[B-Greek] EMBRIBAOMAI
Troels Hansen
tkmh at get2net.dk
Thu Mar 27 10:29:03 EST 2003
Aarhus, Denmark, March 27. 2003
Dear B-Greek'ers!
Does anyone of you know what 'EMBRIBAOMAI' means? The standard answer
is that in Jn 11;33.38 it simply means the feeling that overcomes you
when a dear friend of yours has just passed away. But that is hardly
satisfying. My BibleWorks informs me that the verb is used only in
Dan. 11:30, Matt. 9:30, Mk. 1:43, 14:5, Jn. 11:33.38, none which
except for the two occurrences in Jn has anything to do with dead
friends.
Now, it may be that I'm on my way out of the B-Greek limits and it may
be that I'm intoxicated from having read too many cartoons as a
younger man but a certain Superboy-cartoon keeps coming to mind. This
extraordinary baby grows up in Smallville discovering that he is not
quite like the rest of the boys in the neighbourhood, grows up and
into Superman. Now, could it be that Christ himself being unaware of
the later dogmatical definitions of His two natures and the relation
between them and so in Jn 11,33.38 is a little upset about trespassing
into God's realm?
Mar 14:5 - the only NT-example of the verb that doesn't have Jesus as
subject - suggests indignation that someone has done something not in
accordance with the Law whereas Mk 1:43 and Mat 9:30 suggest Jesus'
wish that his trespassing be kept secret.
Any comment to my no doubt semantically unsound ideas are wellcome!
Yours
Troels Hansen
tkmh at get2net.dk
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