[B-Greek] Eph 5:11 translating SUGKOINEW
Iver Larsen
iver_larsen at sil.org
Thu Feb 11 00:01:54 EST 2010
Yes, this argument has been typically heard. But it has also been discarded as
being too simplistic. The present tense (imperfective aspect) indicates that the
event is looked at as continuing over some time or being repeated. If that event
is already in progress at the time of speaking, the implication would be to stop
it, if the addressee is the agent of the verb. But the event does not have to be
already in progress, and in that case, it is not a matter of stopping it, but
not starting it. It is up to the context to indicate whether the event is
already in progress or not, and sometimes the context does not clearly indicate
one way or the other. Therefore, one should not translated it with "stop", but
leave it to context to show whether the event is already in progress.
An example:
Mark 13:21
καὶ τότε ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ, Ἴδε ὧδε ὁ Χριστός, Ἴδε ἐκεῖ, μὴ πιστεύετε·
KAI TOTE EAN TIS hUMIN EIPH, IDE hWDE hO CRISTOS, IDE EKEI MH PISTEUETE
And if at that time someone might say to y'all: "Look, the Messiah is here!"
"Look there (he is)!" stop (?) believing them.
No English translation goes this way here or in Eph 5:11, and rightly so.
Iver Larsen
----- Original Message -----
From: <kgraham0938 at comcast.net>
To: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
Cc: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 11. februar 2010 00:21
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Eph 5:11 translating SUGKOINEW
> The typical argument that I have heard is that whenever MH is followed by a
> present tense imperative the idea is to stop an action already in progress. So
> the idea is to stop participating with unfruitful deeds.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
> To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 3:36:39 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Eph 5:11 translating SUGKOINEW
>
> Here's the message that Bill Shea intended to send. It was formatted in HTML
> with an attachment and did not go through. I've added the text citation and
> altered the transliteration.
>
> From: Bill Shea <bshea at ksu.edu>
> Date: February 10, 2010 2:52:34 PM EST
> To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Eph 5:11 translating suykoineo
>
> Eph. 5:11 καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους, μᾶλλον
> δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε.
> [KAI MH SUGKOINWNEITE TOIS ERGOIS TOIS AKARPOIS TOU SKOTOUS, MALLON DE KAI
> ELEGCETE. ]
>
> I haven't used my greek in years and I'm having trouble translating the word
> συγκοινέω
> [SUGKOINEW] in Eph 5:11. Is is correct to translate this verse ". . . stop
> participating . . ."
> or just " . . . do not participate . . .? How can I tell the difference?
>
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