[B-Greek] Luke 4:7

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Jun 12 14:02:16 EDT 2007


I really wonder about the SOI as unnecessary: I think that a dative  
is expected with forms of DIDWMI, and I don't really think there's  
any emphasis on SOI here.

On Jun 12, 2007, at 1:34 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

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





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