[B-Greek] Biblical Greek question

Harold R. Holmyard III hholmyard at ont.com
Tue Oct 19 21:23:36 EDT 2004


Dear Adrian,

>In Mark 11:4 we read the phrase  *"a place where two ways met"* - 
>Strongs concordance suggests this word to be /"amphodon" /and 
>informs me that it is from the base /"amphoteros" /and /"hodos" /and 
>is used nowhere else in the NT.

HH: My lexicons are giving a slightly different meaning for amphodon, 
and I can't verify the etymology suggested. They define it as street, 
but also as a city quarter, surrounded and crossed by streets. It is 
a block of houses surrounded by streets, as so a ward or quarter of 
town. It is probably derived from AMFI plus hODOS. AMFI can mean 
several things, including "on both sides of," "about," "around," 
"at," and "by."

>Now in Ephesians 2:14 we read the word *"both"* - Strongs 
>concordance says the word to be /"amphoteros".
>
>/The question I have is this - would there be a connection in the 
>mind of a Greek reader when comparing the phrase in Mark 11:4 and 
>Ephesians 2:14. Could there be a sense in which the *"both" *of 
>Ephesians, whilst referring to maybe Jew & Gentile, Mark could be 
>making a similar allusion in the scene being presented? (The scene 
>is full of "pairs".)

HH: I don't think the reader would have seen any connection.

				Yours,
				Harold Holmyard




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