[B-Greek] Mark 4:9 and 4:23 - both subject clauses?

Morten Hørning Jensen lister at hoerningjensen.dk
Mon Sep 13 06:52:58 EDT 2010


Dear Carl
Thanks for your speedy reply!
Just to clarify: When you say, "in terms of traditional grammar", does it then imply that you can take the HOS-clause as a subject clause (as Leedy seems to do)? Is it also possible with the EI-clause?

 Or should we really discard that option altogether and reduce the use of subject clauses to clauses beginning with HOTI, HOS or HINA (in koine) and mostly with impersonal phrases?

Not a lot is written on this topic in the regular grammars. Wallace hardly touches upon it (p. 453f and 677f).

Morten

-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Carl Conrad [mailto:cwconrad2 at mac.com] 
Sendt: 13. september 2010 11:36
Til: Morten Hørning Jensen
Cc: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Emne: Re: [B-Greek] Mark 4:9 and 4:23 - both subject clauses?


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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