[B-Greek] EPI in Acts 1:21

Jeff Smelser jeffsmelser at ntgreek.net
Thu Dec 11 09:03:28 EST 2003


George wrote:

> As a user of some of the "fancy software", I ran a search on EF' hHMAS and
> found that in the NT it appears 10 times including this passage.
> In each case (excluding this passage) the sense is "upon us."

I don't think we can lose sight of the fundamental idea of EPI as "upon,"
and I can see all of the following meanings mentioned by Iver as growing out
of that idea:

> I looked at EPI followed by any accusative personal pronoun in an NT
> database with English interlinear glosses. EPI was at times translated
> by "on" as in Mark 9:22 SPLAGCNISQEIS EF' hHMAS (having compassion on us),
> by "against" as in Luke 22:53 OUK EXETEINATE TAS CEIRAS EP' EME (you did
not
> stretch out your hands against me), see also John 13:18,
> by "over" as in Luke 19:14 OU QELOMEN TOUTON BASILEUSAI EF' hHMAS (to rule
> over us), see also 2 Cor 12:9,
> by "towards" as in Eph 2:7 EN CRHSTOTHTI EF' hHMAS (kindness towards us),
> and
> by "for" as in Luke 23:28 MY KLAIETE EP' EME (do not cry for me).

I think Iver's suggestion ("Based on this I am wondering whether the sense
of EPI here is 'those affected by' the action") makes sense, and as he
notes, it is not so different from Carl's original suggestion five years
ago.

I think I'm ready to conclude the idea is the impact Jesus' activities (his
"going out and coming in") had ~upon~ the disiciples.

DEI OUN TWN SUNELQONTWN hHUMIN ANDRWN EN PANTI CRONWi hWi EISHLQEN KAI
EXHLQEN EF' hHMAS hO KURIOS IHSOUS...

If  I can take the liberty of representing  EISHLQEN KAI EXHLQEN by an idiom
we use:

"It is necessary therefore, of the men who went about with us in all the
time which the Lord Jesus' comings and goings had impact upon us..."

I'm not necessarily suggesting that's how it should be translated, but only
trying to represent the phrase in such a way as to communicate especially
the force of the preposition EPI because that is my interest at the moment.

Jeff Smelser
www.ntgreek.net
www.centrevillechurchofchrist.org




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