[B-Greek] GINOMAI: Middle or Passive in Tit 3:7?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Tue Jun 28 20:01:12 EDT 2005


On Jun 28, 2005, at 5:49 PM, Marty Cauley wrote:

> Dr. Conrad,
>
>> From the comments extracted below from your PDF and email, I would  
>> have
> presumed that preference is to be given to a middle understanding  
> unless
> agent is stated by agent or context indicates otherwise, and yet  
> you gave a
> passive preference for Tit 3:7. I would have preferred middle would  
> myself.
> But regardless, if there is no difference semantically, why the  
> text change
> in forms in 3:7? Just stylistic variation?

What I wrote in that original message that you cited from 2001 was:

"Tit 3:7 hINA DIKAIWQENTES THi EKEINOU CARITI KLHRONOMOI GENHQWMEN. BDAG
def. #5a. This looks passive, particularly in combination with
DIKAIWQENTES, yet one might argue that KLHRONOMOI GENHQWMEN doesn't mean
"Let us be made heirs" but rather "Let us make good our status as heirs"
(middle).῾

In fact I did list it as one of those -QH- forms that should be seen  
as passive, but I now think I was mistaken, and in fact, I'd probably  
revise the whole set at this point in a fresh revision of my paper on  
voice. I now think that this GENHQWMEN might be viewed as either  
middle or passive but that the form bears both semantic possibilities  
and that GENHQWMEN means exactly the same as GENWMEQA would mean in  
its place.

> Also, I'm intrigued by your suggestion of "Let us make good our  
> status as
> heirs" as the middle translation for 3:7. I like it. But I know  
> those who
> would say that "the middle voice has all but dropped out except in  
> a few
> 'frozen' forms" in NT Greek and would regard your suggestion as an  
> "over
> translation." It would seem that some want to ignore the middle,  
> but you are
> making a considerable case for the middle. Any further  
> documentation for
> middle in general and the translation of "make good" in 3:7 would be
> appreciated.

Actually "let us make good our status as heirs" is not appropriate  
for this text (hINA DIKAIWQENTES THi EKEINOU CARITI KLHRONOMOI  
GENHQWMEN KAT' ELPIDA ZWHS AIWNIOU) as the subjunctive GENHQWMEN is  
not hortatory but belongs to a purpose clause: "so that we may become/ 
be made/get to be heirs with regard to (the) hope of everlasting life."

I am as well aware as you that there are those who would say "the  
middle voice has all but dropped out except in a few 'frozen" forms  
in NT Greek" -- but that is simply not true and I think that I have  
offered sufficient evidence even in the papers now available to show  
that it is not true (the next revision will offer still more  
evidence). The fact is that the -QH- forms already in Homeric poetry  
can convey either middle or passive sense, as in the form PLAGCQH in  
line 2 of Odyssey 1,the aorist form for PLAZOMAI "roam, stray off  
course."

> Extracts from your comments:
> PDF:
> Middle/passive.are fundamentally subject-focused  in meaning and only
> secondarily came to assume any conventional passive function

I'd probably revise the formulation of that to say: "Middle/passive  
forms are fundamentally subject-focused in meaning: they indicate  
that the grammatical subject is undergoing a process or alteration,  
whether by his/her own intention or owing to external factors; when  
the external factors are either explictly indicated or readily  
discerned in the context, we may prefer to translate the form in  
question as passive.

As for EGENHQH, its meaning is fundamentally "got to be" -- and that  
too can be understood in a given context to be middle or passive.

> Unless one can at least implicitly discern an agent (UPO +  
> genitive) or
> perhaps an instrumental dative (which is not nearly so clearly an  
> indicator
> of passive voice, since it might be used even with a reflexive  
> verb), then
> one might do best to identify the verb in question as "subject- 
> focused"
> ("middle/reflexive")
>
> When confronting a "middle-passive" form, assume it is "middle"  
> unless the
> context or construction points clearly to passivity; respect the  
> differences
> between ancient Greek and any modern language.
>
> this verb [GINOMAI] too is essentially "middle" in sense although  
> in some
> contexts it may bear a passive sense,
>
> Email:
> If an agent or instrumental construction indicates that "getting to  
> be in X
> state" or "getting to
> be in X position" is brought about by some factor or agency other  
> than the
> subject of the verb, then you may term the particular verb form  
> passive in
> meaning."



Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at ioa.com or cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/




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