19. Indirect discourse is not always as easy to identify, in part because it can be constructed somewhat differently from the equivalent construction in English. Compare the indirect statement with the original in the following table.
| Example | Indirect Discourse | Original Statement |
| 4 | Merry said it would be too stuffy. | “It will be too stuffy.” |
| 5 | He gave out that he was interested in history and geography. | “I am interested in history and geography.” |
| He said that he was thinking of writing a book | “I am thinking of writing a book.” | |
| and that he and his friends wanted to collect information about hobbits living outside the Shire, especially in eastern lands. | “My friends and I want to collect information about hobbits living outside the Shire, especially in eastern lands.” |
By comparing the English examples of indirect discourse given above, you can observe two types of changes. First, the tense of the verb is changed when a statement is placed in indirect discourse: the tense is backshifted, pushed back one step in time.[5] This is necessary in English because English tense is a time term. Second, the grammatical person of the pronouns is often adjusted to reflect the fact that it is now no longer the speaker making the statement, but it is being reported by someone else. For example, in 5a, “I am” becomes “he was” (first person to third, and present tense to past).
In Greek there are also several differences between direct and indirect statements, but these differences are not all the same as in English. The person of the pronoun often changes in a fashion similar to English. The verb, however, usually does not change tense. This is because the Greek tense-form is primarily aspectual, not temporal; therefore there is no need to adjust the time for a later reference point. The context makes such things clear, though when it is translated into English, the English tense must be changed to reflect English usage.
31.20. The Greek verb may also be changed in other ways. The most common change is for a finite form to be replaced by an infinitive in the same tense-form.[6] For example, in Mark 6:45 (see the full text below), ἠνάγκασεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον (“he urged his disciples to embark in the boat”) probably reflects an original statement something like ἐμβῆτε εἰς τὸ πλοῖον (“Get into the boat”)—a second plural second aorist active imperative becoming a second aorist active infinitive.
The change in pronoun is one of the surest ways to identify indirect discourse. Though not every statement can be identified this way, if a first- or second-person pronoun is changed to third person, it is almost surely indirect discourse. For example, in Mark 1:37, λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ὅτι Πάντες ζητοῦσίν σε (“They said to him, ‘Everyone is seeking you’”) is direct discourse; if it were indirect, the pronoun σε would have been changed to αὐτόν (λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ὅτι πάντες ζητοῦσιν αὐτόν, “They said to him that everyone was seeking him”).
When indirect discourse is introduced by ὅτι (or sometimes by εἰ), the ὅτι is represented in English as that. Quotation marks are never used in indirect discourse. Notice also that the statement in indirect discourse is always a subordinate clause that is incorporated into the syntax of the main sentence; it does not stand as its own independent clause, as does direct discourse.
Indirect Questions
31.21. Related to indirect discourse is the indirect question. In this instance the indirect statement refers to and gives the content of a question. This may refer to an actual question that has already been asked directly, or it may be an indirect or polite means of asking a question. This has some difference from an indirect quotation in that it is introduced not by ὅτι but by εἰ or by an interrogative (e.g., τίς or ὅσος).[7] The other matters related to indirect discourse also apply (adjustment of pronouns, retained tense-form, etc.). For example, in Mark 15:44, ὁ δὲ Πιλᾶτος ἐθαύμασεν εἰ ἤδη τέθνηκεν (“Pilate was surprised [to hear] that he was already dead”), the statement was originally, “He is already dead?!” Or, in Acts 10:29, πυνθάνομαι οὖν τίνι λόγῳ μετεπέμψασθέ με; (“I ask, then, why you sent for me”), the question reflected would be “Why did you send for me?” Another possibility is to use ποῖος to introduce an indirect question—for example, in Matt. 24:42, οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ κύριος ὑμῶν ἔρχεται (“You do not know what day your Lord will come”), the original would have been “When will my Lord come?” (note the shift in pronouns).
Greek Examples
Direct Discourse
31.22. Read the following passages in your Greek NT: Mark 1:14–18 and 2:5–12. Identify each instance of direct discourse, and explain how you know it is direct rather than indirect discourse.
Indirect Discourse
The following passages include instances of both direct and indirect discourse. The indirect statements have been marked with bold (Greek) and italics (English); the direct statements may be identified by the quotation marks in the parallel English translation.
