[B-Greek] John 2:15--PANTAS ... TA TE PROBATA AND TOUS BOAS

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Mon Nov 15 07:32:55 EST 2010


This has become a long mail, so let me just keep some of it and make a comment 
at the end.

...
>>>> It would probably require more than this, since PANTAS is a general 
>>>> masculine plural not attached directly to a noun and not followed by an 
>>>> intervening verb. Your interpretation may be valid, but you haven't 
>>>> convinced everyone that it's the only way this text can be construed.
>>>
>>>> Carl W. Conrad
>>>> Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)


>
> LJ: Regret the delay in replying. My computer went out of order around 31 of 
> last month and I got back the repaired computer only day before yesterday.
>
> You have now conceded that TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS is in apposition to 
> PANTAS, but I don't understand what kind of apposition you have in mind. A 
> definition of apposition is "A construction in which a noun or noun phrase is 
> placed with another as an explanatory equivalent, both having the same 
> syntactic relation to the other elements in the sentence." Therefore, if you 
> agree that TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS is in apposition to PANTAS, you have to 
> accept that TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS explains PANTAS and they are 
> co-referential--unless, of course, you can produce your very own definition of 
> apposition :).
>
>
>> Text: John 2:14 Καὶ εὗρεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοὺς πωλοῦντας βόας καὶ πρόβατα καὶ 
>> περιστερὰς καὶ τοὺς κερματιστὰς καθημένους, 15 καὶ ποιήσας φραγέλλιον ἐκ 
>> σχοινίων πάντας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας, καὶ τῶν 
>> κολλυβιστῶν ἐξέχεεν τὸ κέρμα καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ἀνέτρεψεν, ...
>> [14 KAI hEUREN EN TWi hIERWi TOUS PWLOUNTAS BOAS KAI PROBATA KAI PERISTERAS 
>> KAI TOUS KERMATISTAS KAQHMENOUS, 15 KAI POIHSAS FRAGELLION EK SCOINIWN PANTAS 
>> EXEBALEN EK TOU hIEROU TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS, KAI TWN KOLLUBISTWN 
>> EXECEEN TO KERMA KAI TAS TRAPEZAS ANETREYEN, ... ]
>>
>> That is to say that, perverse as it may seem, I continue to believe that 
>> PANTAS in the predicate PANTAS EXEBALEN refers to all the same objects 
>> indicated as objects of the initial verb εὗρεν [hEUREN]. I think that the 
>> addition of TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS is to make it clear that they too 
>> were made to evacuate the premises posthaste.
>
> LJ: The objects of hEUREN are the "the sellers (of oxen and sheep)" and "the 
> moneychangers (seated)." If PANTAS refers to the sellers and the 
> moneychangers, the objects of hEUREN, then how is TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS 
> in apposition to PANTAS?
>
...
>
> LJ: As I have shown, there is abundance evidence for a phrase with a TE ... 
> KAI structure being in apposition to some other element in the sentence in all 
> which cases the appositive is identical with the anchor, i.e., the 
> appositive's referent. Your interpretation above, that TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS 
> BOAS is "a clarifying parenthetical note ("yes, even the beasts -- not just 
> their exploiters")," ignores this fact and appears to be an ad hoc 
> interpretation dictated by your particular understanding PANTAS.
>
>
> Leonard Jayawardena
---------------------------------------

In v. 14 we are told that Jesus discovered all the traders and moneychangers. He 
also saw the cattle, sheep and doves on sale as well as the coins on the tables. 
He then made a whip and chased them all out of the temple compound. The object 
is the masculine PANTAS which probably refers to both traders and their animals 
(not the doves and coins). Even if TA TE PROBATA KAI TOUS BOAS is in apposition 
to PANTAS, that is a syntactical description. One cannot from that infer that 
they are exactly co-referential in terms of semantics and pragmatics. You are 
asking too much of the grammar. It is very common in Semitic flavoured Greek to 
have a generic reference followed by a clarifying specific reference, where the 
specific gives details about part of the generic without necessarily being 
identical to it.
The text says that he drove all three groups out (PANTAS), which is a generic 
statement. We are not given all the details as in a film script. We are not told 
how he used the whip, but by using it he drove out the cattle and sheep together 
with their owners. He then poured out the coins and overturned the tables so 
that the moneychangers busily collected them and ran out to safety. Finally he 
told the dove sellers to remove their wares and get out, which we can assume 
that they did.

This generic-specific pattern is captured nicely by the NLT:

Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He 
drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the 
floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold 
doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here....

Iver Larsen 




More information about the B-Greek mailing list