[B-Greek] Titus 2:11

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Wed Aug 15 22:36:49 EDT 2007


On Aug 15, 2007, at 10:01 PM, Denise Parkes wrote:

> Titus 2:11:  EPEFANH GAR H XARIS TOU QEOU SWTHRIOS PASIN ANQRWPOIS.
>
> This verse seems to be straitforward.  Both the NASB and the RSV  
> translate
> this verse thus:  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing  
> salvation to
> all men.
>
> But the NIV and the KJV add the word "that" to give a different  
> meaning ie:
> For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
>
> This NIV/KJV translation seems awkward, especially when the word  
> "that" has
> to be added to make it work.
>
> Is there ambiguity in the original Greek?
>
> Looking forward to your help,

SWTHRIOS is a predicative adjective, in agreement with hH CARIS but  
functioning like an adverb with EPEFANH; NIV/KJV translators are  
understanding SWTHRIOS as an attributive adjective and they  
understand PASIN ANQRWPOIS as construing with EPEFANH rather than  
with SWTHRIOS EPEFANH. I would have thought that if SWTHRIOS is  
attributive it would have the article (CARIS ... hH SWTHRIOS).

NASB/RSV seem more accurate to me, but the difference is a matter of  
how the adjective SWTHRIOS and the dative phrase PASIN ANQRWPOIS are  
being construed.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)




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