[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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