[B-Greek] Fw: Indicative or Hortatory Subjunctive?
Michael Lawson
dikaiosune_7 at msn.com
Thu Aug 28 11:19:03 EDT 2008
I would like to thank Mark Cain for giving me Dr. Thompson's email address and challenging me to address this issue before him. I followed through and I post his response for those interested. Also, William Mounce says in his basic grammar book that the hortatory subjunctive usually comes first in a sentence which I did not know before. I did read the Scripture references Elizabeth Kline listed which upon examination I was able to differentiate whether the verb was indicative or subjunctive except for 1 John 4:7. Context decided it there for me that it was a hortatory subjunctive. Thanks again.
----- Original Message -----
From: David Thompson<mailto:david.thompson at asburyseminary.edu>
To: Michael Lawson<mailto:dikaiosune_7 at msn.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 10:13 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Indicative or Hortatory Subjunctive?
Michael,
Thanks for the question. Clearly my notes on this sentence were not as helpful as they could have been. I think the correct answer to my learning probe on "settling the question" as to whether the verb form is indicative or subjuctive would be something like: "Only context can help settle this question, and even that help may not be conclusive." One is left with context, since the form and accent are identical for both the indicative and subjunctive. I concur with your thought that some indication of the alternative translation possibility would have been helpful.
Next time around on the Study Guide we will improve this entry!
God bless your reading of Scripture.
David
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Lawson" <dikaiosune_7 at msn.com>
To: "david thompson" <david.thompson at asburyseminary.edu>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2008 11:02:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Fw: [B-Greek] Indicative or Hortatory Subjunctive?
Dr. Thompson,
I sent this to the B-Greek list and someone told me to send this question to you. Thank you for your time.
Michael Lawson
dikaiosune_7 at msn.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Lawson<mailto:dikaiosune_7 at msn.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org<mailto:b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 12:08 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] Indicative or Hortatory Subjunctive?
Hello List,
I have a question about an exercise in J. Gresham Machen's "New Testament Greek for Beginners" concerning contract verbs. The example exercise is as follows:
ἀγαπῶμεν τὸν θεὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν ἀγαπῶντες καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς.
AGAPW~MEN TON QEON EN TAIS KARDIAIS HMWN AGAPWNTES KAI TOUS ADELFOUS.
In the study guide for Machen, David Thompson asks, "Is AGAPW~MEN indicative or subjunctive?" My Answer: It can be both since the vowels for each case contract to omega with a circumflex accent. He further asks, "How would you settle the question here (whether the verb is indicative or subjunctive)?" My question: How does Thompson come to conclude that this verb is a hortatory subjunctive only? Is not an alternative translation using the present indicative for the verb worth mentioning?
"Thompson's translation is: "Let us love (in continuing sense) God with/in our hearts, while loving (while we love) the brethren also."
My Translation: "We love God in our hearts as we love the brethren also."
Am I missing something? Thanks for your replies in advance.
Michael Lawson
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David L. Thompson, Ph.D.
F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies
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