LOGIZOMAI: passive or active?

Clwinbery at aol.com Clwinbery at aol.com
Sun Mar 10 20:36:53 EST 2002



In a message dated 3/10/02 4:45:57 PM, moon at sogang.ac.kr writes:

>It seems that LOGIZOMAI is used both with passive (Rom 4.3-4) and active
>meaning (1Cor 5.9). How is it possible?
>Especially I wonder whether the LXX translation (quoted in Rom 4.3) of
>Gen 15:6 has made the active statement of the original into the passive
>statement. In the original, it says "Abraham believed in the Lord. He
>counted it to him as righteousness".
>
The passages in question:
Rom. 4:3-4 TI GAR hH GRAFH LEGE? EPISTEUSEN DE ABRAAM TWi QEWi KAI ELOGISQH 
AUTWi EIS DIKAIOSUNHN.  4 TWi DE ERGAZOMENWi hO MISQOS OU LOGIZETAI KATA 
CARIN ALLA KATA OFEILHMA. 

1 Cor. 5:9 does not use this word.  Perhaps you mean 2 Cor. 5:19 hWS hOTI 
QEOS HN EN CRISTWi KOSMON KATALLASSWN hEAUTWi, MH LOGIZOMENOS AUTOIS TA 
PARAPTWMATA AUTWN KAI QEMENOS EN hHMIN TON LOGON THS KATALLAGHS.

This verb is given in the dictionaries as middle or passage and is called 
"deponent." We have many discussions of the so-called "deponent" verbs in the 
middle and passive forms. 

In the Romans passages it can be translated as passive, i.e., "It was 
reckoned."

In the 1 Cor. passage it can be translated as intensive (or subject 
intensive), i.e, [God]
himself did not reckon. . ."

I would urge you to get into the archieves and read especially the post by 
Carl Conrad on the middle and passive forms.

Carlton L. Winbery
Louisiana College



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