[B-Greek] Hb. 1:6: "hOTAN...EISAGAGHi"

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Nov 20 16:29:11 EST 2007


On Nov 20, 2007, at 6:54 AM, A. J. Birch wrote:

> Hebrews 1:6: "hOTAN DE PALIN EISAGAGHi TON PRWTOTOKON EIS THN  
> OIKOUMENHN, LEGEI, KAI PROSKUNHSATWSAN AUTWi PANTES AGGELOI QEOU."
>
> Why "hOTAN" + the subjunctive here, which, as I understand it,  
> often suggests a situation that is somewhat less definite?
>
> Andrew J. Birch
> Palma de Mallorca, Spain


Most of the exegetical discussion with regard to hOTAN DE PALIN  
EISAGAGHi in Hebrews 1:6 focuses on PALIN not hOTAN which is  
unremarkable. See Turner (Syntax 112) hOTAN with Aor. Subj. "a  
definite action taking place in the future but concluded before the  
action of the main verb."

PALIN can be joined to EISAGAGHi or it can be understood in the same  
way it was used in v5, introducing a new quote. Some argue that PALIN  
should be clause initial if it introduces a new quote but counter  
examples from Philo and Wisdom have been pointed out and in response  
to that some effort has been made to discount the counter examples as  
irrelevant to Heb 1:6. The argument that PALIN must have the same  
function/meaning in v6 as in v5 sounds to me like a bad argument;  
adverb X with function A in verse Y must have function X in verse Y 
+1. It would be easy to produce a collection reductio ad absurdum  
examples.

I am not saying that PALIN must be taken with EISAGAGHi, word order  
certainly points in that direction but there are rhetorical  
considerations that need to be taken into account. I noted that the  
most recent works I have on Hebrews (Ellingworth, Koester) appear to  
be less than certain on this issue. That may be nothing but a  
reflection of the zeitgeist "the spirit of the age".

Elizabeth Kline







More information about the B-Greek mailing list