From: Iver Larsen (iver_larsen@sil.org)
Date: Fri Jul 06 2001 - 11:17:52 EDT
Could I invite comments on the following hypotheses from those who are more
familiar with Greek than I am?
I was looking at the function of MH as introducing a question.
BAGD has the following general statement on MH:
"MH is the negative of will, wish, doubt. If OU denies the fact, MH denies
the idea’ (Rob. 1167). For the Koine of the NT the usage is simplified to
such a degree that OU is generally the neg. used w. the indicative, and MH
is used w. the other moods (Bl-D. §426; Rob. 1167)."
Section C in the BAGD entry is when MH is used to introduce a question that
anticipates a negative answer. The variant MHTI can have the same function.
Let me illustrate:
Mark 14:19 MHTI EGW - It is not me, is it? (surely not) EIMI implied
Of the 17 occurrences of MHTI I found in the GNT, 3 occur after EI and are
not followed by a finite indicative verb. These are variants of EI MH and
not interesting to me for this study.
The remaining 14 occurrences of MHTI are all sentence initial and are all
followed by a finite verb in the indicative (except as above where the
finite indicate copula is implied). They signify a question where a negative
answer is expected.
In two instances (Matt 12:32, John 4:19) the speaker is actually wondering
if the answer could not be positive, but is hesitant to affirm it, because
the speaker expects the hearers to want to supply a negative answer.
This MHTI has a shortened form MH with the same function which should not be
confused with the other functions of MH as a negative particle, used outside
the indicative mood.
I found 54 occurrences of MH introducing a question that expects a negative
answer in the GNT.
Let me illustrate again:
Mat 7:9 MH LIQON EPIDWSEI AUTWi
(When the son asks his father for bread) he will not give him a stone, will
he? (Of course not).
Two things seem to be significant and this is where I invite comment if I
have overlooked something:
1) All of these occurrences of MH are sentence (or clause) initial.
2) All occurrences are followed by an indicative finite verb.
For number 2) there are 6 cases where a form of EIMI is implied. The verb
forms are distributed as follows, all indicative:
Present - 30 (plus 6 implied present forms of EIMI)
Aorist - 9
Future - 7
Perfect - 2
Four of these 54 cases were special in that the verb was negated by an
OU(K). This turns the question around to expect a positive answer, just as
in the English tag questions. Since there are only four let me list them as
an illustration:
Rom 10:18 MH OUK HKOUSAN - They have heard, haven't they? (Yes they have)
1 Cor 9:4 MH OUK ECOMEN EXOUSIAN FAGEIN KAI PEIN - We have the right to eat
and drink, don't we?
1 Cor 9:5 MH OUK ECOMEN EXOUSIAN ADELFHN GUNAIKA PERIAGEIN - We have the
right to travel around with a "sister" as wife, haven't we?
1 Cor 11:22 MH GAR OIKIAS OUK EXETE EIS TO ESQIEIN KAI PINEIN - For you have
houses for eating and drinking, don't you?
Finally, what spurred me on to this little study was James 2:1 which meets
all the requirements for the initial MH introducing a question expecting a
negative answer. But Friberg didn't use the QT tag as he did for the others,
and most English translations don't seem to interpret it as a question. Why
not?
This is the text:
> Jas 2:1 --
> ADELFOI MOU, MH EN PROSWPOLHMYIAIS ECETE THN PISTIN TOU KURIOU hMWN
> IHSOU CRISTOU THS DOXHS.
It is hard to give a brief translation into English of the circumstantial,
emphatic prepositional phrase EN PROSWPOLHMYIAIS. It almost has to come out
as a dependent clause, and the noun itself is complex. Partiality or
favoritism does not quite cover it, I think. Let me try:
My brothers, if you treat people according to outward appearance or status,
you don't have the faith of our glorious Lord, Jesus Christ, do you?
(I am using "having faith" because a few verses down (2:14-18) James is
saying that claiming to "have faith" without corresponding action is in fact
a denial of that very faith.)
Is this not a possible understanding of the grammar of this verse? Is there
any other possible grammatical analysis?
Iver Larsen
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