Mark 6:45–50
| 45Καὶ εὐθὺς ἠνάγκασεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν εἰς τὸ πέραν πρὸς Βηθσαϊδάν, ἕως αὐτὸς ἀπολύει τὸν ὄχλον. 46καὶ ἀποταξάμενος αὐτοῖς ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι. 47καὶ ὀψίας γενομένης ἦν τὸ πλοῖον ἐν μέσῳ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 48καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτοὺς βασανιζομένους ἐν τῷ ἐλαύνειν, ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἄνεμος ἐναντίος αὐτοῖς, περὶ τετάρτην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς. 49οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης περιπατοῦντα ἔδοξαν ὅτι φάντασμά ἐστιν, καὶ ἀνέκραξαν· 50πάντες γὰρ αὐτὸν εἶδον καὶ ἐταράχθησαν. ὁ δὲ εὐθὺς ἐλάλησεν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε. | 45Then he urged his disciples to embark in the boat and to go ahead of [him] to the other side to Bethsaida, while he was sending the crowd away. 46After taking leave of them he went into the hills to pray. 47When it was evening the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on the land. 48Seeing them straining as they rowed—for the wind was against them—about the fourth watch of the night he went to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but they, seeing him walking on the lake, thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out, 50for they all saw him and were terrified. But quickly he spoke with them and said to them, “Have courage, it is I;a don’t be afraid.” |
a “It is I” is technically correct, though it sounds very stilted in ordinary English usage in this context. More colloquially (though it makes English teachers shudder!), we would usually say, “it’s me” (cf. NJB, CEB). |
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Mark 8:14–21
| 14Καὶ ἐπελάθοντο λαβεῖν ἄρτους καὶ εἰ μὴ ἕνα ἄρτον οὐκ εἶχον μεθ᾿ ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ. 15καὶ διεστέλλετο αὐτοῖς λέγων, Ὁρᾶτε, βλέπετε ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῆς ζύμης Ἡρῴδου. 16καὶ διελογίζοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχουσιν. 17καὶ γνοὺς λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τί διαλογίζεσθε ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχετε; οὔπω νοεῖτε οὐδὲ συνίετε; πεπωρωμένην ἔχετε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν; 18ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε; καὶ οὐ μνημονεύετε, 19ὅτε τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους ἔκλασα εἰς τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους, πόσους κοφίνους κλασμάτων πλήρεις ἤρατε; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Δώδεκα. 20Ὃτε τοὺς ἑπτὰ εἰς τοὺς τετρακισχιλίους, πόσων σπυρίδων πληρώματα κλασμάτων ἤρατε; καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ἑπτά. 21καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς, Οὔπω συνίετε; | 14Now they had forgotten to take bread, and except for one loaf, they did not have [bread] with them in the boat. 15He commanded them, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.” 16So they were discussing with one another that they didn’t have bread. 17Knowing this, [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you discussing about not having bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18Having eyes, you do see, don’t you? And having ears, you do hear, don’t you? You do remember, don’t you—19when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand—how many full baskets of pieces you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20“When [I broke] the seven [loaves] for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” 21He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” |
31.23. Advanced Information for Reference:
Diagramming Discourse
| Mark 8:16, καὶ διελογίζοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχουσιν. | So they were discussing with one another that they did not have bread. |
Figure 31.1
Direct and indirect discourse are not distinguished in a grammatical diagram, since they both function the same way: as the object complement (direct object) of a verb of speaking or thinking. The example shown here is indirect discourse, but direct discourse would be diagrammed the same way. If the statement is introduced with a subordinating conjunction such as ὅτι, it is placed on the vertical leg of the stilts.
Reading Passage: Genesis 15:1–18
31.24. This passage from the OT contains a large amount of direct discourse. To enable you to follow the dialogue more easily, it has been paragraphed as we would in English. In Rahlfs’s LXX this is all one paragraph. There are some differences from the Hebrew MT and our English translations. The NETS translation has been appended for reference, but you will profit most if you do not read it until you have read the Greek text as best you can. Any vocabulary that is not found in the NT is appended in the notes.
The Covenant with Abram
1Μετὰ δὲ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐγενήθη ῥῆμα κυρίου πρὸς Ἀβρὰμ ἐν ὁράματι λέγων, Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ἀβράμ· ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζωa σου· ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα.
2Λέγει δὲ Ἀβράμ, Δέσποτα, τί μοι δώσεις (you will give); ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπολύομαιb ἄτεκνος· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς Μάσεκc τῆς οἰκογενοῦςd μου, οὗτος Δαμασκὸς Ἐλιέζερ. 3καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβράμ, Ἐπειδὴ ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔδωκας (you gave) σπέρμα, ὁ δὲ οἰκογενήςd μου κληρονομήσειe με.
