accusative indirect objects?

Steven Lo Vullo slovullo at mac.com
Sat Sep 28 23:59:49 EDT 2002


On Wednesday, September 25, 2002, at 12:31 PM, Matthew Ferris wrote:

> Luke 3:18 is as follows:
>
> POLLA MEN OUV KAI ETERA PARAKALWN EUHGGELIZETO TON LAON
> which is translated: With many other exhortations therefore preached 
> he good
> tidings unto the people. (ASV)
>
> My question is why is it TON LAON instead of TWi LAWi. It seems that 
> 'the
> people' is properly the indirect object here, and should thus be in 
> dative
> case, but quite clearly in the text it is accusative case.

Matthew:

BDAG 2.a.gamma points out that EUAGGELIZW in the middle is used with 
mention of the one who receives the message, either in the dative or in 
the accusative. Luke 3.18 is one of the examples they use to illustrate 
the use of the accusative (cf. also  Acts 8.25, 40; 14.21; 16.10; Gal 
1.9; 1 Pet 1.12). If you think in terms of "evangelized" (as Brian 
McCarthy suggested in his post) it can help you conceptualize better 
the relationship of EUAGGELIZOMAI and the accusative ("he evangelized 
the people"), even though it might suggest an imprecise nuance in 
English.

This leaves us with the question of POLLA hETERA. This should be taken 
with PARAKALWN rather than EUAGGELIZETO. BDAG 2 points out that 
PARAKALEW may be used with the accusative of the thing impressed upon, 
urged, or exhorted. Again, Luke 3.18 is used as an example, along with 
1 Tim 6.2 and Tit 2.15. So we could think in terms of "urging upon them 
also many other things."

I think what I said above is actually reflected in the ASV translation 
you have provided, at least as far as the relationship between POLLA 
hETERA and PARAKALWN is concerned. Note how POLLA ... hETERA PARAKALWN 
is paraphrased as "with many other exhortations."
============

Steven R. Lo Vullo
Madison, WI




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