How to translate EN in Rom 1:24 and Rom 1:27

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Jun 15 20:36:50 EDT 1999


At 4:28 PM -0400 6/15/99, Dmitriy Reznik wrote:
>Dear friends,
>
>What do you think, how does the word EN in Rom.1:24 and 1:27 have to be
>translated, as “inside” (of the bodies) or as “among” (yourself)?

In the first place, it's not "how EN has to be translated" but "what EN
means" that is the question.

>24 DIO KAI PAREDWKEN AUTOUS hO QEOS EN TAIS EPIQUMIAIS TWN KARDIWN AUTWN
>EIS AKAQARSIAN TOU ATIMAZESQAI TA SWNATA AUTWN EN(!) EAUTOIS
>
>27 OMOIWS TE KAI ARSENES AFENTES THS FUSIKHN CRHSIN THS QHLEIAS EXEKAUQHSAN
>EN TH OREXEI AUTON EIS ALLHLOUS ARSENES EN(!) ARSESIN THN ASCHMOSUNHN
>KATERGAZOMENOI KAI THN ANTIMISQIAN HN EDEI THS PLANHS AUTWN EN(!) EAUTOIS
>APOLAMBANONTES

I would understand each instance of EN that you mark with exclamation mark
in these verses as an instrumental-comitative dative and use "with" to
convey the sense into English. Moreover, it wouldn't be "yourselves" but
"themselves" because it's a third-person expression.

I should add that I personally don't think that EN + dative in this context
could mean "inside"--I think that would have to be EIS + accusative or
ENTOS + genitive.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



More information about the B-Greek mailing list