[B-Greek] Luke 4:7

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Jun 12 13:34:57 EDT 2007


Since the pronoun is unnecessary, MATT. 4:9 TAUTA SOI PANTA DWSW, EAN  
PESWN PROSKUNHSHiS MOI, the use of the pronoun would draw a certain  
amount of attention even somewhere in the middle or at the end of the  
clause. The preverbal slot has received a lot of attention from  
linguists as a position reserved for some sort of pragmatic marking.  
I would be tempted to use the word focus to describe the position of  
SU in Luke 4:7. But focus has been used in reference to the clause  
final position as well, so terminology becomes a problem.

Anyway, there is no question the SU is an attention getting  
constituent in this clause.


Elizabeth Kline


On Jun 12, 2007, at 9:19 AM, James Ernest wrote:

> Seems to me that in a language where the subject isn't going to come
> first, isn't even going to need to be given explicitly because it's
> implicit in the verb ending, sticking the pronoun up front is the only
> way to zoom in on the subject before filling in the sentence. In some
> languages (ASL comes to mind), one routinely "sets up" the noun that's
> the focus of attention in the sentence, whether as subject or as
> object, then adds the statement about it. French puts the subject
> first but then also routinely adds a pronoun, esp. in first-person
> ("Moi, je préfêre . . . ").
>
> In Luke 4:7, the SU not only specifies that this is an offer directed
> specifically to Jesus (after the generalizing "to whomever") but more
> than that: Satan zooms in to get "in his face" with this challenge.
> Satan can give the kingdoms to whomever . . . special offer for Jesus:
> power in exange for proskynesis. Not sure how that can translate . . .
>
> James Ernest
>









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