Romans 12:3

Ronald L. Geib rongeib at ptd.net
Sun Apr 28 23:25:25 EDT 2002


> > I am studying Romans 12:3  I am trying to understand the meaning of the
> > last phrase, hEKASTWi hWS hO QEOS EMERISEN METRON PISTEWS. On my initial
> > reading, I translated this phrase as " . . . according to the standard,
> > faith, that God gave to each."  C.E.B. Cranfield argues in the ICC
> > commentary that hEKASTWi is in dative case because of attraction.  This
> > would yield something like ". . . each [should think of himself in sober
> > judgement]according to the standard, faith, that God gave." Would hEKASTWi
> > be attracted to the phrase "PANTI TWi ONTI EN hUMIN" that occurs in the
> > earlier part of the verse, and what clues would I look for to indicate
> > that this was the case?
> > 
> > Thank You,
> > Ron Geib
> 
> LEGW GAR DIA THS CARITOS THS DOQEISHS MOI PANTI TWi ONTI EN hUMIN, MH
> hUPERFRONEIN PAR' hO DEI FRONEIN, ALLA FRONEIN EIS TO SWFRONEIN, hEKASTWI
> hWS O QEOS EMERISEN METRON PISTEWS.
> 
> I think the way "attraction" is meant here is irrelevant to PANTI TWi ONTI
> EN hUMIN. The implied subject of hYPERFRONEIN and FRONEIN is AUTON
> (regarding PANTA TON ONTA EN hUMIN). So, according to the commentary, the
> accusative hEKASTON would have been appropriate here if hEKASTWi hadn't
> functioned as an object (objective dative) of EMERISEN.
>  
> You may also have a look at 1 Cor 7:17
> 
> EI MH hEKASTWi hWS EMERISEN O QEOS, hEKASTON hWS KEKLHKEN O QEOS, OUTW
> PERIPATEITW.
> 
> The subject of PERIPATEITW is the implied hEKASTOS; but as an object of
> EMERISEN and KEKLHKEN it occurs in dative and accusative- not in
> nominative as it "should".

To Manolis Nikolaou:

After reading your response, I re-studied Cranfield’s comments and
realized I had misunderstood them.  I had originally understood him to be
removing the function of an objective dative from hEKASTWi and regarding
it instead as a nominative.  In my understanding, this changed the phrase
so that instead of asserting that God apportioned a measure (or standard)
to each person, it asserted that God gave one measure that each person
should use as a standard. Thank You for helping me to understand more
clearly the passage in question as well as the intentions of the
commentator.


Ron Geib



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