[B-Greek] Translating Hebrews 11:11
Tom Moore
tom at katabiblon.com
Tue Apr 28 20:08:53 EDT 2009
I don't think there are any substantive differences in the variants listed.
The question of who the subject is, seems to hinge on the expression DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN SPERMATOS ELABEN. There are a couple of threads in the archives discussing Heb. 11:11, dating back to Sep. 2001 and Dec. 2000.
Πίστει καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα στεῖρα δύναμιν εἰς καταβολὴν σπέρματος ἔλαβεν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν ἡλικίας, ἐπεὶ πιστὸν ἡγήσατο τὸν ἐπαγγειλάμενον.
PISTEI KAI AUTH SARRA STEIRA DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN SPERMATOS ELABEN KAI PARA KAIRON hHLIKIAS, EPEI PISTON hHGHSATO TON EPAGGEILAMENON. (Hebrews 11:11)
Both BDAG and Metzger comment that it is used of the male role, not the female, in which case any apparent ambiguity disappears; it also clears up the last part of the verse, since Genesis doesn't seem to me to support the idea that it was Sarah who counted the one who had promised as faithful. (Not everyone in the threads agree that the expression is reserved for the male role, nor obviously do some very competent translators, such as those of the ESV.)
Here are a few of the pertinent links:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-September/018267.html
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2001-September/018266.html
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2000-December/014501.html
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2000-December/014509.html
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2000-December/014500.html
Excerpts from the above links from both sides of the discussions, incl. BDAG and Metzger, are here: http://forums.katabiblon.com/topic.php?tid=21.
Based on this, I would translate the verse as: By faith—and Sarah herself (being) barren—(he) received the ability to impregnate, and (she being) past the time of her prime, since (he) deemed him faithful who had promised.
(A problem with the CSBm translation is that hHLIKIAS is fem., so it must be Sarah that is past her prime.)
Regards,
Tom Moore
> -------Original Message-------
> From: Daniel Buck <bucksburg at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [B-Greek] Translating Hebrews 11:11
> Sent: Apr 28 '09 20:08
>
>
> The translator of Hebrews 11:11 is faced with a few textual problems, but primarily with the choice between Abraham and Sarah as the subject. My question is, which, if any, of the textual variants in the Greek text settle the question?
>
> The main variant is the presence or absence of words modifying SARRA:
> καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα στεῖρα kai auth sarra steira] p46 D* Ψ
> καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα ἡ στεῖρα ka auth sarra h steira] D1 6 81 88 424c 1241 1739 1881 1962
> Σάρρα ἡ στεῖρα καὶ αὐτὴ sarra h steira kai auth] 0150
> καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα στεῖρα οὖσα kai auth sarra steira ousa] P 075 104 256 263 365 436 459 1319 1573 1912 1984 2127 (2495 Σάρα sara) l596
> καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα kai auth sarra] p13vid א A D2 K L 33 181 326 330 424* 451 614 629 630 1175 1852 1877 2200 2492 Byz Lect
>
> There's another variant which I can't locate in a ms but is given as a marginal reading in WH, which is to change the accents put αὐτὴ Σάρρα auth sarra in the dative case.
>
> ἡλικίας ἔτεκεν hlikias eteken] א2 D2 Byz I won't get into this variant because the NLT translates 'have a child' even without it.
>
> So, which of the above readings would render which of these translations impossible?
>
> By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the
> age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ESV
>
> By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was
> barren--received the ability to procreate since he considered that the One who
> had promised was faithful. CSBm
>
>
>
>
> ---
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