[B-Greek] James 5:16 ENERGOUMENH
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sat Jun 5 06:33:58 EDT 2004
At 9:14 AM +0200 6/5/04, emmanuel.le4 wrote:
>Is the paticiple ENERGOUMENH in James 5:16 adjectival or adverbial. A
>guess is that it is probably adverbial rather that adjectival.
>Thayer's lexicon notes: In James 5:16 ENERGOUMENH does not have the force
>of an adjective, but gives the reason why the de,hsij of a righteous man
>has outward success, viz. as due to the fact that it exhibits its activity
>(works) (inwardly), i. e. is solemn and earnest.
>Now in this case how does it work ?
>
>Emmanuel Durand
>Ferney-Voltaire
>France
Text: EXOMOLOGEISQE OUN ALLHLOIS TAS hAMARTIAS KAI EUCESQE hUPER ALLHLWN
hOPWS IAQHTE. POLU ISCUEI DEHSIS DIKAIOU ENERGOUMENH.
Inasmuch as there's no article (hH ENERGOUMENH) to make it attributive to
DEHSIS, I'd say we must understand ENERGOUMENH as predicative--adverbial;
but the phrasing of this little sentence has a sort of proverbial crispness
and brevity to it and may conform less strictly to ordinary grammar.
Nevertheless, I'd understand ENERGOUMENH as adverbial and seek to convey
the efficacy of the word-order thus: "It's very powerful, a prayer of a
righteous man, when it is operation." But one might phrase it perhaps also:
"A righteous man's petition is very forceful in its efficacy"--that's still
based on understanding ENERGOUMENH as working adverbially with ISCUEI.
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/
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