[B-Greek] hWS OUK ADHLWS (1 Cor. 9:26)

Webb webb at selftest.net
Tue Nov 8 13:33:54 EST 2005


Thanks for your thoughts, Kelton Graham!
ADHLWS is an NT hapax, and Liddle&Scott has the first definition as
"secretly". MM has no citations. Luke uses ADHLOS to mean "hidden"/"secret"
in 11:44. True, Paul uses ADHLOS in 1 Cor. 14:8 to mean "vague", but what
does it mean to "run as though you're doing it vaguely"? 
I guess the hOUTWS TRECW tends to go in the direction of the physical way
I'm going to be running. But I like the notion that Paul is saying that he
is irrevocably committed. He's not just "sort-of" running the race--he has
publicly entered, and he's going for the prize. In the same way, one could
take his statement about boxing as referring to flailing at the air, i.e.
hitting aimlessly. But his following statement, that he bruises--i.e.
toughens up--his body, shows that he's not talking about being unskillful at
boxing, but about being totally committed to it, to the point of full
engagement.
Here are the two consistent interpretative possibilities:
So, I'm not running as though [I were doing so] aimlessly/didn't know where
I was going. And I'm not boxing as though [I were just] flailing [at] the
air.
(emphasizes lack of skill and focus)
So, I'm not running as though secretly [as though I were afraid to come out
and publicly enter the race], and I'm not [only] boxing as [someone who only
takes it to the point of] shadow-boxing--I toughen up my body, and train it
to serve me.
(emphasizes total commitment, willingness to encounter risk and cost for the
sake of the prize)
Another problem with the first interpretative trajectory for the two
illustrations from sports is that I don't like the feel of skating close to
the sense, "I'm not just hitting the air--I'm hitting myself". Sounds too
much like Fight Club/Augustinian self-hatred.
Does anyone have some good on-point cites from Koine for ADHLWS?
Webb
 

-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
kgraham0938 at comcast.net
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 9:11 PM
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] hWS OUK ADHLWS (1 Cor. 9:26)

@Webb:

EGW POINUW hOUTWS TRECW hWS OUK ADHLWS hOUTWS PUKTEUW hWS OUK AERA DERWN.

BDAG has ADHLWS as 'uncertainly' or 'not aimlessly' i.e.not as one who has
no fixed goals. p 19.  I don't think you could get away with 'secret'

So to answer your first question I think it goes something like

"therefore I run in this manner not as one who has not goal, I box in this
manner not as one beating the air."
--
Kelton Graham 
KGRAHAM0938 at comcast.net

-------------- Original message -------------- 

> What do you all think of this rendering of 1 Cor. 9:26? 
> 
> So I'm running this race, and I'm not making any secret of it. 
> 
> First post to the list: 
> 
> So I'm running this race, and I'm not making any secret of it. And I'm 
> boxing, and not just shadow boxing, either! 
> 
> i.e. understanding hWS OUK ADHLWS as meaning "not as though in secret", 
> rather than "not as though aimlessly". 
> 
> Peace, 
> 
> Webb Mealy 
> 
> 
> 
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