hWS EX ERGWN in Rom 9.32a

Steven Lo Vullo slovullo at mac.com
Sat Apr 20 21:01:02 EDT 2002


Thanks very much, Dr. Wheeler, for taking the time to clarify things for me.
I do still have one more question, though.

> 3) Not intending to be pedantic but just explanatory...a noun clause will
> fill the slot a noun or adjective would fill, thus it is usually
> explanatory to some word or phrase.  Thus, as a noun clause, as was pointed
> out in several quotes from commentaries, the hWS etc. is NOT saying,  "They
> pursued it as if pursuing it by works."  That would be hWS as an adverbial
> modifier (= BDAG hWS I.1.).
> 
> 4) As a Noun Clause it is saying, as you said (though you wanted to
> classify it as adverbial):
> 
> hOTI OUK [EDIWXAN AUTON] EK PISTEWS ALL' [EDIWXAN AUTON] hWS EX ERGWN
> 
> "because [they did not pursue it] by faith, but [they pursued it] as if it
> were by works" (AUTON and "it" refer to NOMON DIKAIOSUNHS from v. 31)
> 
> 5) Thus, the hWS clause is providing an appositional/adjectival
> explanation, *not* of how they pursued it, but rather the nature of the
> NOMON DIKAIOSUNHS, ie., they thought it was a "law" which was by its nature
> attainable EX' ERGWN.

I am familiar with hWS introducing an appositive, such as it does in 1 Cor
4.1:

hOUTWS hHMAS LOGIZESQW ANQRWPOS hWS hUPHRETAS CRISTOU KAI OIKONOMOUS
MUSTHRIWN QEOU.

In these cases, though, there is usually an expressed appositive following
hWS.

So if the hWS clause is appositional in Rom 9.32, can it be explained in the
following way?

hOTI OUK [EDIWXAN AUTON] EK PISTEWS ALL' [EDIWXAN AUTON] hWS [NOMON
DIKAIOSUNHS] EX ERGWN

"because [they did not pursue it] by faith, but [they pursued it] as [a law
of righteousness] by works

I know this is a long way to go, but I want to make sure I understand how
hWS is functioning in this particular instance.
============

Steven Lo Vullo
Madison, WI
slovullo at mac.com
   




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