Matt 19:9

dixonps at juno.com dixonps at juno.com
Sun Oct 3 20:27:30 EDT 1999



On Sun, 3 Oct 1999 02:16:41 EDT CEP7 at aol.com writes:
>
> I might as well put my two denarii in here too.
> 
> Zerwick,  Biblical Greek Illustrated by Examples, §442 has some 
> helpful comments: 

> "Can MH mean «except»? The question has a certain importance in 
> connection with the «divorce clauses»; for it is obviously likely that
the two 
> expressions (Mt 5.32 and 19.9) have the same meaning i. e. that MH 
> EPI PORNEIAi means the same thing as the previous PAREKTOS LOGOU 
> PORNEIAS. The meaning would of course be the same if MH could mean
«except», but 
> this is with good reason denied by many scholars. In this passage,
however, 
> MH not only may but should mean «except», not that MH = «except» is of 
> itself dmissible, but because MH is here dependent upon the
introductory 
> hOS AN which is equivalent to EAN TIS («whoever = if anyone dismiss his

> wifeMH EPI PORNEIAi…») and thus we have (EAN) MH= «unless», i. e.
«except». 
> Both expressions therefore, lay down the same true exception…" 
> 
<snip>

> Any comments on Zerwick's suggestion would be most appreciated.

If the MH of Mt 19:9 should be rendered "except" because of the parallel
with Mt 5:32,  then what does "except" mean?  Does it mean the negation,
that is, if a man divorces his wife because of PORNEIA and remarries,
then he does not commit adultery?

Even if the construction in Mt 19:9 somehow denotes the negation of the
protasis, the negation of the apodosis screams for assertion.  It simply
cannot be assumed, as apparently Zerwick does.

Paul Dixon





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