[B-Greek] the genitives in Acts 20:3b

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Thu Dec 6 06:35:33 EST 2007


On Dec 5, 2007, at 9:10 PM, Mark Lightman wrote:

> Acts 20:3b EGENETO GNWMHS TOU
>  hUPOSTREFEIN DIA MAKEDONIAS.
>
>  What is the best way to explain
>  GNWMHS and the infinitive being in
>  the genitive?

GNWMHS is in the genitive, not the infinitive. GNWMHS is what's  
sometimes called a "predicate genitive"; here I'd say that GNWMHS  
EGENETO means essentially, "he came to be of a mind" = "he decided";  
the infinitive is then complementary to the expression.

Cf. BDAG (s.v. GINOMAI -- note the final item here, GINOMAI with  
genitive:
	7. to come into a certain state or possess certain characteristics,  
to be, prove to be, turn out to be (on relation to the forms of  
εἰμί EIMI [here and in 8–10] s. ALink, StKr 69, 1896, 420ff).  
Used w. the nom. (Wsd 16:3; Jdth 16:21; Sir 31:22; 1 Macc 3:58)  
γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι be prudent Mt 10:16. ἄκαρπος  
γίνεται AKARPOS GINETAI 13:22; Mk 4:19.—W. other words: vs.  
22; 9:50; Lk 1:2; 2:2; 6:36 and very oft. Freq. the dat. of advantage  
(dat. commodi) is added (1 Macc 10:47; 2 Macc 7:37; 4 Macc 6:28;  
12:17): ἀγαπητόν τινι γ. AGAPHTON TINI GINESQAI be dear  
to someone 1 Th 2:8. ἀπρόσκοπον γ. τινι APROSKOPON  
GINESQAI TINI be inoffensive to someone 1 Cor 10:32; γ. τινι  
μαθητήν J 15:8; μισθαποδότην γ. τινι  
MISQAPODOTHN GINESQAI TINI be a rewarder of someone Hb 11:6; γ.  
ὁδηγόν τινι GINESQAI hODHGON TINI Ac 1:16. Cp.  
παρηγορία, σημεῖον, τύπος PARHGORIA, SHMEION,  
TUPOS.— γ. ὁμοθυμαδόν GINESQAI hOMOQUMADON come together  
in unanimity or reach unanimity Ac 15:25.—τὶ γίνεταί  
τινί τι TI\ GINETAI/ TINI/ TI a thing results in someth. for  
someone τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγ. θάνατος TO  
AGAQON EMOI EGENETO QANATOS; Ro 7:13. ἡ ἐξουσία  
πρόσκομμα τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν hH EXOUSIA PROSKOMMA  
TOIS ASQENESIN 1 Cor 8:9.—γίνομαι ὡς, ὥσπερ,  
ὡσεί τις GINOMAI hWS, hWSPER, hWSEI TIS (Ps 21:15; 31:9;  
37:15; 82:11; 87:5 al.) be, become, show oneself like Mt 6:16; 10:25;  
18:3; 28:4; Lk 22:26, 44; 1 Cor 4:13; 9:20f; Gal 4:12. καθὼς  
ἐγένετο . . . οὕτως ἔσται KAQWS EGENETO ... hOUTWS  
ESTAI as it was . . . so it will be Lk 17:26, 28. οὐ χρὴ  
ταῦτα οὕτως γίνεσθαι hOUTWS GINESQAI this should  
not be so Js 3:10. ὁσίως καὶ δικαίως καὶ  
ἀμέμπτως ὑμῖν ἐγενήθημεν hOSIWS KAI DIKAIWS  
KAI AMEMPTWS hUMIN EGENHQHMEN we proved/showed ourselves . . . toward  
you 1 Th 2:10.—In statements pert. to age (Aristoxenus, fgm. 16  
γεγονότα [sc. τὸν Πυθαγόραν] ἐτῶν  
τεσσαράκοντα GEGONOTA [sc. TON PUQAGORAN] ETWN  
TESSARAKONTA; Demetr. of Phaleron [IV–III BC], fgm. 153 Wehrli  
[’49]; Demetr: 722 fgm. 1, 1 Jac.; Jos., Ant. 10, 50) ἐτῶν  
δώδεκα ETWN DWDEKA Lk 2:42; cp. 1 Ti 5:9.—Here prob. also  
belongs ἐγένετο γνώμης EGENETO GNWMHS he decided Ac  
20:3 (cp. Plut., Phoc. 752 [23, 4] ἐλπίδος μεγάλης γ.  
ELPIDOS MEGALHS GINESQAI ; Cass. Dio 61, 14 τ. ἐπιθυμίας  
γ. EPIQUMIAS GINESQAI; Jos., Bell. 6, 287).


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





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