[B-Greek] Accusative of retained object

Bert de Haan b_dehaan at sympatico.ca
Mon May 21 18:05:14 EDT 2007


Is Smyth 1748 an example of what happened in Rom.3:2?
Bert de Haan.

>From: Elizabeth Kline <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net>
>To: greek B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
>CC: Bert de Haan <b_dehaan at sympatico.ca>
>Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Accusative of retained object
>Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 13:01:29 -0700
>
>A few observations from the traditional point of view:
>
>A close reading will reveal that Robertson and Wallace are not  talking 
>about or saying the same thing. Wallace appears to be  addressing active 
>verbs that take a double accusative when they are  transformed into a 
>passive construction. Rom. 3:2 is NOT an example.
>
>ROM. 3:1 TI OUN TO PERISSON TOU IOUDAIOU H TIS hH WFELEIA THS  PERITOMHS;  
>2 POLU KATA PANTA TROPON. PRWTON MEN [GAR] hOTI  EPISTEUQHSAN TA LOGIA TOU 
>QEOU.
>
>PISTEW (BDAG 818 #3) "entrust something to someone" in the active can  take 
>three arguments (Lk 16:11b), a nominative, an accusative and a  dative. The 
>equivalent when found in the passive may have the dative  "transformed" 
>into an accusative. G.Cooper (1.52.4.2,6) doesn't read  this accusative as 
>an object of the passive verb. He suggests that  the accusative here is 
>functioning as an adverbial. Carl will  probably disagree with this 
>analysis.
>
>See also BDF 159.4 and Smyth 1747.
>
>Elizabeth Kline
>
>
>On May 21, 2007, at 8:59 AM, Bert de Haan wrote:
>>I found what maybe an explanation in Wallace's GGBB on page 438.
>>I will quote some of it.
>>"Although it seems a bit odd to native English speakers, Greek  sometimes 
>>uses an accusative with a true passive verb.  The major  usage for such a 
>>structure involves the accusative of retained  object. In this instance, 
>>the accusative of thing in a double  accusative person-thing construction 
>>with an active verb retains  its case when the verb is put in the passive. 
>>The accusative of  person, in such instances, becomes the subject. This 
>>use of the  accusative occurs most frequently with causative verbs, though 
>>it  is rare in the NT.
>
>
>
>
>On May 21, 2007, at 9:20 AM, George F Somsel wrote:
>
>>It isn't, of course, only Wallace who note this usage.  Perhaps you  might 
>>take a look at the examples A.T. Robertson cites
>>
>>Some verbs which have only one accusative in the active or middle  yet 
>>retain the accusative of the thing in the passive with the  person in the 
>>nominative. This is a freedom not possessed by the  Latin. The person in 
>>the active was generally in the dative. Thus  Paul a number of times uses 
>>πιστεύομαι [PISTEUOMAI]  (πιστευθῆναι τὸ 
>>εὐαγγέλιον [PISTEUQHNAI TO  EUAGGELION 1 Th. 2:4; 
>>ἐπιστεύθη τὸ μαρτύριον  [EPISTEUQH TO MARTURION] 2 
>>Th. 1:10; cf. also 1 Cor. 9:17; Gal.  2:7; Ro. 3:2; 1 Tim. 1:11). Then 
>>again περιβάλλομαι  [PERIBALLOMAI] is frequently so employed, 
>>as  περιβεβλημένος σινδόνα [PERIBEBLHMENOS SINDONA]  
>>(Mk. 14:51; cf. 16:5; and especially in Rev., as 7:9, 13; 10:1;  11:3; 
>>12:1; 17:4; 18:16; 19:13). This is not the middle as Blass  has it, though 
>>the future middle does occur in Rev. 3:5 with ἐν  [EN], and the aorist 
>>middle with the accusative in Rev. 19:8. In  Rev. 4:4 we have
>>  περιβεβλημένους ἱματίοις [PERIBEBLHMENOUS  
>>hIMATIOIS] (loc.), and margin (W. H.) ἐν ἱμ. EN hIM. Once  more 
>>περίκειμαι [PERIKEIMAI] is used as the passive of  
>>περιτίθημι [PERITIQHMI] with the accusative of the thing,  
>>though the verb itself means to ‘lie around’ instead of ‘be  
>>encompassed with.’ So τὴν ἅλυσιν περίκειμαι  [THN 
>>hALLUSIN PERIKEIMAI] (Ac. 28:20). Cf. also Heb. 5:2, but in  Lu. 17:2 we 
>>have περί [PERI] repeated.
>>
>>Robertson, A. (1919; 2006). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in  the 
>>Light of Historical Research (p. 485).
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