[B-Greek] Joel 3:1-2 (LXX) & Acts 2:17-18 - Why EKCEW APO TOU PNEUMATOS MOU instead of EKCEW TO PNEUMA MOU?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Mon May 10 05:31:12 EDT 2010


On May 9, 2010, at 10:54 PM, George F Somsel wrote:
> I don't think that the LXX translators were stepping away from the idea that it would be God's Spirit.  It rather seems that they were emphasizing the fact that it was not the whole of God's Spirit.  That is why a partitive is used.

I think the reason for the partititive is simpler: PNEUMA is thought of a substance (one with which one can be "full", something that has PLHRWMA). One does not drink OINON or hUDWR but OINOU or hUDATOS.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)

> ________________________________
> From: Eric S. Weiss <papaweiss1 at yahoo.com>
> To: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>; b-greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Sun, May 9, 2010 6:56:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Joel 3:1-2 (LXX) & Acts 2:17-18 - Why EKCEW APO TOU PNEUMATOS MOU instead of EKCEW TO PNEUMA MOU?
> 
> That suggests to me that the LXX translators engaged in a bit of interpretation.
> 
> Maybe for something like the "remoteness" reason Mark L. suggested? 
> 
> I.e., they wanted to take a bit of a step away from the idea that it would in fact 
> be God's Spirit - period - that He would pour out on His people, so they added 
> the qualifying "some of"?
>  
> - - -
> Eric S. Weiss 
> 
> From: Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
> 
> Conybeare and Stock's little Grammar of LXX Greek,  §92. ἀπό. a. ἀπό  [APO] in the 
> LXX is often little more than a sign of the genitive, like our English ‘of,’ provided that 
> the genitive be partitive.
> 
> That suggests that the LXX translator had the sense in mind, "some of my spirit."
> See also BDAG: s.v. APO 1.f as a substitute for the partitive gen. 
> ... ἐκχεῶ ἀ. τοῦ πνεύματός μου [EKCEW APO TOU PNEUMATOS MOU] Ac 2:17f (Jo 3:1f). 







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