4Καὶ εὐθὺς φωνὴ κυρίου ἐγένετο πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγων, Οὐ κληρονομήσει σε οὗτος, ἀλλ᾿ ὃς ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ σοῦ, οὗτος κληρονομήσει σε. 5ἐξήγαγεν δὲ αὐτὸν ἔξω καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἀνάβλεψον δὴ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἀρίθμησον τοὺς ἀστέρας, εἰ δυνήσῃ ἐξαριθμῆσαιf αὐτούς. καὶ εἶπεν, Οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου.
6Καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην.
7Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν, Ἐγὼ ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ χώρας Χαλδαίων ὥστε δοῦναί (to give) σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην κληρονομῆσαι.
8Εἶπεν δέ, Δέσποτα κύριε, κατὰ τίg γνώσομαι ὅτι κληρονομήσω αὐτήν;
9Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ, Λαβέ μοι δάμαλιν τριετίζουσανh καὶ αἶγαi τριετίζουσαν καὶ κριὸνj τριετίζοντα καὶ τρυγόνα καὶ περιστεράν.
10Ἔλαβεν δὲ αὐτῷ πάντα ταῦτα καὶ διεῖλενk αὐτὰ μέσα καὶ ἔθηκεν (he placed) αὐτὰ ἀντιπρόσωπαl ἀλλήλοις, τὰ δὲ ὄρνεα οὐ διεῖλεν.k 11κατέβη δὲ ὄρνεα ἐπὶ τὰ σώματα, τὰ διχοτομήματαm αὐτῶν, καὶ συνεκάθισεν αὐτοῖς Ἀβράμ.
12Περὶ δὲ ἡλίου δυσμὰςn ἔκστασις ἐπέπεσεν τῷ Ἀβράμ, καὶ ἰδοὺ φόβος σκοτεινὸς μέγας ἐπιπίπτει αὐτῷ. 13καὶ ἐρρέθη πρὸς Ἀβράμ, Γινώσκων γνώσῃo ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἔτη. 14τὸ δὲ ἔθνος, ᾧ ἐὰν δουλεύσωσιν, κρινῶ ἐγώ· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται ὧδε μετὰ ἀποσκευῆςp πολλῆς. 15σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου μετ᾿ εἰρήνης, ταφεὶςq ἐν γήρειr καλῷ. 16τετάρτηs δὲ γενεὰ ἀποστραφήσονται ὧδε· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Αμορραίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν.
17Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγίνετο ὁ ἥλιος πρὸς δυσμαῖς, φλὸξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἰδοὺ κλίβανος καπνιζόμενοςt καὶ λαμπάδες πυρός, αἳ διῆλθον ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν διχοτομημάτωνm τούτων. 18ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ διέθετο (made) κύριος τῷ Ἀβρὰμ διαθήκην λέγων, Τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω (I will give) τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου.
a ὑπερασπίζω, “I hold a shield over, protect”
b In this context ἀπολύω means “I am going away,” that is, “I am going to die.”
c Μάσεκ is a woman’s name (indeclinable).
d οἰκογενής, -ές (a “two-form” adj., always used substantivally in the LXX), “born in the household, homegrown” (but never refers to one’s own children); substantival: “member of the household,” can refer to a slave, servant, soldier, etc. (MLS, 488). Since it is feminine in v. 2, it explains who Μάσεκ is, a female slave or servant who belonged to Abram. The full phrase indicates that she is the mother of Δαμασκὸς Ἐλιέζερ. The same word in v. 3 is masculine and refers to Δαμασκὸς Ἐλιέζερ.
e When “used with pers. obj. the verb [κληρονομέω] signifies succeed someone as heir, be someone’s heir” (BDAG, 547.1.b).
f ἐξαριθμέω, “I count completely” (MLS, 248)
g κατὰ τί, “in accordance with what?” or more idiomatically, “how?”
