[B-Greek] KAI SCHMATI hEUREQHS hWS ANQRWPWN GENOMENOS (Phil. 2:7)

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Dec 8 16:54:57 EST 2006


On Dec 8, 2006, at 1:25 PM, Webb wrote:

> KAI SCHMATI hEUREQHS hWS ANQRWPOS, ETAPEINWSEN hEAUTON
>
> GENOMENOS hUPHKOOS MECRI QANATOU  (Phil. 2:7)
>
>
>
> Do list members think it's fair to treat hEUREQHS as reflexive,  
> thus, "And
> finding himself in the shape of a human being"?

The form in Phil 2:7 is actually hEUREQEIS, ptc. sg. masc. aor. (pass.)

> Or, following familiar LXX usage of the passive participle of  
> hEURISKW (e.g.
> 2 Chron. 29:29, passim), does it approach "to be present", thus:
>
> "And being present in the form of a human being.."

I have argued hitherto that hEURISKOMAI with aorist hEUREQHN is an
intransitive middle witht he sense of "appear" or "show up (as)."

It is in fact similar to French "se trouver" and German "sich  
finden." In form
these are "reflexive" -- but they are not really reflexive in  
meaning; they are
expressions of the middle voice in reference to a process undergone  
by the
subject.

See BDAG hEURISKW 2  (infra): "As ‏Heb. 'nimtsa‎' be found,  
appear, prove,
be shown (to be) ... "

Some will argue that this really is passive, but I think this is  
really a middle
"ergative."

hEUREQEIS is aorist; I don't think "being present" is very good English
to express its sense in Phil 2:7. It's difficult to find anything  
that's very good.
"Discernible" or "readily discernible in human guise" might convey the
sense of the phrase.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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