[B-Greek] PARARREW's root word (in Hebrews 2:1)?
George F Somsel
gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Tue Feb 5 06:04:47 EST 2008
Westcott notes the nautical imagery in his Hebrews commentary -- "The idea is not that of simple forgetfulness, but of being swept along past the sure anchorage which is within reach" (p. 37). Lane in the WBC notes
"The peril against which the community is asked to guard is that of drifting off course (μήποτε παραρυῶμεν). If it is proper to recognize (with Teodorico, RevistB 6 [1958] 33–39) a nautical overtone in προσέχειν, “to hold a ship toward port, or to fasten the anchors to the sea bed,” the image of a drifting ship, carried by the current beyond a fixed point, furnished a vivid metaphor for the failure to keep a firm grip on the truth through carelessness and lack of concern. In Prov 3:21 (LXX) παραρρεῖν signifies to lose sight of advice and wisdom. The writer warns his readers that they are in danger of losing sight of the reality of Christian salvation" (p. 37).
On the other hand, Moffatt in his ICC commentary notes
"The verb may have lost its figurative meaning, and may have been simply an equivalent for “going wrong,” like “labi” in Latin (cp. Cicero, De Officiis, i. 6, “labi autem, errare … malum et turpe ducimus”). Anyhow προσέχειν must not be taken in a nautical sense ( = moor), in order to round off the “drift away” of παραρέω, a term which carries a sombre significance here ( = παραπίπτειν, 6:8); μήποτε παραρυῶμεν, τουτέστι μὴ ἀπολώμεθα, μὴ ἐκπέσωμεν (Chrysostom)" (p. 18).
Yet Ellingworth in the NIGTC references the image
"Παραρέω** is the spelling in most NT manuscripts, rather than the older παραρρέω (LSJ; MHT 2.102, 192f.) The verb is used in a similar way in Pr. 3:21, in a passage quoted in Heb. 12:5f.: υἱέ μὴ παραρρυῇς. In neither case does παραρέω have an object, so the meaning is more probably “drift away” than “let (wisdom, or Christian truth) slip away” from the persons addressed. Neither in Pr. 3:21 nor in Heb. 2:1 is there any suggestion of a ship drifting past the entrance to a harbour. This image is found in Philo (Gig. 13; Quaest. in Ex. 2.13), but without παραρέω. (The examples quoted in LSJ are predominantly psychological, suggesting that the metaphor of flowing was dead or dying.) Barclay’s translation “shipwreck” thus seems unfounded. The meaning overlaps with ἀμελέω in v. 3, and ὑστερέω in 4:1. Chrysostom, quoted in Riggenbach, paraphrases as
ἀπολώμεθα ... ἐκπέσωμεν, but these terms are blunter than the author’s actual language at this point in the discussion. See I. H. Marshall 1969.134; Ballarini 1978.362; Mugridge; Oberholzer" (pp. 136-37).
Attridge in Hermeneia seems to favor the nautical usage
"In the call to greater attention, lest the addressees “slip away” (παραρυῶμεν), the language is rare and the image vague. The verb, the basic meaning of which is “flow beside,” appears twice in the LXX, meaning “flow” or “slip away.” There may be a hint of a nautical metaphor, according to which the addressees ought not, as ships, slip by the goal of their voyage, the safe harbor of salvation. If there is a specific metaphor involved, it is not fully developed. What the language certainly suggests is that Christians by neglecting their heritage may miss the opportunity to be part of that “unshakeable kingdom” that Christ inaugurates (12:28*) and may remain instead in a state of constant flux" (p. 64).
I tend to agree, however, with Moffatt that the figure has lost the nautical reference. In LSJ many other usages are noted which have no relationship to nautical themes.
παραρρέω [PARARREW], aor. -ερρύην [-ERRUHN] (v. infr.): pf. -ερρύηκα [-ERRUHKA] (v. infr.):—flow beside, by, or past, τὴν Νίνον [THN NINON] Hdt.2.150; τὰς Πλαταιάς [TAS PLATAIAS] Str.9.2.31; παρὰ πόλιν [PARA POLIN] Hdt.6.20, etc.: abs., Hp.Aër.6: prov., ὕδωρ παραρρέει [hUDWR PRARREEI], of those who promise to spare no effort, Cratin.60, cf. Lib.Ep.109.2.
II. slip off or out, εἴ τί μοι τόξων .. παρερρύηκεν [EI TI MOI TOCWN … PARERRUHKEN] S.Ph.653; ὅτῳ μὴ παραρρυείη [ἡ χιών] [[OTWi MH PARARRUEIH [hH XIWN] ]] whom it did not slip off, X.An.4.4.11: metaph., πολλὰ ὑμῖν παρέρρει [POLLA hUMIN PARERREI] many points escaped you, Pl.Lg.781a; φιλοσοφίαν καὶ ῥητορικὴν παρερρυηκυίας [FILOSOFIAN KAI hRHTORIKHN PARERRUHKUIAS] having disappeared from memory, Gp.Prooem.4.
