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

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Jun 29 17:28:27 EDT 2005


On Jun 29, 2005, at 5:06 PM, Marty Cauley wrote:

> Dr. Conrad,
>
> I found your affirmation of the middle refreshing. If I may combine  
> your original suggestion for the middle in Tit 3:7 with your  
> modification as to its showing purpose by virtue of being in a hINA  
> clause, the derivative would be: "so that we may make good our  
> status as heirs."
>
> This would be suggestive of an active rather than passive  
> inheritance. I futher note that the other verse in the GNT in which  
> hINA + GINOMAI + KLHRONOMIA occurs is in Lk 20:14, in which we  
> might also translate the middle as: "so that we may make good our  
> status as heirs."
>
> The verbal counterpart for inherit in this combination also occurs  
> in Heb 6:12, which is again indicative of an active inheritance.
>
> Were texts such as these the instrumental influences in your  
> formutating "make good" as a plausible translation for the middle  
> of GINOMAI in Tit 3:7. Or did other additional factors lead to the  
> formulation of this attractive translation?

I hesitate to use the term "active" in this regard; I do think that  
the purpose clause here involves a WISH on the part of the subject to  
achieve the status of heir. I really don't know what factors led me  
back in the Fall of 2001 to "make good our status as heirs." The fact  
is that when I attempt to English any Greek phrase my thinking is  
guided most by how I think the best way to express in English  what I  
understand the idea expressed in the Greek to be. More recently I  
have been experimenting with formulations using "get" with a  
participle to express the sense of Greek middle-passive forms for the  
reason that I think the combination of English "get" with a  
participle has the sense "enter into a state/status of X." In terms  
of that practice, perhaps I might suggest for hINA ... KLHRONOMOI  
GENHQWMEQA something like "in order to get to be heirs" or "in order  
to gain our inheritance." Although the middle voice doesn't require  
that the process of the verb be one in which the subject actively  
participates, I do think that in this instance the will and intention  
are clearly evident -- and I also think that the circumstantial  
participle DIKAIWQENTES indicates a sort of "empowerment" of the  
subject to enter into the inheritance. Does that make sense?


> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek- 
> bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Carl Conrad
> Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 8:01 PM
> To: B-Greek b-greek
> Cc: Marty.Cauley at sfrep.com
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] GINOMAI: Middle or Passive in Tit 3:7?
>
>
> 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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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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