[B-Greek] STREPHW as a divine passive in Matthew 18:3 ?
Iver Larsen
iver_larsen at sil.org
Wed Nov 28 00:41:24 EST 2007
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
To: "Duncan & Shay Forbes" <duncanshay at gmail.com>
Cc: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 27. november 2007 21:47
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] STREPHW as a divine passive in Matthew 18:3 ?
>
> On Nov 27, 2007, at 1:17 PM, Duncan & Shay Forbes wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> I have 2 questions regarding the use of STREPHW in Matthew 18:3
>>
>> a) Is it possible that STRAPHATE from STREPHW in Matthew 18:3 is a
>> divine
>> passive. The KJV, NKJV and NAU translate it with passive force, but
>> the ESV,
>> NET, NIV do not.
>
> Text: Matt. 18:3 καὶ εἶπεν· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν,
> ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ
> παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν
> βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.
> KAI EIPEN: AMHN LEGW hUMIN, EAN MH STRAFHTE KAI GENHSQE hWS TA PAIDIA,
> OU MH EISELQHTE EIS THN BASILEIAN TWN OURANWN.
>
> No. It's not really passive, except morphologically. STRAFHTE here
> functions simply as the aorist middle for STREFOMAI:
> BDAG: s.v. STREFW "5. to experience an inward change, turn, change,
> pass. in act. sense. For the better: make a turn-about, turn around"
>
> What BDAG likes to call a "passive in active sense" is really a
> middle; in later Greek forms like ESTREYAMHN took the "passive"
> inflection.
This is a nice example of a middle verb with what is traditionally called "passive" morphology.
To add to what Carl has said, it may be of interest to look at examples of the active forms of this
verb:
Mt 5:39 STREYON AUTWi KAI THN ALLHN (turn towards him also the other (cheek))
Mt 27:3 ESTREYEN TA TRIAKONTA ARGURIA TOIS ARCIEREUSIN (he turned the thirty silvers over to the
chiefpriests)
Act 7:42 ESTREYEN DE hO QEOS (God turned them over to...)
Rev 11:6 STREFEIN AUTA EIS hAIMA (to turn (the waters) into blood.
The most common form of the word is middle where the semantic agent and patient refer to the same
person. You turn yourself or you turn around or you change. It can be physically or inwardly in your
attitudes.
For the active, the patient is different from the agent. You turn something else, e.g. your cheek,
silver pieces, other people or an object. The word can refer to both changing position and
character.
The KJV has mistranslated the verb, since it should not be translated as a passive in English. A
"divine passive" is a misnomer and misunderstanding that should be buried in the history books. In a
true passive construction, the agent is not specified, and it is only the context which may - or may
not - tell us who the implied agent is. Sometimes the implied agent happens to be God, but that is
not a feature of the passive. It is an interpretation from context.
Iver Larsen
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