[B-Greek] Matthew 21:5
Iver Larsen
iver_larsen at sil.org
Sun Oct 8 11:54:28 EDT 2006
> On Oct 7, 2006, at 1:25 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:
>>
>> ZECH. 9:9... IDOU hO BASILEUS SOU ERCETAI SOI ..
>>.PRAUS KAI EPIBEBHKWS EPI hUPOZUGION KAI PWLON NEON
>>
>> MATT. 21:5 ... IDOU hO BASILEUS SOU ERCETAI SOI
>> PRAUS KAI EPIBEBHKWS EPI ONON KAI (EPI) PWLON hUION hUPOZUGIOU.
IL: (the second EPI is not found in most mss).
>>
<snip>
> On Oct 7, 2006, at 5:55 PM, Sara Edwards wrote:
>> If ONON can be written in either masculine or feminine and this has
>> nothing to do with the donkey's actual gender ...
>
> ONON in Matt 21:5 is not marked for gender but assuming it is co-
> referential with AUTHS and THN ONON in verses two and seven then it
> must feminine.
This passage was mentioned in passing in July 2001 under the subject Hendiadys.
The text is often misunderstood because it is analyzed without adequate reference to the purpose of the author, Greek
discourse patterns and Hebrew style. The confusion is made worse by literal English translations that render
the KAI with "and" - as well as misleading paintings. Even the NET has mistakenly put an "and" in Matt 21:5
despite the fact that they have no "and" in Zech 9:9 where the Hebrew has a waw and LXX a KAI. I would also consider it
a misunderstanding to translate it as "even". It is simply a Semitic KAI that is often best left untranslated, because
its only function is to link two clauses to indicate that both clauses must be interpreted together, one enlightening
the other.
Matthew has the more detailed account. Luke has followed Mark. Only Matthew mentions the young, male colt as well as its
mother.
Both are brought to Jesus (7a), because a young colt that has never been ridden will follow its mother. One cannot
without a lot of effort make a young untrained donkey walk alone, away from its mother. Donkeys can be very stubborn.
Mark only mentions the colt, leaving the mother implied, probably because the mother donkey does not take part in the
narrative and is not essential for it. It is like a spectator, which only function is to appease the young colt by being
present.
In Greek discourse pattern, participants who are present, but inactive, are often not mentioned. That they are not
mentioned, does not mean that they are not present. This is common when Jesus walks around with his disciples. The
disciples are always assumed to be present, but rarely mentioned unless they do or say something.
Matthew includes the quote from Zechariah to indicate to his Jewish audience that Jesus was in fact the
prophesied-about Messiah. He is referred to as a king, but a humble one who does not come on a war horse (nor a royal
mule as in 1 Kings 1:33), but on a young (male) donkey. The ONOS in 21:5 is not co-referential to the mother donkey in
verses 2 and 7. It is the general word for a donkey (male or female, young or old), and in normal Hebrew style we see a
general reference followed by a clarifying, specific reference. (The KAI here is sometimes called an epexegetical
or explicative KAI. BAGD says "oft. explicative; i.e., a word or clause is connected by means of KAI w. another word or
clause, for the purpose of explaining what goes before it - and so, that is, namely)).
It is not just any general donkey that the Messiah will be riding on, but a young (male) donkey. Therefore, the ONOS in
v. 5 refers to the colt, not the mother.
My common sense and respect for the author blocks me from accepting the suggestion that the text says that Jesus rode
both
on the mother and the colt at the same time.
He rode on the young colt, and it is likely that the mother went ahead of the young colt despite so many paintings to
the contrary.
21:7 EPEQHKAN EP[ANW] AUTW[N] TA hIMATIA [AUTWN] KAI EPEKAQISEN EPANW AUTWN.
The textual tradition is uncertain, but apparently the disciples decorated both donkeys (AUTWN) with their garments - TA
hIMATIA AUTWN -, but if we read AUTWi, it could be just the colt. Jesus then sat down on top of those garments. The last
AUTWN must of necessity refer to the plural HIMATIA, not the donkey(s), and the fact that it is the garments on the colt
he sat on, is clear enough from context and common sense. Because of the quote, the reader already knows that Jesus
would be riding on the colt, not the mother.
Iver Larsen
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