[B-Greek] demonstrative pronouns
Iver Larsen
iver at larsen.dk
Mon Dec 12 14:30:18 EST 2005
>I have a question about the two demonstratives in John 7:45
>
> HLQON OUN hOI hUPHRETAI PROS TOUS ARCIEREIS KAI FARISAIOUS, KAI EIPON AUTOIS
> EKEINOI;
>
> I had a bit of an understanding that, as a rule, far demonstratives refers
> to the remoter referent and near demonstratives to the closer referent.
> In this case that would mean that the assistants addressed the High-Priests
> and Pharisees.
> Verse 46 proves that wrong with stating that the assistants answered.
> Was I mistaken in my initial understanding or is this an exception?
> Can someone tell me if there is a rule that tells us what the referent of a
> pronoun is?
> Thank you.
> Bert de Haan.
As you have discovered, the rule you state is an oversimplification or rather a misunderstanding.
When demonstratives are used in their primary deictic sense of pointing to an object, then the near and distant sense
applies. However, more often than not they are used referentially rather than for deixis, i.e. they refer back to the
previous context. hOUTOS implies an emphasis and often a contrast, and it may refer forward rather than backwards
(technically, it can be both anaphoric and kataphoric). It is *this* as opposed to someone else or something else.
EKEINOS is used for back reference to something already known and referred to. If you want a rule of thumb, you may say
that hOUTOS often refers to an emphatic *he*, whereas EKEINOS often refers to an ordinary "he".
Another aspect to remember is that the pronoun AUTOS by default refers to the main or prominent character in the
episode. In this verse the servants are the prominent characters (unlike in 7:32 where the chief priests and the
Pharisees are more prominent than the servants). The servants occur in the prominent subject position in the beginning
of the verse (some would call them topical), and the word AUTOIS also precedes EKEINOI making AUTOIS relatively more
prominent. It is then expected that AUTOIS refers to the prominent (topical) servants. Therefore the EKEINOI needs to
refer to the other less prominent participants mentioned.
Iver Larsen
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