Acts 2:2 rushing breath?

Steven Lo Vullo slovullo at mac.com
Sun Oct 13 16:17:59 EDT 2002


On Sunday, October 13, 2002, at 02:42 AM, 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.

I think what makes this unlikely, Iver, is the position of FEROMENHS 
after the comparative particle hWSPER, which introduces a comparison. 
In my opinion it is much more natural to take FEROMENHS (along with 
BIAIAS) as attributive to PNOHS, with the whole phrase introduced by 
hWSPER and forming the comparison with HCOS.
============

Steven R. Lo Vullo
Madison, WI




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