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gmark - Re: Exepneusen in Mark 15:37

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Subject: Kata Markon

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  • From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad AT artsci.wustl.edu>
  • To: "Kata Markon" <gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Cc: "Kata Markon" <gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Exepneusen in Mark 15:37
  • Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 13:21:47 -0400


At 12:57 PM -0400 7/3/00, Libyad817 AT aol.com wrote:
>Hello,
>
>Does anyone know an exact etymology of EXEPNEUSEN in this verse - which is
>usually translated "Gave up the ghost", but my Greek NT gives it as
>"expired"? And, surprisingly, Strong's has left it blank, both for 15:37 and
>15:39. [15:37 - "And Jesus having uttered a cry loud expired"; 15:39 - "
>. . . having cried out he expired . . . "]
>
>Strong's Greek #s that come closest I could find were #1852 and #1853,
>Exupnizo, to waken, awake out of sleep; and Exupnos for awake, out of sleep.
>Am I complete off-base about this?
>
>Why or how would that be equated with death on the Cross? Gave up the ghost
>has always seemed to me to be a very ambiguous image or statement, certainly
>not an unequivocal Death. And expired could just as well mean breathing out
>rather than dying. Does the 'cry' have something to do with
>breathing/expiring too, given its repetition here?
>
>Any enlightenment would be most appreciated.

Well, there is certainly no relationship between EKPNEW and EXUPNIZW as the
former is derive from PNE/PNO "breathe/breath" and the latter from hUPNOS
"sleep." My own suspicion is that EKPNEW is coined in Greek after the Latin
verb EXPIRO, EXSPIRO which does in fact mean "breathe out" but can mean
"expire" in the sense of "breathe one's final breath." I can't prove it,
but I think there are several Greek nouns and verbs and idioms that really
derive from Latin usage current in the Roman empire where both Latin and
Greek were spoken.

--

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad AT artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad AT ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/




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