[B-Greek] Philippians 1:3-4 - POIOUMENOS
Iver Larsen
iver_larsen at sil.org
Sat Aug 1 02:22:45 EDT 2009
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Cox" <bccox99 at tx.rr.com>
To: <B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 1. august 2009 05:54
Subject: [B-Greek] Philippians 1:3-4 - POIOUMENOS
> EUCARISTW.....META CARAS DEHSIN POIOUMENOS
>
> In Sumney's Philippians: A Greek Student's Intermediate Reader, he states
> that "POIOUMENOS ... is dependent on the initial verb of the sentence,
> EUCARISTW, and so retains Paul as its subject." This surprised me. He
> identifies it as a "circumstantial participle of attendant circumstances".
Why does this surprise you? A present participle like this one indicates an
event that is simultaneous with the main verb and it can be quite a distance
away. Paul says that he is thanking God for the Philippians as he makes his
prayer(s) with joy.
>
> Another view he mentions is that of BDAG which "lists this passage as an
> example of the middle form of this verb being used with its direct object,
> the noun DEHSIN ..., as a 'periphrastic construction'."
>
> The latter, BDAG's view, seems more natural to me. Why would one stretch
> all the way back to EUCARISTW in this case? How do others on the list view
> this?
Both are correct and independent of each other. The first comment is about the
use of a participle, the second of the use of the middle form. BAGD mentions
this use of the middle as "periphrastic":
II. middle make or do someth. for oneself or of oneself
1. mostly as a periphrasis of the simple verbal idea (s. I 1bD above) ANABOLHN
POIESQAI Ac 25:17 (s. ANABOLH). EKBOLHN POIESQAI 27:18 (s. EKBOLH); AUXHSIN P.
Eph 4:16; DEHSIN or DEHSEIS P. Luk 5:33, Phil 1:4, 1 Tim 2:1....
The periphrasis of the simple verbal idea means that instead of saying "I
remember you" one can say "I make remembrance of you" or "I remind myself of
you". In stead of saying "I pray" one can say "I make (for myself) prayer for
you". In these constructions, the middle form of POIEW is used.
Iver Larsen
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