[b-greek] Re: Luke 5:7

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Mon Jun 18 2001 - 14:31:53 EDT


At 9:10 PM -0700 6/17/01, Kenneth Litwak wrote:
> I have some questions on the first half of Luke
>5:7:
>KAI KATENEUSAN TOIS METOCOS en TW hETERW PLOIW TOU
>ELONTAS SULLABESQAI AUTOIS

It's easier to work from a correct Greek text: KAI KATENEUSAN TOIS METOCOIS
EN TWi hETERWi PLOIWi TOU ELQONTAS SULLABESQAI AUTOIS.

>1. When is it legitimate to take the definite article
>as a possessive? The first TOIS construciton is
>clealry missing AUTWN or the like, and I'm wondering
>if the article alone is considered to do that job?

Yes, I would say so; this is quite standard as a usage of the article. On
the other hand, some Hellenistic writers probably would have added an AUTWN
to TOIS METOCOIS.

>2. TOU plus an infinitive is common, but what about
>the aorist participle between the two? I know the
>participle can be used as an imperative, but as part
>of a compound infinitive? Is it "to, afterhaving
>come, help" or "to come and help"?

Yes: it's either or both: "to come and assist them" or "having come to
assist them"--i.e. the aorist participle preceding serves to indicate the
first action followed by the second action indicated (in this case) by the
infinitive. But this would be the same construction if it were in the
indicative: hOI METOCOI ELQONTES SUNELABONTO AUTOIS.

>3. Why is this followed by a dative, not an
>accusative?

Because the verb SULLAMBANESQAI (with prefix SUN-) ordinarily takes a
dative complement (you can check this in a dictionary). Here's LSJ on
SULLAMBANW:

VI. c. dat. pers., take pert with another, assist him, ou tois athumois hê
tuchê x. S.Fr.927, cf. E.Med.813, Hdt.6.125, etc.; ta dunata têi polei x.
Ar.Ec.861; s. tisi ti take part with or assist them in a thing, Id.Lys.540
(lyr.), X.Cyr.7.5.49, etc.; s. tini tinos E.Med.946 , Ar.V.734 (lyr.); s.
tini tini D.18.20 : with a Prep., sunelabe gar alla . . es to peithesthai
contributed towards persuading, Hdt.7.6, cf. X.Mem.2.6.28: abs., assist,
A.Ch.812 (lyr.), S.Tr.1019 (lyr.), Ar.Eq. 229, Th.1.118; dei de
xullambanonta tous theous epikaleesthai while invoking the gods one must

help oneself, Hp.Insomn.87.
--

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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