[B-Greek] SKUQRWPOS Mt 6:16 look of fasting
Oun Kwon
kwonbbl at gmail.com
Mon Oct 27 04:39:50 EDT 2008
SKUQRWPOS
I don't think BDAG offers much help on the meaning of this word in Mt
6:16 (and Lk 24:17).
It offers glosses - sad, gloomy, sullen, dark.
Do they give us a picture of the face who is on fasting? Hardly. We
wouldn't be able to tell they are on fasting with these faces while
they are fasting.
(One may look sad or sullen, of course, if the person has reason to
be. But this is not the point in the text.)
When I was working in Saudi Arabia, people do fasting during a month
long Ramadan. Esp. during hot summer it is not easy one at all.
Amazing thing (which I still cannot figure out why) is that they can
drink and eat as much as they want after sunset which they are
actually eagerly waiting for! For me I don't think I can call that as
real fasting, even though it lasts for a whole month. The only
expression I can remember on their face is sort of being haggard
looking. Physically they are getting tired and slowed down in
activity. If it were during winter season, I'm sure it would be
different.
An option is 'serious-look'. But, from how serious look on a face we
can tell that one is on fasting in Judaic fashion of twice a week?
Any suggestion?
Oun Kwon.
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