[B-Greek] Acts 3:19 - when the times of refreshing

Barry nebarry at verizon.net
Sun Oct 12 21:12:00 EDT 2003


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Schmuel" <schmuel at escape.com>
To: "b-greek at franklin.oit.unc.edu" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 5:13 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] Acts 3:19 - when the times of refreshing


> Hi B-Greek,
>
> The usage of hopws in Acts 3:19 is a question I would like to pose for our
> Greek experts.
>
> >Acts 3:19  - KJB
> >Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may
> >be blotted out, *when* the times of refreshing shall come from the
> >presence of the Lord;
>
> This word is usually translated as "that", in other verses, and in other
> translations of this verse.
>
>  From a friend -- Will Kinney --
>
> ... according to Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon, 7th
> Edition 1887 on page 494 they tell us that the word hopws has
> several uses, one of which is in reference to Time and that it can
> have the meaning of "WHEN, AS SOON AS, or as".
>
> ..... Robertson's massive work of A Grammar of The Greek
> New Testament, mentions on page 980 that the word hopws is a
> relative adverb that can be used to express a number of different
> ideas including that of "the temporal, final or consecutive".
>
> I would be interested in hearing whether the Greek, in context, supports
> both "when" and "that" from a grammatical perspective.

To mean "when" it would normally be with the indicative.  Here, it is followed
by AN plus the subjunctive.  Here it is most likely purpose, though it could be
seen as the complement of the exhortation in METONOHSATE, K.T.L...  When, which
implies temporal circumstance, is almost certainly wrong.  The majority of
translations agree.

N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Associate Pastor, Chinese Gospel Church
Professor of Theological and Biblical Studies
 The Center for Urban Theological Studies
         Philadelphia, PA
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1yfx7/





More information about the B-Greek mailing list