[B-Greek] Col3:18 -- ANHKEN

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Nov 14 04:19:11 EST 2007


On Nov 13, 2007, at 10:40 PM, Stephen Baldwin wrote:

>
> Ladies and Gentlemen:
> Let us start again. It would appear that I've been sending empty  
> messages [despite appearances to the contrary on my screen]. My  
> apologies. Hopefully this will a] display and somewhat more  
> miraculously b] make sense.
>
> In Col3:18 I read with some curiosity
> hAI GUNAIKES hUPOTASSESQE TOIS ANDRASIN hWS ANHKEN EN KURIW
>
> ANHKEN is commonly translated "as is fitting" but is here in the  
> imperfect. None of the commentaries consulted gave satisfying  
> answers for the use of the imperfect in this verse and I was  
> wondering whether anyone on this forum would care to comment...is it  
> idiomatic or such?

Idiomatic. BDAG s.v. ANIHMI 2. "... ὡς ἀνῆκεν hWS ANHKEN as  
is fitting Col 3:18 (on the use of the impf. B-D-F §358, 2; Rob. 920;  
Mlt-Turner 90f, but s. Lohmeyer ad loc.). ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν hA  
OUK ANHKEN Eph 5:4 (τὰ οὐκ ἀνήκοντα  TA OUK ANHKONTA  
v.l.)

BDF §358: The imperfect (without AN) in expressions of necessity,  
obligation, duty, possibility, etc. denotes in classical something  
which is or was actually necessaary, etc., but which does not or did  
not take place (cf. Latin). In this case German uses the unreal  
subjunctie, which corresponds to 'should, could' or 'should hve, could  
have' in English. (1) This usaage is retained in the NT: e.g. Mt 23:23  
TAUTA EDEI POIHSAI KAKEINA MH AFEINAI, Mt 26:9 EDUNATO TOUTO PRAQHNAI  
POLLOU. (2) This usage is expanded in some cases in the NT where  
classical would more likely have used the present indicative for an  
assertion about present time (so that CRH, PROSHKEI etc. contain an  
injunction): Eph 5:4 may be so understood hA OUK ANHKEN (DE al. TA OUK  
ANHKONTA) 'what is (really) not proper' but yet happens), cf. v. 3.  
KAQWS PREPEI.


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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