[B-Greek] Colossians 1:11 NRSV

Eric Weiss eweiss at gte.net
Wed Mar 26 22:25:18 EST 2003


The NRSV translates Colossians 1:11 as "May you be made strong with all
the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared
to endure everything with patience, [while joyfully]"

I don't understand this "may you be prepared" translation. The Greek is
EIS PASAN hUPOMONHN KAI MAKROQUMIAN, and NASB, NIV, NAB translate it
along the lines of "for-the-attaining-of/so-that-you-may-have/for all
steadfastness and patience"

Back in 1:10, the similar phrase EIS PASAN ARESKEIAN is translated by
NASB as "to please Him in all respects," the NIV as "in order that you
may please him in every way," the NAB has "so as to be fully pleasing,"
and the NRSV has "fully pleasing to him." In other words, this EIS PASAN
phrase is treated as a purpose clause or as a complementary(?)
statement, complementing "live a life worthy of the Lord."

The PERIPATHSAI ("to walk/live your life") immediately preceding EIS
PASAN ARESKEIAN seems to be a purpose statement (i.e., "so that")
following the hINA subjunctive clause in 1:9: "We pray that (hINA) you
may be filled ... so-that-you-may-live-lives worthy of the Lord,
pleasing Him in every way."

My question is: Why do the NRSV translators translate this second EIS
PASAN prepositional phrase as if it's on the same syntactical or
semantic level as the preceding participles (KARPOFOROUNTES,
AUXANOMENOI, DUNAMOUMENOI) and not like the previous EIS PASAN clause or
even as the immediately preceding KATA prepositional phrase?

DIA TOUTO KAI hMEIS
   AF' hHS hHMERAS HKOUSAMEN,
OU PAUOMEQA
   UPER hUMWN
PROSEUCOMENOI KAI AITOUMENOI
   hINA PLHRWQHTE THN EPIGNWSIN TOU QELHMATOS AUTOU
         EN PASHi SOFIAi KAI SUNESEI PNEUMATIKHi
      PERIPATHSAI AXIWS TOU KURIOU 
            EIS PASAN ARESKEIN
         EN PANTI ERGWi AGAQWi KARPOFOROUNTES
      KAI
         AUXANOMENOI THi EPIGNWSEI TOU QEOU
         EN PASHi DUNAMEI DUNAMOUMENOI
               KATA TO KRATOS THS DOXHS AUTOU
            EIS PASAN hUPOMONHN KAI MAKROQUMIAN

or something like this layout (I hope the indentations display properly
in the posting), maybe...

- - -
Eric Weiss
http://home1.gte.net/vzn05pnm/index.htm
S.D.G.
 
 
 
 




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