[B-Greek] 2Tim 1:15 - "Transitive" Passive with Accusative

Iver iver_larsen at sil.org
Tue Sep 23 13:25:14 EDT 2003


> At 10:20 AM -0700 9/22/03, Dr. Dale M. Wheeler wrote:
> >B-Greekers:
> >
> >In 2Tim 1:15 we have the passive of APOSTREFW followed by the accusative
> >ME.  Now normally with Passive Verbs + Accusative we call the Accusative
> >"Retained" ie., its a passive transform retention.  A Passive Transform
> >seems highly unlikely in this case:  "All have abandoned me" -->
> "I caused
> >everyone to turn away".  However, APOSTREFW is one of those verbs which
> >have causative meaning in the active and non-causative/direct active
> >meaning in the middle/passive forms (whether the passives are just middle
> >substitutes is another question...though it may in fact BE the
> >question!?).  Robertson, Gr 484f., as well as BDAG, seem to indicate that
> >we are just supposed to think of the Acc in these cases as simple direct
> >objects
<snip>
> >Any thots anyone??
>
[Carl:]
> You know very well, Dale, that I'll offer you a "thot" on this,
> sooner than on some other matters, in fact.
>
> Text: 2 Tim 1:15 OIDAS TOUTO, hOTI APESTRAFHSAN ME PANTES hOI EN THi ASIAi
>
> You rightly note that BDAG (s.v. APOSTREFW) lists the sense 3,
>
> "turn away from by rejecting, reject, repudiate--middle (also 2d aorist
> passive in active sense) APOSTREFESQAI TINA or TI (so with
> accusative since
> Aristophanes, Pax 683; Xenophon, Cyropaedia 5.5.36; PSI 392, 11 (III BC)
>
> Considering that we have the following instances beside 2 Tim
> 1:15 in the GNT:
>
> 	Mt 5:42 TON QELONTA APO SOU DANISASQAI MH APOSTRAFHiS
> 	Titus 1:14 KAI ENTOLAIS ANQRWPWN APOSTREFOMENWN THN ALHQEIAN
> 	Heb 12:25 MALLON hHMEIS hOI TON AP' OURANWN APOSTREFOMENOI
>
> I would have to say your observation is right on target, that
>
> > . . .                           I'm sort of inclined to agree that these
> >are just direct objects

Just a thot to add on what Carl has said.
Grammatically one can say that the accusative is a direct object, but I find
it more helpful to think in terms of semantic roles. The grammatical notions
are very limited when they only allow direct and indirect object.

A verb like APOSTREFW can be considered to be trivalent, that is, it has an
Agent role, a Patient role and a third role which I am not sure what to
call, maybe Destination.

Some examples:
Mt 26:52 APOSTREYON THN MACAIRAN SOU EIS TON TOPON AUTHS
Agent: you (Peter), Patient: your sword, Destination: its place/sheath

Rom 11:26 APOSTREYEI ASEBEIAS APO IAKWB
A=he, P=ungodliness, D=Jacob

2 Tim 4:4 APO THS ALHQEIAS THN AKOHN APOSTREYOUSIN
A=they, P=ear, D=truth

In the case of the MP forms, the Agent is coinciding with the Patient and
the Destination grammatically "moves up" to take the position of "object" in
the accusative:

Mt 5:42 TON QELONTA APO SOU DANISASQAI MH APOSTRAFHiS
(Do not turn yourself from the one who wants to borrow)
A=P=you, D=the one who wants to borrow from you

Titus 1:14 APOSTREFOMENWN THN ALHQEIAN
(while turning themselves away from the truth)
A=P=they, D=truth

Heb 12:25 hOI TON AP' OURANWN APOSTREFOMENOI
(the ones turning ourselves away from the [warning] from heaven)
A=P=we, D=the warning

2 Tim 1:15 hOTI APESTRAFHSAN ME PANTES hOI EN THi ASIAi
(that all those in Asia turned themselves away from me)
A=P=those in Asia, D=me

It is common for the MP forms to have the Agent and Patient coincide.

Iver Larsen




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