[B-Greek] Heb 2:3 ARCHN LABOUSA

Vasile Stancu stancu at mail.dnttm.ro
Wed Apr 2 20:42:40 EDT 2008


Before someone more knowledgeable than me would answer this question, I would like to share my understanding.

LABOUSA is the Aorist Participle of LAMBANW (Nom. sg. fem.): LABWN, LABOUSA, LABON

ARCHN is the Accusative of ARCH

ARCHN LABOUSA would then be something like "after having taken/received beginning", that is, "after having been originated". Who/what? The salvation; by whom/by what? By having been spoken by the Lord.

I would like to add something in relation with UPO TWN AKOUSANTWN. Most of the translations I have seen would imply that the meaning of AKOUW in this verse is related to "hearing". However, AKOUW has also the meaning of "listening" in the sense of "obeying". My opinion is that it should be the latter meaning to be assigned to this verb in this context.

(By the way, I heard the opinion that one of the strongest reasons why the Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by Paul is that he (Paul) could not refer to "others" that have heard the salvation as spoken by the Lord, he himself having been one of those who received it directly from the Lord).

Vasile Stancu

-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Oun Kwon
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 1:58 PM
To: B-Greek B-Greek
Subject: [B-Greek] Heb 2:3 ARCHN LABOUSA

I would appreciate any help for me to understand this phrase ARCHN
LABOUSA (grammatical analysis and its meaning) in Heb 2:3.

Is ARCH noun accusative used as adverbially?
I cannot find meaning of LABOUSA in most of English translations,
except in an awkward one 'having received a beginning [by] being
spoken by the Lord'  (ALT).  What about 'was first received as uttered
by the Lord'?

Quoted is the whole verse:

Heb 2:3	πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίασ;
	ἥτις, ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου,
	ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη,

PWS hHMEIS EKFEUXOMEQA THLIKAUTHS AMELHSANTES SWTHRIAS
hHTIS ARCHN LABOUSA LALEISQAI DIA TOU KURIOU
hUPO TWN AKOUSANTWN EIS hHMAS EBEBAIWQH

Hoping transliteration is made correctly, here is the footnote I found
in the multivolume Alford Vol. IV, p. 29. (Attempted here omits the
source names):

Having begun (ARCHN LABOUSA = ARXAMENH. The phrase is found in the classics:
• TIN' AN LABOIMI TWN EMWN ARCHN KAKWN; …
• POQEN DE THN ARCHN ELABEN hODE hO NOMOS, ERW: …
• TA KATA THN ITALIAN . . . TAS MEN ARCAS TWN POLEMWN TOUTWN IDIAS EILHFEI: …
• LABETW TELOS hH APODECIS TOUTOU FANEROU GENOMENOU: …
• hOTI TECIZETAI TE K. HDH hUYOS LAMBANE ...)

(K. seems an abbreviated word)

This is greek to me without helping hand. Speaking literally and figuratively.

Oun Kwon.
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