[B-Greek] Mt. 3:7 POLLOUS

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sat Nov 27 05:20:41 EST 2004


At 8:53 PM -0800 11/26/04, Mitch Larramore wrote:
>Eddie:
>
>I think this is where I was headed. At least it makes
>it more of a Greek question than my original attempt.
>
>Is TWN FARISAIWN KAI SADDOUKAIWN a Partitive Genitive
>(also known as a Wholative Genitive)?
>
>If so, then you have a large group, and out of this
>group POLLOUS respond to John's message. But you still
>have the rest of the group, right? (Where are the
>others?) Or is Dr. Conrad supposing that PANTAS of the
>group are getting baptized? Seems to me there is more
>here to discuss than to dismiss my question without
>first seeking to understand it.

I don't see any PANTAS in Mt 3 at all. The text I have is: IDWN DE POLLOUS
TWN FARISAIWN KAI SADDOUKAIWN ERCOMENOUS EPI TO BAPTISMA AUTOU EIPEN
AUTOIS: GENNHMATA ECIDNWN ...

Yes, TWN FARISAIWN KAI SADDOUKAIWN is partitive genitive--BUT--POLLOUS and
ERCOMENOUS are accusative: our text does NOT read, as some might appear to
be assuming:
*IDWN DE POLLOUS TWN FARISAIWN KAI SADOUKAIWN ERCOMENWN ... EIPEN AUTOIS ...
                                              ^^^^^^^^^
That is to say: the text does NOT indicate that Pharisees and Sadducees AS
A WHOLE GROUP came to him, but rather that MANY of them came to him, and he
addressed his harsh words TO THEM--to the ones who came. I don't see any
other implication in the construction of the Greek, and I think the same
implication (that John addressed harshly the many Pharisees and Sadducees
that he saw coming to him) in any English translation either.

Here's NET: Matt. "But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to
his baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath?

And here's Peterson's The Message--obviously a paraphrase, but unmistakable
in its interpretation of the harsh words as addressed to those Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to him for baptism: "Matt. 3:7 When John realized that
a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience
because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: "Brood of
snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river?
Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any
difference?  ..."
-- 

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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