[B-Greek] 1 John 2:20
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Feb 22 08:18:25 EST 2008
On Feb 21, 2008, at 9:45 PM, JMonte2000 at aol.com wrote:
> Hi all I have a question, why is KAI kai. translated as But. It's
> the first
> word in 1 John 2:20 when I couldn't find this in any lexicons, they
> have,
> And, even also, namely,
> Any help would be appreciated. In the future is there a place to
> look when I
> find a small problem like this?
There have been excellent responses to this question already by Kelton
Graham and George Somsel. I just want to ask the question of Jim here
and offer some advice:
Question: You say that you couldn't find the "but" usage in any
lexicons. May I ask: WHICH lexicons did you actually consult? I find
it hard to conceive of any half-way respectable lexicon that would not
include this usage. EVEN that perhaps-most-readily-accessed-and-
generally-useless glossary of Barclay Newman about which I have vented
ad nauseam has: "καί [KAI} conj. and, also, but, even; that is,
namely." I cannot conceive of any lexicon worthy of publication that
offered only "and" for KAI. Nay, further (KAI MHN!): if it were
enforceable, I would propose a law against single-word-for-word
glossaries with severe penalties imposed upon offenders producing
them. And this is a mischief that is promoted with compound interest
in the latest "surge" of interlinear Biblical texts that offer single-
word-for-word equivalents selected by some unidentified authority out
of the range of possible senses for the word or phrase in question.
Comment: Of course beginners need help, beginning students of Biblical
Greek no less than kids learning to ride a bicycle. But training
wheels and an older person's supporting hands have to give way if one
is ever to go forward with self-sustained and steady momentum; so also
word-for-word glossaries, parsing guides and interlinears have to give
way to direct confrontation with original texts and lexica that are as
reasonably thorough in coverage as can be obtained. Nor is it enough
to acquire and own a good lexicon; one needs to STUDY the entries for
words. You might note with dismay a lexical entry of a whole column or
perhaps even two or three pages -- for a word that keeps you from
moving on in a text because you either don't know its fundamental
meaning or find it in an unfamiliar context where what you remember of
it doesn't avail. You throw up your arms in frustration because what
you REALLY want to know is WHAT THAT ?*!#@% WORD MEANS IN THIS
INSTANCE and you cannot find it by scanning the entry quickly with
your eyes. But it is precisely THESE words with lengthy entries in the
lexicon that you MUST come to appreciate in their range of senses in
varying contexts. And the only way you can come to appreciate that
range of senses is to pore over the examples offered and ponder the
nuances of difference that derive from difference of context. However
paradoxical it may seem, the lengthy lexical entry for a frequently-
used word in an alien language is not an impediment to your forward
progress in the text you're trying to read; rather it is the most
important resource -- or at least one of them -- toward gaining real
proficiency in the language you're trying to master. What slows you
down when you're trying to read an EASY text like 1 John will equip
you hereafter when you endeavor to access much more difficult texts
with ubiquitous and nuanced instances of KAI.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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