[B-Greek] Mark 15:12

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Wed Feb 16 03:23:32 EST 2011


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A. J. Birch" <AJB1212 at ono.com>
To: "B-Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 16. februar 2011 10:15
Subject: [B-Greek] Mark 15:12


> Dear B-Greekers,
>
> "O DE PILATOS PALIN APOKRIQEIS ELEGEN AUTOIS, TI OUN [QELETE] POIHSW [ON 
> LEGETE] TON BASILEA TWN IOUDAIWN;" (Mark 15:12).
>
> Instead of the accusative "TON BASILEA", would the dative - for indirect 
> object - not have been more natural?
>
> Thankyou,
>
> Andrew J. Birch.
> Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Not if you think in terms of semantics rather than syntax. I assume the original 
text is without ON LEGETE so that we are talking about the object for POIHSW. 
There is a parallel passage at

Matt 27:22: Τί οὖν ποιήσω Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον Χριστόν
TI OUN POIHSW IHSOUN TON LEGOMENON CRISTON

Jesus is not the beneficiary of the action. That would call for a dative. (What 
shall I do for you?) Nothing is done for his benefit. Instead, something is done 
to/with him, that is, he is the semantic Patient, also called the Undergoer. The 
semantic Patient is normally expressed with an accusative.

The fact that we have a double accusative does not mean that one is object and 
the other is indirect object. The TI indicates the action that Pilate will make 
Jesus undergo. If you have BDAG, it is under 4a. In BAGD it is I.1.d.

Iver Larsen 




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