[B-Greek] Matthew 13:15
Alastair Haines
afhaines at tpg.com.au
Sun Feb 13 14:23:41 EST 2011
Dear Joseph,
I suspect the grammatical issue you want to review is CONDITIONALS.
English and Koine have different ways of conveying the logic of "IF ...
THEN" statements.
In fact, there is even variety in contemporary English usage regarding these
constructions.
For example:
* If I were to listen, then I would hear; and
* If I was to listen, then I would hear
are two alternatives in standard modern English for exactly the same logic.
The first is the traditional form (I believe still prefered in educated US
English), the second is the form recommended in ESL teaching (and I believe
pretty standard in UK English).
Both English and Koine allow for a distinction to be made between FACTUAL
and COUNTER-TO-FACTUAL conditionals. In English, the distinction sounds
something like:
* FACTUAL: Whenever I listen properly, then I always hear clearly; and
* COUNTERF'L: If only I could listen properly, then I might hear clearly.
In Matthew 13:15, the contrast between the subjunctives and indicative
reflects the intended senses that:
1. that the speaker, God, does not actually expect the people he is talking
about to actually do the things he describes--so the statements are
counter-to-fact; BUT
2. that the speaker, God, *actually would* heal, if the people *actually
did* turn--so that statement is factual (about God's *actual disposition* to
forgive).
I think your issue is how to carry this sense into English. If you want to
translate approximately one word for one word, you will need to turn the
Koine indicative into an English subjunctive, because English wants to mark
God's response to the hypothetical people as a hypothetical response: they
won't turn, so he won't forgive. It's ALL hypothetical, so it's ALL got to
be "irrealis" in English. However, if we want to get the full sense of the
Greek into our English, we need to be a bit more creative. For example, I
might add the word "certainly" or "actually" to modify the verb "heal", just
as we add auxiliaries in English to render Greek tenses.
alastair
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
To: "Joseph Justiss" <jljustiss at gmail.com>
Cc: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 4:44 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Matthew 13:15
>
> On Feb 13, 2011, at 10:54 AM, Joseph Justiss wrote:
>
>> Can someone help me with the last verb in Matt 13:15. Is it unusual that
>> it
>> is indicative future? I was expecting another subjunctive. Would another
>> subjunctive mean about the same thing if the author had chosen one? Is
>> there
>> a particular semantic function to the switch in mood with the last verb?
>> I
>> was thinking that perhaps the future ind. here could indicate the result
>> of
>> "turning". I appreciate your help.
>
> Matt. 13:15 ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου,
> καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν
> καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν,
> μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς
> καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν
> καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν
> καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς.
>
> [att. 13:15 EPACUNQH GAR hH KARDIA TOU LAOU TOUTOU,
> KAI TOIS WSIN BAREWS HKOUSAN
> KAI TOUS OFQALMOUS AUTWN EKAMMUSAN,
> MHPOTE IDWSIN TOIS OFQALMOIS
> KAI TOIS WSIN AKOUSWSIN
> KAI THi KARDIAi SUNWSIN
> KAI EPISTREYWSIN KAI IASOMAI AUTOUS.]
>
> Yes, it does indicate the consequences; note that IASOMAI is first-
> person indicative future, its subject is God speaking; the subjunctive
> forms are all third-personal plural.
>
>
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
>
>
>
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