[B-Greek] hUPOSTASIS Hebrews 3:14

Jeffrey B. Gibson jgibson000 at comcast.net
Thu Jan 10 20:54:57 EST 2008



Michael Abernathy wrote:

> Jeffrey,
> Let me start with your last question.
>
> "How would it **not** do this?"
> Let's take an example from English.
> The sentence, "I want a dog."
> Obviously, grammar tells us the subject, verb, and direct object. But it doesn't tell us whether the speaker wants a hot dog, a beagle, or a mechanical device.
> Grammar cannot show which definition is appropriate to this context.

Why on earth do you think that the way  English grammar works is determinative of the way that Greek grammar works, let alone that according to Greek grammar grammar  is not a key for
determining authorial intent?

>
> Now, if you are looking at Hebrews 3:4, then you are looking at the wrong passage. The subject line mentions Hebrews 3:14.
> The suggested reading I gave, and I admit that it was a rough translation was "If we hold firmly to the end the beginning of existence."
> The American Standard Version translates this section "if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end."
> I assume you aren't asking about the word order. If so just switch the proposed reading around,
> "If we hold firmly the beginning of existence to to the end."
> I can readily see how you disagree with the proposed reading but I don't see what you see as grammatically impossible.

And this appears to be because you are not schooled in Greek grammar and have no idea what is demanded in terms of the sense of Heb. 3:14 that the grammar of this verse allows and does
not allow.

I ask again -- and I hope you won't dodge the question as you did above -- can you parse the constituent elements of Heb. 3:14?  I take it that the answer is no.

Jeffrey

--
Jeffrey B. Gibson, D.Phil. (Oxon)
1500 W. Pratt Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois
e-mail jgibson000 at comcast.net





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