[B-Greek] Matt 14.29 Aorist HLQEN + PROS
Randall Buth
randallbuth at gmail.com
Mon Mar 24 06:17:14 EDT 2008
mitch egrapse:
>hO DE EIPEN ELQE KAI KATABAS APO TOU PLOIOU hO PETROS
PERIEPATHSEN EPI TA hUDATA KAI HLQEN PROS TON IHSOUN
Would it be grammatically correct to say that Peter
arrived to where Jesus was standing on the water by
virtue of the use of the Aorist? I recall reading in
the archives that PROS has the idea of movement toward
which is why I am asking since the Aorist "went" + the
idea of movement toward Jesus seems strange. I note
also that Jesus had to only reach to grab Peter once
he began to "drink down" water.>
yes, Mitch. the aoristos would imply that Peter arrived.
PROS is the correct preposition in this case.
However, in "biblical Greek" there are sometimes strange
currents under the surface of the water.
Note Ju 14 1 KATEBH (aoristos)
and 5 KATEBH (aoristos)
In the first example Shimson arrived in Timna.
In the second example it sounds like he arrived--until the story
continues with a lion-fight that happened along the way.
Note also Gen 28.5 EPOREYQH EIS THN PESOPOTAMIAN
and 28.10 EPOREYQH EIS XARRAN.
Nevertheless, the story picks up back within the promised Land.
The point is that Hebrew had a difficult time marking ASPECT.
It could mark it, but it took extra "processing energy".
(Greek students take note, since beginning textbooks of Hebrew
often mistakenly say that Hebrew only has aspect). Hebrew
narrative had a binary verb system, a system that only marked
two tense-aspects. It frequently overlooked the aspect of
movement verbs and allowed an author to specify a
coming-going-travelling to a place aoristically, and then to
continue the narrative in the middle of the journey. In other
words, Hebrew sometimes used past verbs that were
normally 'perfective', imperfectively. And trilingual
speakers of Greek and translators did not always make
full use of the marvelously explicit Greek aspect system.
So, yes, the aorist in Matt 14:29 has Peter arrive.
But you will find other aorists where the person has
not arrived, quasi-imperfectives, one kind of what I would
call Semitic aorists. So you may stand your ground, as
long as you keep your eyes open.
ERRWSO
Randall Buth
--
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
Biblical Language Center
Learn Easier - Progress Further - Remember for Life
randallbuth at gmail.com
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