Acts 2:2 rushing breath?
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sun Oct 13 07:51:41 EDT 2002
At 10:42 AM +0300 10/13/02, Iver Larsen wrote:
>I have a question on the passive participle in this verse:
>
>KAI EGENETO AFNW EK TOU OURANOU HKOS hWSPER FEROMENHS PNOHS BIAIAS
>
>The sound - HKOS - is the subject which is compared to the sound of a
>strong/violent breath. The genitive FEROMENHS modifies PNOHS, but why is it
>passive and what is the meaning of the word FERW here? Most English
>translations take it in an active sense like rushing, blowing, driving,
>roaring.
>
>Is it at all possible that it could be construed with EK TOU OURANOU? In
>that case I would understand it as "being brought from heaven" and the
>source or origin of the wind would be fronted in order to focus on the
>source of this unusual sound.
The simple answer is, of course, that FEROMENHS here in HCOS FEROMENHS
PNOHS BIAIAS is middle rather than passive; I continue to believe that
thinking of a "passive" form as having a middle sense is something that
Hellenists ought to be taught to do when first they learn the voices. BDAG
s.v. 3 indicates fairly clearly that the sense may be middle or passive,
depending of whether or not there's an external agent or source of
movement, even though it refers to the form as "passive":
===================
3. to cause to follow a certain course in direction or conduct,
move out of position, drive, the pass. can be variously rendered: be moved,
be driven, let oneself be moved
a. lit., by wind and weather (Apollon. Rhod. 4, 1700; Chariton 3,
5, 1; Appian, Bell. Civ. 1, 62 §278 in spite of the storm Marius leaped
into a boat and EPETREYE THi TUCHi FEREIN let himself be driven away by
fortune; Jer 18:14; PsSol 8:2 puro\ß . . . ferome÷nou; TestNapht 6:5; Ar.
4, 2 ASTRA ... FEROMENA; Tat. 26, 1 THS NEWS FEROMENHS) Ac 27:15, 17.-Move,
pass (s. L-S-J-M s.v. FERW B 1) FERESQAI DE DI' AUTOU ISCURWS foul
discharges were emitted . . . through it (Judas's penis) Papias (3:2).
b. fig., of the Spirit of God, by whom people are moved (cp. Job
17:1 PNEUMATI FEROMENOS) hUPO PNEUMATOS hAGIOU FEROMENOI 2 Pt 1:21b. Cp. Ac
15:29 D. THi PISTEI FEROMENOS hO PAULOS Ha 5, 1. Of the impulse to do good
Hs 6, 5, 7. Of the powers of evil (Ps.-Plut., Hom. 133 hUPO ORGHS
FEROMENOI; Jos., Bell. 6, 284; Ath. 25, 4) PtK 2 p. 14, 11; Dg 9:1; Hs 8,
9, 3.
c. also of the wind itself (Ptolem., Apotel. 1, 11, 3 hOI FEROMENOI
ANEMOI; Diog. L. 10, 104 t. PNEUMATOS POLLOU FEROMENOU; Quint. Smyrn. 3,
718) FERESQAI rush Ac 2:2.
d. of various other entities: of fragrance FERESQAI EPI TINA be
borne or wafted to someone (Dio Chrys. 66 [16], 6 'rush upon {p. 1052}
someone') ApcPt 5:16.-Of writings (Diog. L. 5, 86 FERETAI AUTOU [i.e.
Heraclid. Pont.] SUGGRAMMATA KALLISTA; Marinus, Vi. Procli 38; cp. Arrian,
Anab. 7, 12, 6 LOGOS EFERETO ALEXANDROU=a saying of Alexander was
circulated) hOU (=TOU EIRHNAIOU0 POLLA SUGGRAMMATA FERETAI of whom there
are many writings in circulation EpilMosq 2.-Of spiritual development EPI
TELEIOTHTA FERWMEQA let us move on toward perfection Hb 6:1.
====================
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months: 1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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