Rom. 12:15 infinitives

From: Mike Sangrey (mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us)
Date: Fri Aug 06 1999 - 10:03:48 EDT


Can someone help me understand how the infinitives are being used here?

Rom. 12:14-15 -
   EULOGEITE TOUS DIWKONTAS,
   EULOGEITE KAI MH KATAPASQE.
   CAIREIN META CAIRONTWN,
   KLAIEIN META KLAIONTWN.

I want to connect CAIREIN and KLAIEIN with some verb and subject,
e.g. EULOGEITE; however, that doesn't seem to fit. What's Paul
doing here?

The flow of the words in vs 14-15 seem full of a mood of rhetoric;
a person standing on a stage speaking as if to the air, not directly
to his audience.

The only explanation I can arrive at is in terms of a picture I've just
alluded to. I picture a person walking down a narrow street at
dawn, crying out, "CAIREIN META CAIRONTWN." He is not thinking of
anyone in particular doing the action; nor is he making a verbal idea
more precise by using an infinitive. He is just heralding an idea.
Is this the thought behind this use of the infinitive? Paul just bursts
with "To rejoice with rejoicing!"

Perhaps I haven't given enough of the context. Verses 9 and
following list a bunch of actions we are to do. Paul does this
with participle after participle. Then, with EULOGEITE, he uses an
imperative, breaking the chain and then he uses these infinitives.
This brings me to quote the great Greek, Winnieus hO Poohus, "It
muddles me rather."

I guess my precise question is this, "How do the infinitives fit
into the flow of Paul's thought here in Rom. 9-21?" Why not just
continue with the participles?

Thank you all for any help you might give.

-- 
Mike Sangrey
mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us

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