h τριετίζω, “I am three years old”
i αἶγα ► αἴξ, αἰγός, ὁ, ἡ, “goat”
j κριόν ► κριός, οῦ, ὁ, “male sheep, ram”
k διεῖλεν ► διαιρέω
l ἀντιπρόσωπος, ον, “facing one another”
m διχοτόμημα, ατος, τό, “divided part”
n Περὶ δὲ ἡλίου δυσμάς, “but about the going down of the sun” = “about sunset”
o Γινώσκων γνώσῃ, “knowing you will know,” a formal equivalent translation of the Hebrew construction Qal infinitive absolute + cognate finite verb; used to stress certainty, “know for certain”
p ἀποσκευή, ῆς, ἡ, “possessions” (often includes reference to household members; see MLS, 82)
q ταφείς ► ptc. of θάπτω
r γῆρας, gen. γήρως/γήρους, dat. γήρᾳ/γήρει, acc. γῆραν, τό, “old age”
s τέταρτος, η, ον, “fourth” (“four” is τέσσαρες)
t καπνίζω, “I make smoke”
NETS Translation
1Now after these matters the Lord’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am shielding you; your reward shall be very great.” 2But Abram was saying, “O Master, what will you give me? And I, I am going away childless; as for the son of Masek, my female homebred, he is Damascus Eliezer.” 3And Abram said, “Since you have given me no offspring, my male homebred will be my heir.” 4And immediately a divine voice came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who shall come out of you, he shall be your heir.” 5Then he brought him outside and said to him, “Look up to heaven, and number the stars, if you will be able to count them.” And he said, “So shall your offspring be.” 6And Abram believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
7Then he said to him, “I am the God who brought you out of the country of the Chaldeans so as to give you this land to possess.” 8But he said, “O Master, Lord, how shall I know that I shall possess it?” 9And he said to him, “Take for me a heifer three years old and a female goat three years old and a ram three years old and a turtledove and a dove.” 10And he took for him all these and divided them in the middle and placed them facing one another, but he did not divide the birds. 11And birds came down on the carcasses, their cut halves, and Abram sat together with them.
12Then about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and look, a great dark fear was falling upon him. 13And it was said to Abram, “Knowledgeably you shall know that your offspring shall be alien in a land not its own, and they shall enslave them and maltreat them and humble them for four hundred years. 14But I will judge the nation that they are subject to; then afterward they shall come out here with much baggage. 15Now as for yourself, you shall depart to your fathers in peace, buried in a good old age. 16Then in the fourth generation they shall be brought back here, for the sins of the Amorrites are not yet, to the present, filled up.”
17Now after the sun began to appear in the west, a flame appeared, and look, a smoking oven and torches of fire that passed through between these cut halves. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I will give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”
31.25. Vocabulary for Chapter 31
| Part of Speech | Definition | Possible Glosses | Frequency | |
| Word | NT | LXX | ||
| Adjectives | ||||
| ἀκάθαρτος, ον | Contaminated and thus not meeting the requirements for ritual/ceremonial use; in a more general sense, anything characterized by moral impurity | unclean, impure | 32 | 160 |
| φίλος, η, ον | Characterized by having a special interest in and close relationship with another person (i.e., not a casual acquaintance); one who has a close, friendly relationship with another person | friendly, loving, dear; friend (subst., as almost always in the LXX and NT) | 29 | 187 |
| Conjunction | ||||
| πλήν | An adversative coordinating conjunction that introduces a contrast to the preceding statement | but, however, only, nevertheless | 31 | 248 |
| Nouns | ||||
| οἶνος, ου, ὁ | A beverage made from the juice of the grape (usually fermented, but perhaps not necessarily so) | wine, juice (from the grape) | 34 | 253 |
| ἥλιος, ου, ὁ | The star around which the earth orbits | sun | 32 | 211 |
| πλῆθος, ους, τό | A large quantity or number of anything, whether people (most commonly) or things | multitude, throng, large number | 31 | 288 |
| σκότος, ους, τό | The absence of light; ignorance in moral or spiritual matters (metaphorical) | darkness | 31 | 120 |
| χώρα, ας, ἡ | Dry land (in contrast to the sea); the territory of a nation or a smaller geographical area; open country (in contrast to the city); land used for agriculture | land; country, region, place; countryside; field | 28 | 247 |
| ἀδικία, ας, ἡ | The quality of violating a standard of right | unrighteousness, wickedness, injustice | 26 | 228 |
| Verbs | ||||
| κράζω | To utter a loud cry, speak vigorously | I cry/call out | 56 | 111 |
| προσφέρω | To bring someone/something to someone; to present an offering or gift to someone | I bring (to); I offer, present | 47 | 161 |
| καθίζω | (1) Transitive: to cause to sit down; (2) intransitive: to take a seated position | (1) I seat, set; (2) I sit down | 46 | 255 |
| διώκω | To engage in pursuit, follow hastily (may be either positive or negative in intent); to harass, organize a systematic program of harassment | I pursue, run after; I persecute | 45 | 104 |
| ἐπιστρέφω | To return to a place where one has previously been; to change direction or turn around in a space; to change one’s mind, mode of thinking, belief, or course of action | I return, go back; I turn (around); I turn (back/from), repent | 36 | 534 |
| ἁγιάζω | To set aside for sacred use/purposes; to treat as holy | I set apart, sanctify, dedicate; I revere | 28 | 196 |
31.26. Key Things to Know for Chapter 31
How might you make a conditional statement in Greek without using one of the formal conditional statements?
Do you understand the difference between direct and indirect discourse?
What sort of changes can take place in Greek when indirect discourse is used?