Re: hOTI in the beattitudes
Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Thu, 21 Nov 1996 07:44:43 -0600
At 8:20 PM -0600 11/21/96, KULIKOVSKY, Andrew wrote:
>Fellow Greeks,
>
>I don't understand the sense of hOTI in the beattitudes (Matt 5:3-12).
>hOTI is a 'marker of cause or reason based on an evident fact'
>- Louw & Nida in sect. 89.33
>
>Now if this is the case, what is the casue or reason in the
>beattitudes?
>
>The way it is worded it sounds like the meek are blessed by God
>(have His approval and favour) because they will inherit the
>earth.
>
>Isn't it the other way round? The meek will inherit the earth
>BECAUSE they are blessed by God.
>
>Am I understanding this right? With hOTI which phrase is the
>cause of the other???
The hOTI clause--at least when hOTI = "because, for the reason
that"--always explains the preceding assertion; semantically it is
equivalent to a postpositive GAR in the clause that indicates the clause
explains the previous one.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/