[B-Greek] Questions

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Thu Jan 8 07:42:25 EST 2009


There are a number of interrogative particles and pronouns.  Robertson has a section on this in his grammar.  The very first portion of this should be noted

  
(i) No Particle at all.So συνήκατε ταῦτα πάντα;[SUNHKATE TAUTA PANTA?] (Mt. 13:51). So 13:28and very often. ** Here the inquiry is colourless except as the tone of voice or context may indicate one’s attitude. In fact, most interrogative sentences have no interrogative word at all. ** Cf. Lu. 13:2; Jo. 7:23; 13:6; Ac. 21:37, etc. Hence it is sometimes a matter of doubt whether a sentence is interrogative or declarative. Cf. Jo. 16:31; Ro. 8:33; 14:22; 1 Cor. 1:13; 2 Cor. 3:1; Heb. 10:2; Jas. 2:4, etc. It may be doubtful also at what point the question ends. Cf. Jo. 7:19; Ro. 4:1. Winer rightly says that on this point grammar cannot speak.
 
Robertson, A. (1919; 2006). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (1175). Logos.
 
Sometimes you simply have to consider the context to understand that a question is in view rather than a statement.
 george
gfsomsel 


… search for truth, hear truth, 
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


- Jan Hus
_________ 




________________________________
From: Mark Lightman <lightmanmark at yahoo.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org; Jay Adkins <jayadkins264 at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 9:51:36 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Questions

For questions expecting a negative answer the MH will tip you
off since it is not normally used with the indicative.  In most
NT questions expecting an affirmative answer with OU, I think
the context would not make sense if you took it as a declarative
sentence.  Certainly in your example from Mt. 6:25, "The soul is NOT greater
than nourishment" makes no sense, so it has to be a question.
Also in the next verse: OUX hUMEIS MALLON DIAFERETE
 "You don't matter more than sparrows."
has to be "Don't you matter more than sparrows?"
On the other hand, there ARE questions, I think even with OU,
where it is ambiguous whether it is a question or not.  I just can't
think of any right now, and I don't think there are too many, at least
in the NT.  George S. or somebody can probably come up with a 
whole list.
 
Mark  L 

--- On Wed, 1/7/09, Jay Adkins <jayadkins264 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Jay Adkins <jayadkins264 at gmail.com>
Subject: [B-Greek] Questions
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 5:58 AM

Matt 6:25 (GNT) DIA TOUTA LEGO hUMIN MH MERIMNATE TH YUCH hUMON TI FAGHTE [H
TI PIHTE], MHDE TW SWMATI hUMON TI ENDUSHSQE, OUCI hH YUCH PLEION THS TROFHS
KAI TO SWMA TOU ENDUMATOS;

My question is about questions.  When I first read this I overlooked the
punctuation mark at the end and understood it as a statement not a
question.  Are there any clues I am overlooking in determining whether a
sentence is a statement or a question?  In other words, how can one decide a
sentence is a question without the aide of a question mark?  Interrogative
pronouns are often used in sentences as in the verse above.  So what clues
am I missing?

Sola Gratia
Jay Adkins
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