[B-Greek] Significance of Pluperfects In John 6:17

Douglas M. Wood dougwood at gracebible.ws
Tue Jul 24 17:57:08 EDT 2007


Dear Text Experts:

     I am a pastor preaching this coming Sunday.

In chewing on and investigating the meaning of

my text (John 6:15-21; Jesus Walks On The Sea),

I discovered your website.  I trust that you are

most interested in discerning the meaning that

the Holy Spirit intended, through His on-purpose

choice of Greek words.  

 

     There are 2 pluperfects in John 6:17.  Since 

there are only 22 pluperfects in the entire NT, I

am thinking that 2 in one spot is very significant.

 

     Most English translations render the verse

as a report on the time and status -- for example, 

"And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come

to them" (NKJV).  I find such a translation superfluous 

given the time report in v. 16.  

 

     I am theorizing that the pluperfects in this 

verse intone something more significant --

and cosmically so, related to the Light

coming into the Darkness theme in this, the

Gospel of John.

 

    What say you about the pluperfects here ?

Are there any articles in your archives that you

can point me to ?  Do you know of any 

commentaries that attempt to fathom the significance

of the pluperfects (so far, I have only found the

William Hendriksen volume on John in the New

Testament Commentary by Baker Book House

[1953] that calls any attention at all to the pluperfects;

but, I find his interpretation of the meaning not

fully satisfying) ?

 

    Thank you for any assistance that you can be.

 

                                    In Christ,

                                                   Doug Wood

 




More information about the B-Greek mailing list