[B-Greek] "EIPONTOS DE" (Matthew 17:26a)

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sat Jan 10 11:09:31 EST 2009


On Jan 10, 2009, at 10:42 AM, A. J. Birch wrote:

> "LEGEI, NAI. KAI ELQONTA EIS THN OIKIAN PROEFQASEN AUTON hO IHSOUS  
> LEGWN, TI SOI DOKEI, SIMWN; hOI BASILEIS THS GHS APO TINWN  
> LAMBANOUSIN TELH H KHNSON; APO TWN hUIWN AUTWN H APO TWN ALLOTRIWN;  
> EIPONTOS DE, APO TWN ALLOTRIWN, EFH AUTWi hO IHSOUS, ARA GE  
> ELEUQEROI EISIN hOI hUIOI" (Matthew 17:25-26).
>
> Leaving aside the question of the textual variants, is "EIPONTOS  
> DE" (v. 26a) a genitive absolute with the subject understood?

In this instance I'll offer my Jim West response: Yes.

But I will add that I think this could have been a bit more elegantly  
formulated:
εἰπόντι δὲ αὐτῷ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων,  
ἔφη ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς, ἄρα γε ἐλεύθεροί  
εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί.
EIPONTI DE AUTWi, APO TWN ALLOTRIWN, EFH hO IHSOUS, ARA GE ELEUQEROI  
EISIN hOI hUIOI.

The narrative formulation of this whole pericope is interesting.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Ret)




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