[B-Greek] Romans 12:1

EgwEimi at aol.com EgwEimi at aol.com
Fri Jul 16 19:07:07 EDT 2004


Agreement in "gender, number, and case" is not used 
in every circumstance.  Specifically, "number" can 
be used distributively, as Harold has indicated.
 
A simple example of this can be found when looking 
up the more common expression "their heart," an 
example of which is found in 2C 3:15 -- 
EPI THN KARDIAN AUTWN.
 
Look up "your heart," and you'll find quite a few 
of those seemingly mismatched, too.  For example:
...DIALOGIZESQE (pl.) ... ECETE (pl.) ... 
NOEITE (pl.) ... SUNIETE (pl.) ... ECETE (pl.) ... 
THN KARDIAN (sing.) hUMWN (pl.).
The audience is multiple, and all of the addresses are 
in the plural, but Jesus refers to "your heart" being 
hardened, when in English, we would say "your hearts."
 
"They" have more than one heart.  In English, we 
would say "their _hearts_" instead.  You'll also find 
examples (like Eph 4:17) of TOU NOOS AUTWN 
"their (plural) mind (singular)".
 
They had the same attitude, so "heart" or "mind" 
could be used in the singular, even though the author 
meant that they had that attitude individually.
 
Similarly, the members of the group individually 
present themselves as living sacrifices; they're all 
doing the same kind of thing, so it's not improper to 
say "sacrifice."  It is not a single event.
 
Here's another use of "body" in the singular, where 
the plural is intended:
 
1Q 5:23 has "hUMWN TO PNEUMA KAI H 
YUCH KAI TO SWMA."
 
your (pl.) spirit and soul and body.  It's not a 
collective spirit, or soul, or body here; the passage 
means "spirits, souls, bodies."
 
You'll even find "our body" in Phil 3:21, where it 
means "bodies."
 
Frank  

Frank  Daniels
EgwEimi at aol.com





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