[B-Greek] The two hOTAN clauses in 1 Cor 15.24

moon at sogang.ac.kr moon at sogang.ac.kr
Sat Oct 21 07:24:37 EDT 2006


Let me ask a question about the relationsip betwee the two hOTAN clauses in 
1 Cor 15:24:

(1) EITA TO TELOS, 
(2) hOTAN PARADIDWi THN BASILEIAN TWi QEWi KAI PATRI,
(3) hOTAN KATARGHSHi PASAN ARCHN KAI PASAN EXOUSIAN KAI DUNAMIN.

The question is:
 
  (a) are the two hOTAN clauses parallel, both connected directly to TO TELOS?
   (b) or, is the second hOTAN clause (3) connected to the clause of the first 
        hOTAN clause (2)?

 If (a) is right, we may translate the verse as:

   Then the end (will come), when he delivers the kingdom to the God and Father,
   that is, when he has nullified all dominion, all authority and power.

 If (b) is right, we have the following structure: 

 (1) EITA [ TO TELOS, 
         (2) hOTAN [ PARADIDWi THN BASILEIAN TWi QEWi KAI PATRI,
                (3)  hOTAN KATARGHSHi PASAN ARCHN KAI PASAN EXOUSIAN KAI DUNAMIN ] ]

This option is taken by NIV, and its translation is as follows:

  Then the end will come, 
   when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father 
           after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

The problem with the decision of NIV is that this reading is somewhat akward.
If Paul had intended this reading, wouldn't he have written:

   
   EITA TO TELOS, 
      hOTAN PARADIDWi THN BASILEIAN TWi QEWi KAI PATRI,
             KATARGHSAS PASAN ARCHN KAI PASAN EXOUSIAN KAI DUNAMIN

The participle clause  KATARGHSAS carries less weight than does the full-blown hOTAN clause,
and thus can be subordinated to the hOTAN clause.  But in the present case, the two
hOTAN clauses look quite parallel, so it tends to prevent the reader from regarding the second hOTAN
clause to be subordinate to the first hOTAN clause. (By the way, I failed to find similar examples
in the NT and the LXX.)

Moon Jung
Sogang Univ, Seoul, Korea

 


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