[B-Greek] Heb 11:40 together or not apart?

Craig J newsgroupstuff at gmail.com
Wed Aug 16 09:18:06 EDT 2006


> > My question is just on whether NIV and NET are
> > being overly interpretative in converting the 
> > double negative into a simple positive. I'm 
> > thinking they are, and that is the obvious 
> > conclusion to me, but maybe I draw that 
> > conclusion because I am not familiar enough  
> > with usage of Greek negatives. Maybe the use
> > of MH CWRIS hHMWN is really the same as
> > 'together with us' without any loss of 
> > nuance or emphasis..?

> Craig, this is really not a forum for discussing 
> English translations or translation theory, but 
> your focus appears to be more on how the Greek 
> text -- the meaning of which is not at all in 
> question -- is most adequately rendered in  
> English. You should take questions like this to 
> the B-Translation list rather than here:
> 
> 	https://lists.kastanet.org/Lists/Bible-Translation/List.html
> 
> Carl W. Conrad

Hi Carl

I guess the B-Greek question I am trying to ask is this: Is Greek usage of
the negative more nuanced or specific than in English?

Specifically, the NET translation note says that "the Greek phrasing
emphasizes this point by negating the opposite." Is this a grammatic rule or
principle in Greek that an emphatic use of the negative actually emphasizes
the opposite? Or is it just a case-by-case, contextual and interpretative
thing, like it is in English (where a negative may be used to emphasize the
opposite, or it may be used to emphasize the negative)? 

IMO the NET note could give the impression that the Greek is clearer in the
meaning than the literal English would be. But I'm asking if the Greek
really is clearer or not? I'm thinking it isn't any clearer and they've made
an interpretative decision, but I'm not sure, so I'm trying to check with
those more familiar with Greek usage and sense.

To my mind, the reference to English translations was just illustrative
(though perhaps it seems too distracting) for what I thought was a B-Greek
question. But if it is not really a B-Greek question, then I will be content
to not keep on it here :-)

Thanks!

--
Craig Johnson
Brisbane, Australia
Blog Experiment: http://bloggledegook.blogspot.com/




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