[B-Greek] Mat. 11:25 -- EXOMOLOGEOMAI with a hOTI clause
Mike Sangrey
msangrey at BlueFeltHat.org
Mon Sep 22 22:46:44 EDT 2003
I'm particularly interested in the meaning of EXOMOLOGEOMAI and its
functional relationship with the hOTI clause.
Mat. 11:25:
EN EKEINWi TWi KAIRWi APOKRIQEIS hO IHSOUS EIPEN, EXOMOLOGOUMAI
SOI, PATER, KURIE TOU OURANOU KAI THS GHS, hOTI EKRUYAS TAUTA
APO SOFWN KAI SUNETWN KAI APEKALUYAS AUTA NHPIOIS:
The NET Bible has:
At that time Jesus said, "I PRAISE you, Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, BECAUSE you have hidden these things from the wise
and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. (emphasis
mine to highlight what I'm interested in).
The NASB also has `praise', as does the NIV.
ISTM that what Jesus is doing here is making a statement that publicly
voices agreement with the statement that the God of the universe hides
things from people who think they've got smarts and that God reveals
these things to little children. In other words, Jesus is publicly
identifying himself, and appealing to the crowd to think of him in this
way, as just like a little child.
Or, to put the question a little more directly: doesn't Jesus' use of
EXOMOLOGEOMAI carry the sense of a public statement of agreement and
then the hOTI clause indicate the content with which he agrees?
This understanding seems to fit quite well with what Jesus says next;
such as: "All things have been handed over to me..." (how did THAT
happen if he was one of the wise ones?) as well as Jesus' appeal to take
on his yoke for he is gentle and humble. A public acknowledgment that
he is NOT one of the wise, but believes himself to be as a child
presents a very good foundation for taking his direction to take such a
gentle yoke.
--
Mike Sangrey
msangrey at BlueFeltHat.org
Landisburg, Pa.
"The first one last wins."
"A net of highly cohesive details reveals the truth."
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