[B-Greek] "behave thyself in the house of God"

Gary Smith logicserch at yahoo.com
Wed Sep 28 16:31:39 EDT 2005


Dear Dr. Conrad:
 
I write again concerning the expression hINA EIDHiS PWS DEI EN OIKWi QEOU ANASTREFESQAI
I appreciate so much your response, especially considering I was not so plain as to what I was seeking. You hit it on the head. It seems that your scholarship goes beyond the mechanics of the language and has enabled you to read somewhat between the lines. My understanding of the verse in the original is "that you may know how it is essential to behave in the house of God." By not inserting either a second person singular pronoun (you--or thou) or a third person plural pronoun (men) one gets a more literal rendering. 
 
I do have however an additional question. Could a person make the claim that ev functions numerically, and that oikw should be understood as locative without ev? Thus by such an understanding derive the word one from en and complete the thought with anastrephesthai. Then we have the writer making grammatical application to Timothy, rather than to all men. I am not claiming this to be my view, though it is a view I have considered. I am thinking that if this is possible grammatically then this may have been what the KJV tr. were thinking. On the rest of the reading I have no problem with either "a house of God" or "the house of God." I do lean slightly toward "the house of God" though there is no article in the Greek. Please respond again as I am endeavoring to put this verse together with the context at hand. I personally believe ev has no such application here, but remain unsure. I am thinking that the application has more to do with the qualifications set down for Elders and
 deacons and tha this is the behavior he has in mind, and not that of Timothy. Thanks again-----Gary S Smith

		
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