Romans 10:20: Are all English translations in error?

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Tue Dec 3 13:21:22 EST 2002


>
> This "passive" verb seems to be giving a lot of trouble. I've already
> suggested that it might better be viewed as a middle with a sense
> something like German SICH BEFINDEN. I think actually that it functions in
> the expressions being discussed in a manner very similar to WFQH + dative
> or EGENETO/EGENHQH + dative in the sense "appear" or "be open to view" or
> even simply "exist."

Whereas I agree that the passive of hEURISKW is often similar in sense to
"appear" or "be seen", I doubt that it is similar to or could be translated
into German by "sich befinden". With a verb like this, I would expect the
middle to be very similar in sense to the active rather than the passive,
that is, the middle might mean "to find and acquire". The Friberg tags has
only one instance marked middle. Several versions translate it as "secure",
others as "obtain". It is in Heb 9:12. BAGD says that the sense of the
middle is "find (for oneself), obtain" and is used in Attic. By the way,
does the book of Hebrews show other examples of Attic Greek? Is it more
classical than the rest of the NT?
Maybe the similarity to "appear" is the main reason why the experiencer in
the passive form of the verb is indicated by a dative or possibly EN rather
than hUPO?

Iver Larsen




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