Translating Imperatives

Mike Sangrey mike at sojurn.lns.pa.us
Sat Aug 21 11:08:58 EDT 1999


I did a very quick count of the verbals used in the GNT.

There are 28112 total verbals: indicative, imperative, participle, whatever.
1622 of these are imperative.

Is this frequency (5.7%) similar to other languages?  I certainly don't think 
that 1 out of every 20 of my sentences is a command or entreaty.

The reason I bring this up is to ask:  does the Greek imperative have a 
broader meaning than we are allowing it to have in this thread?  So much so, 
in fact, that translating as 'let us', as an example, is quite acceptable.  
Carl mentioned that the English ear is perhaps more sensitive to the 
imperative than the Greek ear was.  If that is so, then there is a subtle 
difference in meaning.  And that subtle difference would need to be realized 
in translation in order for the translation to be accurate.

-- 
Mike Sangrey
mike at sojurn.lns.pa.us
Lancaster, Pa.
       There is no 'do' in faith, everywhere present within it is 'done'.





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