[B-Greek] SUMMAXA in ApocSedr 8:5(4)
R Yochanan Bitan Buth
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
Sun Jul 31 16:02:14 EDT 2005
> EAN MOI EIPHiS, KALWS ME SUMAXA SE
Shalom Ken,
An answer depends on the character of the text that you are looking
at.
Is it a manuscript, a transcription? An edited, polished text? How
tight is the spelling elsewhere? What kind of dialectical forms have
you been seeing?
For example, one could reconstruct an 'A' infinitive by adding 'Qeta':
ME SUMMAXA~SQE sounds identical with
ME SUMMAXA~SQAI
However, the ancient word has an 'E' vowel and Josephus uses
SUMMAXEI~N (with -E- and 'active' pattern plus dative).
SUMMAXA ('A' contract 2s middle, does not explain SE. Perhaps a
missing 'N" infinitive = SUMMAXAN?)
I don't have Lampe nor a rigorous modern Greek dictionary at home. The
accusative ME is another problem because it should be MOI with the
meaning 'to be my ally, to help me'. You might check medieval Greek to
see if the accusative ever gives an antagonistic sense 'to fight
against me'? If not, then we may be looking at an accusative
substitution for the waning dative, but correctly used in the 'EAN
MOI' clause.
Sorry I can't help more.
ERRWSO
Randall Buth
Randall Buth, PhD
Director, Biblical Language Center
www.biblicalulpan.org
and Director, Biblical Studies in Israel
Hebrew University, Rothberg International School
ybitan at mscc.huji.ac.il
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