[B-Greek] Jude 1:7

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Sun May 8 03:37:11 EDT 2011


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <rhutchin at aol.com>
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 8. maj 2011 03:57
Subject: [B-Greek] Jude 1:7


>
> Jude 1:7
>
> hWS SODOMA KAI GOMORRA KAI hAI PERI hAUTAS POLEIS TON hOMOION TROPON TOUTOIS 
> EKPORNEUSASAI KAI APELQOUSAI OPISW SARKOS ETERAS PROKEINTAI DEIGMA PUROS 
> AIWNIOU DIKHN hUPEXOUSAI
>
> The NET Bible and Phillips seem at odds on the translation.  The others seem 
> like they want to straddle the fence.  What is the sense of the Greek?
>
> KJV
> Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving 
> themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth 
> for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
>
> NET Bible
> So also  Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, since they indulged in 
> sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire  in a way similar to  these 
> angels,  are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of 
> eternal fire.
>
> Phillips
> Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent cities who, in the same way as these men 
> today, gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion, stand in their 
> punishment as a permanent warning
>
> Rotherham Emphasized Bible
> As, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having in like manner to 
> these given themselves over to fornication, and gone away after other kind of 
> flesh, lie exposed as an example, a penalty of age-abiding fire, undergoing.
>
> NIV
> In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves 
> up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who 
> suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
>
> Roger Hutchinson

Yes, there is a certain ambiguity in the reference of the demonstrative TOUTOIS 
in v. 7. The word may have been left out in the KJV, because it was omitted from 
the Vulgate.

NET chose to take the word as a back reference to AGGELOI in the beginning of 
verse 6. Phillips chose to take it as a back reference to TINES ANQRWPOI in v. 
4.

If we look at more of the context, Jude is warning against certain people who 
had accepted the faith, but have now turned away and become ASEBEIS. They are 
treating the grace of God as an excuse to indulge in ASELGEIA. This is a rather 
general word often translated "excessive immorality" (cf. EKPORNEUW in v. 7), 
and it may well allude to homosexuality here. In 2 Pet 2:6-7 both of these words 
are explicitly connected to Sodom and Gomorra. Recognizing the affinity between 
2 Peter and Jude, it is quite likely that the intention in Jude is to connect 
the men in v. 4 who are described as ASEBEIS who have gone into ASELGEIA to the 
men of Sodom and Gomorra described in v. 7. In that case verses 5-6 would be a 
parenthesis (introduced by DE). The TE in v. 6 indicates that the two events in 
5 and 6 are closely connected and refer to the same topic. That topic appears to 
be that people who were once in a good position (saved from Egypt or angels 
serving God) left that position and become disobedient. If that happens, their 
punishment will be severe. This would parallel the men in verses 3-4 who were 
once faithful, but have left that faith and become disobedient to their master. 
If we take verses 5-6 as a parenthesis, it is easier to connect v. 7 back to 
verse 4. This is supported by the connection between hOMOIOS in v.7 and hOMOIWS 
in v. 8 where hOUTOI clearly refers back to the men in v. 4. The point would 
then be that these "men today" are sodomites and will be punished like Sodom and 
Gomorra. The point of 5-6 would be that if a person leaves a position of faith 
and obedience to become disobedient, then they be will justly and severely 
punished. Then there would be no direct connection to the nature of the sins 
expressed in 5-6 and the nature of the sin expressed in verse 7, but the sin 
connection goes back to v. 4 and is expanded in v. 8.

In short, Phillips is not as far off as an initial reading out of context might 
suggest. Both options have commentary support.

Iver Larsen 



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