[B-Greek] Construing 1 Peter 3:7 (was "ASQENESTERWi SKEUEI in 1 Peter 3:7")
Yancy Smith
yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
Mon Jul 27 19:00:50 EDT 2009
I would like to suggest some further reasons why (1) σκεύει τῷ γυναικείῳ SKEUEI TWi GUNAIKEIWi should be construed with both συνοικοῦντες SUNOIKOUNTES or ἀπονέμοντες APONEMONTES, and (2) that the meaning of ὡς ἀσθενεστέρῳ σκεύει τῷ γυναικείῳ hWS TWi GUNAIKEIWi, is rhetorically complex, indeed subversive. While it has a negative connotation (beyond doubt), yet it implies what was understood as a dangerous factor communicable to the man, or at least a factor which places the male in jeapardy. In this case the "weakness" of the "womanly vessel" actually puts the husband in a precarious position before God. If he does not give her appropriate honor as a fellow heir of the gift of life, God will not hear his prayers.
On (1) there is not a problem with σκεύει τῷ γυναικείῳ SKEUEI TWi GUNAIKEIWi fulfilling two different dative roles, because the indirect object of ἀπονέμοντες is simply a result of ellipsis, which is common enough. Understood this way, the problem Harold adduces simply vanishes, as does the phrase itself, due to economy of style.
On two, I think that some cultural background can help. This use of the GUNAIKEIOS "power or 'virtue'" of a woman as a feature of females that place men in danger or disadvantage is found in the language of Euripides, representing a feature of Medea, who was a prominent theme in Roman domestic wall art (See _Roman domestic art and early house churches_ By David L Balch). The visualization of Medea brought the tragic figure into the world of the first century, even though the texts of Euripides plays were written centuries earlier. (The plays continued to be performed and remembered in the popular oral culture as well). Medea, a deeply tragic Georgian (from Cholchis) sacrifices her ancestral homeland for the man she loves only to have that man marry another woman. The motif of the tragic female also comes up in the frequent portrayal of Ariadne on Greco-Roman walls. But more to the point, GUNAIKEIOS 'virtue,' though of the weaker sex, has a liminal, potentially dangerous quality:
Examples:
Euripides Trag., Fragmenta
Fragment 502, line 5
πλοῦτος δ' ἐπακτὸς ἐκ γυναικείων γάμων
ἀνόνητος· αἱ γὰρ διαλύσεις <οὐ> ῥᾴδιαι.
PLOUTOS D' EPAKTOS EK GUNAIKEIWN GAMWN
ANONHTOS; hAI GAR DIALUSEIS <OU> RAiDIAI.
Wealth acquired from womanly bonds of matrimony
Is unprofitable, getting free from them is not easy
Euripides Trag., Fragmenta
Fragment 653, line 1
ὦ παῖδες οἷον φίλτρον ἀνθρώποις φρενός
κοινὸν γὰρ εἶναι χρῆν γυναικεῖον λέχος.
O children! The desire men have is a charm
For it is common to feel a strong need of the womanly bed.
(YWS trans.)
In the case of Medea, the chorus sings the reversal of the common, natural order that takes place as she seeks her tragic revenge.
Euripides Trag., Medea
Line 417
{Chorus}: ἄνω ποταμῶν ἱερῶν χωροῦσι παγαί,
καὶ δίκα καὶ πάντα πάλιν στρέφεται·
ἀνδράσι μὲν δόλιαι βουλαί, θεῶν δ'
οὐκέτι πίστις ἄραρεν.
τὰν δ' ἐμὰν εὔκλειαν ἔχειν βιοτὰν στρέψουσι φᾶμαι·
ἔρχεται τιμὰ γυναικείωι γένει·
οὐκέτι δυσκέλαδος φάμα γυναῖκας ἕξει.
ANW POTAMWN hIERWN XWROUSI PAGAI,
KAI DIKA PANTA PALIN STREFETAI;
ANDRASI MEN DOLIAI BOULAI, QEWN D'
OUKETI PISTIS ARAREN.
TAN D'EMAN EUKLEIAN ECEIN BIOTAN STREYOUSI FAMAI;
ERCETAI TIMA GUNAIKEIWN GENEI;
OUKETI DUSKELADOS FAMA GUNAIKAS hEXEI.
The waters in the sacred rivers
are flowing in reverse.
And all well-ordered things
are once more turning on themselves.
Men's plans are now deceitful,
their firm trust in the gods is gone.
My life is changing—common talk
is giving me a better reputation.
Honor is coming to the female sex.
Slander will no longer injure women.
(Ian Johnston, trans.)
I think it could be that such a potential reversal is being alluded to in 1 Peter, a common domestic theme, that serves as a warning to abusive males. Give appropriate honor to the woman, if not you will have to reckon with God.
Yancy
Yancy Smith
Yancy W. Smith, PhD
World Bible Translation Center
4028 Daley Ave., Suite 201
Fort Worth, TX 76180
p 817-595-1664
f 817580-7013
yancy at wbtc.org
Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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