[B-Greek] 2 Cor 6:7 right hand weapon

Chet A. Creider creider at uwo.ca
Tue Feb 28 10:06:27 EST 2006


Iver--

Re: DIA TWN hOPLWN THS DIKIOSUNHS TWN DEXIWN KAI ARISTERWN

Your question is very interesting, although I don't think a definitive
answer is possible.  Although my first thought was that the distinction
between offensive and defensive weapons was not relevant, it does
appear that the distinction is sometimes either significant or at least
can be made.  In Alexander Souter's _A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek NT_
(which is worth consulting because of Souter's great learning and his
knack of expressing nuances of meaning very precisely), the entry for
hOPLIZW is "tr. _I arm_; mid. _I arm myself_: especially of defensive
armour...".  The entry for hOPLON is "especially plur. _hOPLA_ ...
_defensive armour_ (Rom. xiii 12), but also _offensive armour, weapons,
arms_ (John xviii 3): sometimes met.  Souter's definition, combined
with Ep. 6:17, suggests that the most accurate understanding is likely
to be defensive weapons.  Although I don't think the presence of DEXIWN
would lead an English reader reading in English to think of offensive
weapon, it might well do so for a reader whose culture and own language
is steeped in hand warfare involving shields and swords/spears.  For
English language speakers/readers, I think the problem, at least it is
for me, is that English "weapon" seems primarily offensive.  Thus the
Concise Oxford Dictionary (7th ed. 1982): 'a thing designed or used or
usable for inflicting bodily harm'.  However, again assuming Souter is
right, "instrument" is not an appropriate understanding or translation
here.  The KJV's translation seems to get the right sense, as do the
paraphrases from the other versions you cite (JBP, NCV).

Thanks for calling this to our attention.  In previous reading I had
simply assumed "(offensive) weapon" in my mind when reading this
passage in the Greek.  This was a very sloppy and I now see probably
inaccurate construal of the Greek.

Chet Creider



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