[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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