[B-Greek] Luke 1:8-9 What do these two clauses modify?

Harold Holmyard hholmyard at ont.com
Sat Mar 10 16:38:08 EST 2007


Jonathan Robie wrote:
> I'm working my way slowly through Luke right now, and I have questions about what two clauses modify. Here's the text:
>
> 08 EGENETO DE EN TWi hIERATEUEIN AUTON EN THi TAXEI THS EFHMERIAS AUTOU ENANTI TOU QEOU, 09 KATA TO EQOS THS hIERATEIAS ELACE TOU QUMIASAI EISELQWN EIS TON NAON TOU KURIOU,
>
> My first question involves ENANTI TOU QEOU. Should I read this together with the clause immediately before, "EN THi TAXEI THS EFHMERIAS AUTOU ENANTI TOU QEOU", or does it modify the earlier text, "EN TWi hIERATEUEIN AUTON ... ENANTI TOU QEOU"? Or is it ambiguous?
>   

HH: It seems clear to me that EN THi TAXEI THS EFHMERIAS AUTOU is 
modifying hIERATEUEIN. So does ENANTI TOU QEOU go better with 
hIERATEUEIN or with the prepositional phrase EN THi TAXEI THS EFHMERIAS 
AUTOU? Standing before God and ministering before God are common OT ideas:

1Sam. 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded 
with a linen ephod.

Deut. 10:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear 
the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to 
minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

Jer. 35:19 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; 
Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for 
ever. 

HH: So there is a strong presumption in my mind that ENANTI TOU QEOU 
modifies the verb. ENANTI TOU QEOU seems more functional with the verb. 
 
> I have a similar question about KATA TO EQOS THS hIERATEIAS - should I read this as "KATA TO EQOS THS hIERATEIAS ELACE TOU QUMIASAI", or perhaps "EN THi TAXEI THS EFHMERIAS AUTOU ENANTI TOU QEOU, 09 KATA TO EQOS THS hIERATEIAS"? Is there anything in the grammar that should tell me?
>   

HH: I believe the comma after "ENANTI TOU QEOU," is there to tell us 
that the first option is preferred. The comma divides the foregoing 
words from those that follow it. One reason to prefer this division is 
that it gives more functionality to the phrase KATA TO EQOS THS 
hIERATEIAS. The second alternative would have both hIERATEUEIN and  
hIERATEIAS in the same clause, which seems somewhat redundant. Also, 
with the second alternative we would have a string of four prepositional 
phrases without a break. This is possible but ordinarily would be 
somewhat clumsy.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard




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