[B-Greek] 2 Thess. 2:6-7--two proposals

Harold Holmyard hholmyard at ont.com
Fri Mar 2 16:35:25 EST 2007


Iver Larsen wrote:
>
> In 2 Th 2:7 hO KATECWN ARTI hEWS EK MESOU GENHTAI
>
> The subject and Patient is hO KATECWN. This "restrainer" will change from the state of being in the 
> midst (of the evil world) to a state of being removed to somewhere else not specified. Nor is it 
> specified who does the removing, but from the broader Biblical context we can deduce who the Agent 
> is, and it is not hO KATECWN. As far as translation goes, either "has gone" or "is removed" is 
> acceptable to me, but I wouldn't vote for any of the two original suggestions by Webb. The first one 
> is confusing, and the second one is wrong because of the mistaken addition of "among us".
>   

HH: I am not sure that the agent is not the restrainer. You seem to 
argue that the the subject of GINOMAI cannot be the actor, but I do not 
understand that to be the case. Even if we limit the idea to "be out of 
the way," so that the verb is neutral, it still seems that the 
restrainer could be the subject: The one restraining will do so until he 
is out of the way." But my reading of the lexicons suggests that the 
subject could clearly be the actor.  LSJ under the verb gives an example 
where GENOU PROS TINA means to "go to so-and-so."  That seems 
significant in that the subject "goes."

Under MESOS in LSJ there is the example of EN MESWi EINAI TOU SUMMEIXEI 
as "to stand in the way of." If EINAI can imply "to be in the midst to 
oppose," it seems that GINOMAI with EK MESOU could imply "to go out of 
the midst," or "to get out of the way." Carl has already cited BAGD or 
BADG, where a meaning suggested for GINOMAI EK MESOU in 2 Thess  2:7 is 
"leave the scene." That is equivalent to "get out of the way." I think 
the latter is better, but the passive idea of "be removed," also cited 
in the lexicon by Carl," remains a possibility too.

GINOMAI sometimes takes the translation "comes." BAGD gives the example 
where a voice FWNH EGENETO EK TWN OURANWN  implies that a voice sounded 
forth from heaven.

KJV Mark 1:11 And there CAME a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

My experience is that verbs which can be translated as "come" can often 
also be translated as "go," as the lexicon suggests GINOMAI can be 
understood.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard



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