[B-Greek] John 1:24

Iver Larsen Iver_larsen at sil.org
Fri Dec 5 12:03:34 EST 2003


Let me add a bit to see if I can clarify my question and thinking:

> >John 1:24 KAI APESTALMENOI HSAN EK TWN FARISAIWN. KAI HRWTHSAN AUTON...
> >
> >RSV: Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. (So) They asked him...
> >NIV: Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him...
> >REB: Some Pharisees who were in the deputation asked him...


[Carl]
> I think that what you're missing, Iver, is a "partitive" use of EK + gen.
> to function as a subject.

All the examples I mentioned in the previous (and somewhat hastily written)
mail with EK + gen. ... as subject or object were constructed with an active
verb and "some" can be supplied in English. In John 1:24 we have a passive
construction which muddles the subject question.

Grammatically "they" are subject and this must refer to the delegation of
priests and Levites mentioned in the previous context. EK TWN FARISAIWN is a
prepositional phrase which grammatically can be neither subject or object in
this sentence. I am not aware of any grammar or dictionary suggesting that
this verse is an example of a partitive use of EK + gen. functioning a
subject. If it was, it would be "And some of the Pharisees had been sent and
they questioned him..." Neither NIV or REB take the construction as
partitive, since they do not say "some of the Pharisees had been sent."

Semantically, one can say that "the sent ones" is the patient (semantic
object) and "the Pharisees" is the agent (semantic subject). But if this
active transformation were to be put in a translation, it would be something
like "And some of the Pharisees had sent them (this delegation) and they
(the delegation) questioned.."

There is nothing strange about the RSV rendering. It is clear and natural
English, as far as I can tell. One might have said "Now they had been sent
by the Pharisees", but "from" is also fine and keeps the focus on source
rather than agent. One could also have clarified the participant reference
by saying "Now the delegation had been sent by/from the Pharisees" See
GNB/TEV) or one could make a more drastic dynamic restructuring and say "The
people who had sent this delegation were Pharisees."

What the author adds at this point is the extra piece of information that
the antagonistic Jewish leaders who had sent this delegation were actually
Pharisees, and this extra piece of background information is needed to
better understand their last question about why John would baptize.

Neither NIV nor REB are natural or clear translations in this context and
IMO do not give the proper sense of the Greek text. The great majority of
English translations follow the sense given by RSV. GNB has the RSV sense in
the text, but a footnote with the NIV alternative.

Iver Larsen




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