Re: exegesis questions

From: Paul S. Dixon (dixonps@juno.com)
Date: Wed Feb 10 1999 - 20:22:34 EST


On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 16:56:30 -0600 (CST) jharper@ix.netcom.com writes:
>I'm going through tomorrow's exegesis passage in the Greek [1 Jn
>4:1-3] and have a few
>questions, if you have time to comment. . .
>
>1. In verse 1, ESTIN in the first subordinate clause does not agree
>with the antecedent of the
>clause [PNEUMATA]. Why not?

Neuter plural subjects normally take a singular verb in the Greek.

>
>2. In verse 2, Wallace says that IHSOUN XRISTON is the subject of the
>indirect discourse in the
>subordinate clause (p. 645). Is the verb of that subordinate clause
>ELHLUQOTA or ELHLUQOTA
>ESTIN (and therefore periphrastic)? If the former, is EK TOU QEOU
>ESTIN part of the subordinate
>clause or part of the main one?

The verb of the subordinate clause is ELHLUQOTA and EK TOU
QEOU ESTIN is part of the main clause (notice the contrasting
parallelism with 3a).

>
>3. In verse 3, the tense sequence puzzles me. AKHKOATE is perfect,
>with a sense of "you have
>begun and continue to hear", and ERXETAI is simple continuous present,
>"he is coming" . . . but
>the end of the verse says NUN ESTIN HDH, "he now already is". Can you
>comment on the temporal
>relationship between these verbs? The only thing that makes sense to
>me is something like,
>
>YOU HEARD ----------------------------> AND ARE HEARING
>-------------------------------->
> HE IS COMING
>----------------------------------->
> but where in the sequence can one put "he now already is"?

When a verb follows a declarative hOTI it should be translated
as a past tense, at least in relation to the speaker. Here it
should probably be rendered something like, "which you heard
that it was coming, and now it is already in the world" (Amplified
Bible).

Hope you get this in time for class. This was fun. Now, let's
see if my answers pass the scrutiny of Carl who is most
merciful. :)

Paul Dixon

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