[B-Greek] Mark 4:9 and 4:23 - both subject clauses?
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Mon Sep 13 05:35:45 EDT 2010
On Sep 13, 2010, at 3:19 AM, Morten Hørning Jensen wrote:
> Hi all
>
> How would you understand the difference between Mark 4:9 and 4:23 in regards
> to what is the subject of AKOUETO. The Leedy diagram in Bibleworks
> interprets them differently, with the HOS-clause of 4:9 as subject of
> AKOUETO, where as the EI-clause of 4:23 is listed as a regular conditional
> clause. Can 4:23 not be understood in the same manner as 4:9 (ie. as a
> subject clause)?
Mark 4:9 καὶ ἔλεγεν· ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
Mark 4:9 KAI ELEGEN· hOS ECEI WTA AKOUEIN AKOUETW.
Mark 4:23 εἴ τις ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
Mark 4:23 EI TIS ECEI WTA AKOUEIN AKOUETW.
In terms of traditional grammar, the subject isn't expressed in either of these two instances but is implicit; in both clauses it is the referent of the pronoun (of hOS, of TIS): if it were spelled out, one might expect a hOUTOS, or EKEINOS. In common English versions, that implicit subject is spelled out as "he"; actually, however, hOS ECEI and EI TIS ECEI are alternative phrasings of the very same notion: the person with the capacity to hear.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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