On 1 Corinthians 14:2
Richard A. Stauch
rstauch at charter.net
Sun Sep 22 11:49:09 EDT 2002
Hi Steve and Waldo,
It seems to me that we have glossed over an important point, that the
"definite article" in Greek is not the same as it is in English. Forms
of hO, hH and TO (the article in Greek) do not usually make their
subjects definite in the way that "the" does in English. They underline
their subjects, or highlight them, adding emphasis. Smyth talks about
this in sections 1099-ff. See particularly sections 1126-1130 with
respect to this question. In section 1126, Smyth writes, "The article is
often omitted ... when a word is sufficiently definite by itself."
Remember that QEOS is a common, not a proper noun, so it is not the name
of the deity (which would usually take the article). In context,
therefore, QEWi does not need the article to make it definite in verse
2.
Until then,
Richard Allan Stauch
Long Beach, CA
http://www.rstauch.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven Lo Vullo [mailto:slovullo at mac.com]
> Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2002 10:51 PM
> To: Biblical Greek
> Subject: [b-greek] Re: On 1 Corinthians 14:2
>
> On Saturday, September 21, 2002, at 12:06 AM, waldo slusher wrote:
>
> > hO GAR LALWN GLWSSHi OUK ANQRWPOIS LALEI ALLA QEWi,
> > OUDEIS GAR AKOUEI, PNEUMATI DE LALEI MUSTHRIA
> >
> > I am trying to understand OUDEIS GAR AKOUEI.
> >
> > So far, I have something like, "The one speaking with
> > a (particular) tongue or language does not speak to
> > men but to (some, a) god."
>
> Hi Waldo:
>
> As Iver already said, it is not necessary for QEOS to have the article
> in order for it to designate the one and only God whom Paul worshiped.
> That this is what is in mind here is confirmed by a comparison with v.
> 26:
>
> 1 Cor 14.2 hO GAR LALWN GLWSSHi OUK ANQRWPOIS LALEI ALLA QEWi, OUDEIS
> GAR AKOUEI, PNEUMATI DE LALEI MUSTHRIA
> For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for
> no one understands him [except God], but he speaks mysteries in the
> Spirit.
>
> 1Cor 14.28 EAN DE MH Hi DIERMHNEUTHS, SIGATW EN EKKLHSIAi, hEAUTWi DE
> LALEITW KAI TWi QEWi
> But if there is no interpreter [of tongues], let him keep silent in
> church, and let him speak to himself and to God
>
> In the first case there is no article; in the second there is. In the
> first the indicative informs us that the person speaking in a tongue
is
> not speaking to men, since they do not understand him, but to God, who
> (it is implied) does. In the second the imperative enjoins the tongues
> speaker to keep silent if there is no interpreter, and to speak to
> himself and to God, no doubt because, as stated earlier, people do not
> understand him without an interpreter, whereas God does.
> ============
>
> Steven R. Lo Vullo
> Madison, WI
>
>
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
> You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [rstauch at charter.net]
> To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-
> 145275F at franklin.oit.unc.edu
> To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek at franklin.oit.unc.edu
>
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list