John 8:23: ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἐστέ· ἐγὼ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω εἰμί

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Mike Baber
Posts: 97
Joined: May 30th, 2011, 11:25 pm
Location: Texas

John 8:23: ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἐστέ· ἐγὼ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω εἰμί

Post by Mike Baber »

In general, translations render this phrase, "You are from beneath; I am from above."

I noticed that τῶν is genitive plural, rather than the singular τοῦ.

Shouldn't this phrase be translated as "I am from those things above; you are from those things below"?
Scott Lawson
Posts: 450
Joined: June 9th, 2011, 6:36 pm

Re: John 8:23: ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἐστέ· ἐγὼ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω εἰμί

Post by Scott Lawson »

Mike Baber wrote:Shouldn't this phrase be translated as "I am from those things above; you are from those things below"?
Mike,
Both adverbs of place and of time can be used substantivally. This in an instance of two adverbs of place (ἄνω and κάτω) used with the article and as you noted in the plural. Rather than the word "things" I would supply words like "regions" or "realms" above and below.
Scott Lawson
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