Re: "EF' hWi" in Rom. 5:12
Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Mon, 18 Nov 1996 11:23:13 -0600 (CST)
At 11:23 AM -0600 11/18/96, Johnny Felker wrote:
>Dear Mr. Conrad,
>
>I have noted and appreciate your active participation in the B-Greek
>Archives. I am learning a great deal by reading the posts from day to day
>for nearly a year now. In addition I have explored your home page and
>enjoyed the Bible and language study links on it. I was hoping you might
>comment on my recent question on B-Greek, if you have time and see fit. Any
>ideas for me on this?
>
>Thanks for your consideration,
>Johnny
>
>>Greetings to all. I could use some help on how this phrase might best be
>>translated ("because"?, "whereupon?") and therefore how it affects the
>>relation of the statements "death passed to all men" and "all sinned".
Okay, I read the EF' hWi as an abbreviated version of EPI TOUTWi, hOTI and understand it fundamentally as "because": I translate the whole sentence thus: "For this reason, just as through the instrumentality of one human being Sin entered into the world and, through the instrumentality of Sin Death [entered into the world], even so Death extended to all human beings FOR THE REASON THAT all (human beings) sinned." EPI TOUTWi = "on the basis of this", and hOTI = "namely, the fact that ..." This is a common compression into the antecedent clause of the relative word introducing the subordinate clause. This, at any rate, is how I understand it. I hope that helps; if you still find it problematic, let me know what you see as particularly problematic.
Regards, cwc