Position of the negative in Matthew 5:17
Posted: June 15th, 2016, 3:00 am
Within the context of null values in heads and phrases, and related to the Ἔρχου καὶ εἶδον! question, I want to ask a question about negation.
An example of (a) οὐδὲ καίουσιν λύχνον καὶ τιθέασιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν from Matthew 5:15, where everything from the negation to the ἀλλά is understood after it, just with the part after the ἀλλά substituted according to its part of speech. (In this case a prepositional phrase).
For an example of what (b) is not, John's construction of ἐλθεῖν with ἵνα places the negation with the second verb. Ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ μὴ μείνῃ. John 12:46.
Of (c) οὐ δύναται σταθῆναι from Mark 3:26. The verb ἐλθεῖν seems to be a verb that doesn't really say anything in itself, but allows another verb to happen. That is similar to some usages of the English "come" and "go", but the English words seem to have more power to stand alone and say something.
Is the position of the οὐ in front of the ἦλθον because of (a) the requirement of the construction οὐ ... ἀλλὰ ..., which uses the negation as a foward marker of what is included to be contrasted, (b) because an infinitive of purpose (or a construction with καί followed by another finite verb denoting the purpose of the first verb) is negated by negating the first verb, (c) there are some verbs - ἦλθον (surprisingly) being one of them - that show a distinct tendency or necessity to have another verb with them (either explicitly stated or clear from context) that allow them to have meaning. Something like an auxilliary verb..Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι.
An example of (a) οὐδὲ καίουσιν λύχνον καὶ τιθέασιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν from Matthew 5:15, where everything from the negation to the ἀλλά is understood after it, just with the part after the ἀλλά substituted according to its part of speech. (In this case a prepositional phrase).
For an example of what (b) is not, John's construction of ἐλθεῖν with ἵνα places the negation with the second verb. Ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ μὴ μείνῃ. John 12:46.
Of (c) οὐ δύναται σταθῆναι from Mark 3:26. The verb ἐλθεῖν seems to be a verb that doesn't really say anything in itself, but allows another verb to happen. That is similar to some usages of the English "come" and "go", but the English words seem to have more power to stand alone and say something.