[B-Greek] The use of GAR in Mark 9:49

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Thu Sep 17 19:33:41 EDT 2009


On Sep 17, 2009, at 7:03 PM, Samuel Cripps wrote:

> B-Greekers,
>
> On page 669 of his book Beyond Basics, Daniel B. Wallace deals with  
> subordinate conjunctions which include OTI, EI, KATHOS, GAR, and OTE.
>
> Here is what he says.
>
> "The logical category includes uses indicating a movement of thought  
> in the passage in terms of addition, contrast, conclusion,  
> transition, or other such relationships."
>
> It appears that Wallace is in fact saying that GAR can function in  
> order to show a contrast.  Is this correct?

No. I think that you are confounding with each other quite different  
parts of what Wallace has to say about conjunctions.
You cite what Wallace says on page 669, identifying "subordinating  
conjunctions" in which he includes GAR along with hOTI, EI, KAQWS and  
hOTE; but then you move on to what he says on page 670 about the  
"logical category" among the semantic categories of conjunctions. And  
while it is true that he includes "contrastive" among those  
conjunctions in the "logical category,"  he does not indicate that GAR  
belongs among those that are "contrastive." When, on page 671, he  
actually gets to the "contrastive" category, he is NOT speaking of  
GAR; rather he lists ALLA, PLHN, KAI, DE:
=====
C.  Contrastive Conjunctions (adversative) [but, rather, however]
	1.  Definition
	This use suggests a contrast or opposing thought to the idea to which  
it is connected. It is often translated but, rather, yet, though, or  
however. Major contrastive conjunctions include: ἀλλά, πλήν,  
καί (if indicated by context), δέ (if indicated by context).
=====

> --- On Thu, 9/10/09, Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] The use of GAR in Mark 9:49
> To: "Samuel Cripps" <crippssamuel at yahoo.com>
> Cc: B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Thursday, September 10, 2009, 7:02 PM
>
>
>
> On Sep 10, 2009, at 1:03 PM, Samuel Cripps wrote:
>
>>
>> B-Greekers,
>>
>> During a recent discussion between myself and a friend who is  
>> trained in Biblical Greek, my friend claimed, "GAR is used to give  
>> reason and attempts to explain that which precedes it.If there is  
>> an idea after it that is connected to it, it must be understood as  
>> a contrast."  Concerning the use of GAR in Mark 9:49, my friend  
>> wrote, "Verse 49-50 through the use of gar shows a contrast in  
>> those verses. Verse 50 speaks of the disciplined life while verse  
>> 49 reaches back in time namely verse 48 and actually back even  
>> further. 'Every' must be understood as meaning 'all' but the real  
>> understanding must be in the idea that we read the text as a  
>> contrast that is to say that everyone is salted in one manner or  
>> another.That contrast is clearly defined by the use of the  
>> conjunction "gar".
>>
>> So if I were to translate this text this is what it would say in a  
>> commentary form.
>>
>> Every man must go through one fire or another (salted with fire)  
>> for one it is the fire of hell and for another it is the fire of  
>> self discipline of faith."
>>
>> Is this correct?  Does GAR function in this manner?
>
> It is useful to list-members to cite the text you're asking about:
> Mark 9:49     Πᾶς γὰρ πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.
> [PAS GAR PURI hALISQHSETAI.]
>
> For my part, I can't imagine where the understanding of the function  
> of GAR offered by your friend -- that some sort of contrast is  
> implied by it -- comes from. I would suggest a careful reading of  
> the lengthy entry on GAR in BDAG.
> As for Mark 9:49, while one may well imagine that hALISQHNAI will  
> mean different tests for different people, I don't really see that a  
> distinct antithesis between two alternatives is suggested, certainly  
> not by GAR. I would sooner understand the GAR in this verse as  
> indicating a summary statement: "So, you see, everyone is going to  
> undergo a fire-testing." I don't think it's appropriate to offer (in  
> translation) some extrapolated notion of what forms the fire-testing  
> may take.


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






More information about the B-Greek mailing list