[b-greek] Re: go AND make

From: dixonps@juno.com
Date: Fri Mar 09 2001 - 14:16:10 EST


On Fri, 9 Mar 2001 09:52:55 -0600 "Carl W. Conrad"
<cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu> writes:
>
> I rather doubt that the KJV translators were wanting in
> astuteness to understand and deal with a simple idiomatic
> structure such as this. One of the tricks of translation into
> English one learns fairly early in the game is that, where
> Greek tends subordinate antecedent acts in a sequence
> by use of a preceding aorist participle, English prefers
> coodinated verbs.
>
> Here's an example chosen more or less at random Mk 6:17
> AUTOS GAR hO hHRWiDHS APOSTEILAS EKRATHSEN TON
> IWANNHN KAI EDHSEN AUTON EN FULAKHi ... This the KJV
> renders as " For Herod himself had sent forth and laid
> hold upon John, and bound him in prison ... "
>
> Greek simply tends to subordinate verbal notions to what's
> key or central; English verbal notions tend to be strung together
> in "run-on" sentences. That is, of course, an over-generalization,
> but I think it's no fundamental misrepresentation.

Yes, and some of us learned this phenomenon by the label of attendant
circumstantial participle. It does seem, however, that the KJ
translators minimized this, while modern translations are recognizing it
more. Am I wrong?

On another front, it does seem the KJ translators tended to render the
aorist participle with a main verb as denoting action antecedent to the
action of the main verb, while modern translators are tending to minimize
that significance. Acts 19:2 comes to mind (among others). The KJ
has, "Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?" Here the
aorist participle does follow the main verb, ELABETE PISTEUSANTES. is
that significant, versus preceding it? At any rate, most modern
translations render the aorist participle here coincidentally with the
action of the main verb, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?" (NASB, NIV), or "when you became believers" (NRSV,NAB), etc.

Thoughts?

Paul Dixon

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