[B-Greek] John 2:4 TI EMOI KAI SOI

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Feb 19 04:52:11 EST 2010


On Feb 19, 2010, at 12:12 AM, Iver Larsen wrote:
> This verse has been discussed several times before, most recently in March 2009 
> and before that in March-April 2005, so you may want to look up these threads 
> for further background.
> 
> It is an idiom that basically means "Leave me alone!" It is found several times 
> in the OT and it is not really a matter of privacy versus publicity.
> 
> You asked why it was translated the way it is and mentioned two of the very 
> literal versions that will usually translate idioms word for word rather than 
> express the meaning in good and meaningful English. I suggest you look at other 
> versions also, e.g.:
> 
> GNB and CEV: You must not tell me what to do.

"What business of yours is what I do?"

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

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Alia Duffy" <alia.duffy at gmail.com>
> To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: 19. februar 2010 01:13
> Subject: [B-Greek] John 2:4 TI EMOI KAI SOI
> 
> 
>> I'm trying to teach myself Greek and part of that is asking questions even
>> though the answer may be obvious to others:
>> 
>> In John 2:4 : LEGEI AUTH hO IHSOUS, TI EMOI KAI SOI, GUNAI; OUPW HKEI hH
>> hWRO MOU.
>> λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι; οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου.
>> 
>> KJV: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is
>> not yet come.
>> NASB: And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My
>> hour has not yet come."
>> 
>> Reading this in the context of how Mary responds it seems to me that TI EMOI
>> KAI SOI makes sense as "This is just between me and you" or "What about
>> keeping this between me and you." a request that Jesus's involvement should
>> not be publicised rather than really being a question about the relevance of
>> the situation to Jesus.
>> 
>> In the other instance where this phrase is used, Mark 5:7 and Luke 8:28, it
>> also seems to me to make as much sense as a request that other parties (the
>> old enmities of God the Father, the Serpent, and the seed of Eve) not be
>> dragged into a private matter questing of the relevance of the situation to
>> Jesus.
>> 
>> So can anyone give help in deepening my understanding of TIS and why it is
>> being translated the way it is in John 2:4?







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