2. of persons, π. τῶν φρενῶν slip away from one’s senses, Eup.357.6; abs., drift from course, err, υἱὲ μὴ παραρρυῇς [hUIE MH PARARRUHiS] LxxPr.3.21; μήποτε παραρρυῶμεν [MHPOTE PARARRUWMEN] Ep.Hebr.2.1.
III. run off, Arist.Pr.866a9; π. παρὰ (v.l. πρὸς) τὴν ἀρτηρίαν [P. PARA (v.l. PROS) THN ARTHRIAN] slip into the windpipe, Id.PA664b29.
2. slip in unawares or by stealth, λόγοι παρερρυήκασι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ψευδεῖς [LOGOI PARERRUHKASI PROS hHMAS YEUDEIS] D.13.16; παραρρυεὶς ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν νεών [PARARRUEIS ANQRWPOS EIS TON NEWN] Plu.2.969e; ὅθεν παρερρύηκεν ὁ τοιοῦτος λόγος [hOQEN PARERRUHKEN hO TOIOUTOS LOGOS] Theon Prog.6; εἴ τι ἐν τῷ τῆς ποιήσεως δρόμῳ παραρρυὲν λάθῃ [EI TI EN TWi THS POIHSEWS DRWMWi PARARRUEN LAQHi] any irregularity which slips in, Luc.Hes.5.
IV. φωναὶ σαθραὶ καὶ παρερρυηκυῖαι [FWNAI SAQRAI KAI PARERRUHKUIAI] cracked and unsteady, Arist.Aud.804a32.
Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon. "With a revised supplement, 1996." (Rev. and augm. throughout) (1322). Oxford; New York: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press.
While the nautical image is interesting, I think too much indicates
that to understand it in that one sense would be selecting one usage
from the midst of a number of competing usages to understand it.
george
gfsomsel
… search for truth, hear truth,
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth,
defend the truth till death.
- Jan Hus
_________
----- Original Message ----
From: Elizabeth Kline <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net>
To: greek B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 3, 2008 5:42:15 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] PARARREW's root word (in Hebrews 2:1)?
On
Feb
3,
2008,
at
1:18
PM,
Elizabeth
Kline
wrote:
>
Another
issue
is
the
live/dead
metaphor
question
which
is
somewhat
>
related
to
your
question.
Since
we
find
the
metaphor
weakened
long
>
before
the
GNT
I
would
be
inclined
to
agree
with
Ellingworth
and
>
Spicq
(Heb.Comm.)
that
this
is
a
dead
metaphor
in
Heb
2:1
contra
>
B.F.Westcott
and
others.
>
>
LSJ:1996,
p1322
"slip
off
or
out"
Soph.
Ph.
653
>
>
EI
MOI
TI
TOXWN
TWND'
APHMELHMENON
>
PARERRUHKEN,
hWS
LIPW
MH
TWi
LABEIN.
>
>
See
also
LSJ:1996
supp.
p240
"drift
from
course,
err."
>
>
The
word
is
also
found
in
LXX
PRO.
3:21
and
IS.
44:4
>
>
PRO.
3:21
hUIE
MH
PARARRUHiS
THRHSON
DE
EMHN
BOULHN
KAI
ENNOIAN
>
>
IS.
44:4
KAI
ANATELOUSIN
hWSEI
CORTOS
ANA
MESON
hUDATOS
KAI
hWS
>
ITEA
EPI
PARARREON
hUDWR
>
>
The
Isa.
44:4
appears
at
first
glance
to
support
the
live
metaphor
>
reading
whereas
for
PRO.
3:21
LEH
gives
"to
be
careless,
to
neglect"
HEB.
2:1
DIA
TOUTO
DEI
PERISSOTERWS
PROSECEIN
hHMAS
TOIS
AKOUSQEISIN,
MHPOTE
PARARUWMEN.
C.Koester:2001
(Hebrews
AB
p205)
argues
that
PROSECEIN
ane
PARARUWMEN
combine
to
create
a
nautical
metaphor
since
"PROSECEIN
was
sometimes
used
for
holding
a
ship
on
course
toward
port
(LSJ,1512)".
PROSECEIN
appears
to
be
used
frequently
in
a
cognitive
sense
in
the
GNT
(LN
31.47,
Danker
(BDAG)
879-880).
One
might
argue
that
behind
the
cognitive
sense
there
was
a
nautical
metaphor
lurking
somewhere
in
the
shadows.
I
don't
expect
the
nautical
metaphor
will
disappear
from
the
sermon
notes
any
time
soon.
Elizabeth
Kline
---
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page:
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