AITHSHi (John 11:22)

Maurice A. O'Sullivan mauros at iol.ie
Thu Apr 25 07:14:23 EDT 2002


At 11:43 25/04/02, B. Ward Powers wrote:

>AITHSHi must here be second person ditto ditto MIDDLE. And this must be 
>it. But why middle? Martha can't be saying, "I know that whatever you ask 
>God for FOR YOURSELF, God will give you." So why middle here, instead of 
>the active (which we expected)?
>
>Any light to throw upon why this middle form?

The EDNT notes of AITEW that " in nearly half of its occurrences AITEW is 
used in the middle. " and later cites Stahlin ( TDNT 1: 191-195 ) " there 
is no striking distinction between the active and the middle ", going on to 
distinguish between the secular Greek " ( not applicable to the NT texts ) 
of the middle in a commercial claim, and the request which does not include 
the idea of any return in the active ".

This is well covered in BDF s.316, and in 316:2 there is a note " mid. of 
requests addressed to God, Mt. 18:19 etc." and it lists other verses " mid. 
alternating  with act. (arbitrarily ) ".

Regards

Maurice


Maurice A. O'Sullivan  [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros at iol.ie






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