[B-Greek] ANTI in Heb. 12:2 = local metaphor?

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Wed Jun 6 20:10:24 EDT 2007


It is under #1 

① indicating that one person or thing is, or is to be, replaced by another, instead of, in place of ἀντὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἡρῴδου [ANTI TOU PATROS AUTOU hHRWiDOU] in place of his father Herod Mt 2:22 (cp. Hdt. 1, 108; X., An. 1, 1, 4; Appian, Mithrid, 7 §23 Νικομήδης ἀντὶ Προυσίου ἐβασίλευε [NIKOMHDHS ANTI PROUSIOU EBASILEUE], Syr. 69 §364; 3 Km 11:43; Tob 1:15, 21; 1 Macc 3:1; 9:31 al.; Jos., Ant. 15, 9). ἀ. ἰχθύος ὄφιν [A. IXQUOS OFIN] instead of a fish, a snake Lk 11:11 (Paroem. Gr.: Zenobius [Hadr.] 1, 88 ἀντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον [ANTI PERKHS SKORPION], prob. from Attic comedy: Kock III 678 [Adesp.]; Paus. 9, 41, 3 Cronos receives ἀντὶ Διὸς πέτρον [ANTI DIOS PETRON] to swallow). ἀ. τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς [Page 88] ὑπέμεινεν σταυρόν [A. THS PROKEIMENHS AUTWi XARAS hUPEMEINEN STAURON]  Hb 12:2 (cp. PHib 170
 [247 b.c.] ἀντὶ φιλίας ἔχθραν [ANTI FILIAS EXQRAN]; 3 Macc 4:6, 8); sense 3 is also prob., depending on the mng. of πρόκειμαι (q.v. 2 and 3). Cp. Hs 1:8; 9, 29, 4. 

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. "Based on Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Wr̲terbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frhchristlichen [sic] Literatur, sixth edition, ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, with Viktor Reichmann and on previous English editions by W.F. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich, and F.W. Danker." (3rd ed.) (87). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

 
george
gfsomsel
 
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----- Original Message ----
From: Iver Larsen <iver_larsen at sil.org>
To: Calvin Lindstrom <pclindstrom at yahoo.com>; B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 6, 2007 6:52:52 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] ANTI in Heb. 12:2 = local metaphor?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Calvin Lindstrom" <pclindstrom at yahoo.com>


I appreciated your question and thoughts. I wrestled with your same
question about 1 month ago.

Daniel Wallace (p. 368-9) in his Greek grammar notes:

If 'ANTI means because of, then Jesus endured the cross in
anticipation of the joy (i.e., glory, inheritance?) that would be his
afterwards. If it means instead of, then Jesus forsook the joy that
was his (cf. Phil. 2:6-7) that he might bring others into the kingdom
of God.

In footnote 36 he gives the following references:

Note the following: (1) because of: P. E. Hughes, A Commentary on the
Epistle to the Hebrews, 523-24; Waltke, “Theological Significations
of 'Anti and hUPER 1.176-80. (2) instead of: BAGD, s.v. 'ANTI, 1 (p.
73); Dana-Mantey, 100; Harris, “Prepositions and Theology,” 3.1180;
Turner, Insights, 172.

Unfortunately I was not able to come up with any firm conclusion.

Calvin Lindstrom
Church of Christian Liberty
Arlington Heights, IL

Iver Larsen:

BAGD gives both possibilities, either sense 1 (instead of) or sense 3 (for). BDAG has apparently 
revised the entry and added sense 4, but I don't know if they still put Heb 12:2 under sense 1 or 
both under 1 and 3. (I don't have a copy of BDAG.)
It seems to me that 1 is not likely, because ANTI is only used to mean "instead of" in a comparative 
construction, and we probably don't have that in Heb 12:2. A few commentaries but no actual Bible 
translation have taken this option. If we think of the basic locative meaning of "opposite", we can 
better understand how two different senses of the same word developed. The relevant sense in this 
context has to be that of "looking towards something, for the sake of something, considering 
something". So on the other side of the cross, "opposite" him, he can already see the goal of 
victory with its joy. Whether the English "for" is adequate to express that, I don't know. I might 
translate it: "Looking forward to the joy set before him he was able to endure..."

Iver Larsen 

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