[B-Greek] KURIAKOS vs KURIOU?
Iver Larsen
iver at larsen.dk
Sat Sep 17 14:40:13 EDT 2005
> I honestly don't think there's an ounce of difference in the
> meanings: an adnominal genitive is rightly often called an
> "adjectival" genitive, meaning that it serves the same function as an
> adjective.
Whereas this is certainly correct in general, there is a clear distinction
between the usage of the relevant two expressions in the NT.
hH hHMERA KURIOU as in 2 Pet 3:10 and several other places refer to the
coming of the Lord in the future. It is consistently rendered as "the day of
the Lord" in English translation.
hH KURIAKH hHMERA as in Rev 1:10 refers to a particular day of the week set
aside for the Lord. It is consistently rendered in English translations as
"the Lord's day".
This second one gradually became a fixed expression for Sunday, but to use a
genitive like in the first for Sunday would create confusion, because the
genitive expression already had a specific and different meaning within the
Church.
English is fortunate to have two types of genitives, so that this
distinction in reference can be maintained. This is not possible in Danish
(and many other languages), so the literal versions in Danish traditionally
translate both expressions the same way, resulting in serious
misunderstandings. (Literal translations often create serious
misunderstandings). In an idiomatic Danish translation Rev 1:10 has to be
translated by its meaning, which is Sunday, whereas the others can be
translated as "the Lord's day" (or "(the day) when the Lord returns" or
something similar).
Iver Larsen
Bible Translation consultant
Kenya
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list