[B-Greek] Luke 5.38
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sat Feb 9 09:17:17 EST 2008
On Feb 9, 2008, at 9:11 AM, Mitch Larramore wrote:
> ALLA OINON NEON EIS ASKOUS KAINOUS BLHTEON
>
> Could someone please give me a very literal Greek
> translation of this, and then show me how it is
> "smoothed" out to bring it into English. My issue is
> with BLHTEON, which I believe is a (verbal) adjective.
> What is it modifying?? It seems to be functioning as a
> finite verb here!
BLHTEON is a verbal adjective construed implicitly with an elliptical
ESTI(N). The verbal adjectives in -TEON (older TEOS/TEA/TEON) are not
very common in Koine Greek; they are usually termed "passive" but what
this form means is "there is need to ... " or "it is necessary to ...
" or "one must ..." (supply the verb to fill the infinitive part).
This form can take a direct object or do anything that a finite verb
can do. Here the sense is: "It is necessary to put new wine into fresh
wineskins" or "One must put new wine into fresh wineskins."
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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