*First* of all, an adverb should be in reasonably close proximity to the
word it qualifies. I think that the natural assumption here would be that
it is to be construed with the imperative immediately following it,
PROSEXETE.
>grk: hrxato legein proV touV maqhtaV autou prwton prosecete
>lit: began saying to disciples his first beware
>
>1) first He began to say to His disciples, beware
>2) He first began to say to His disciples, beware
>3) He began first to say to His disciples, beware
>4) He began to first say to His disciples, beware
>5) He began to say first to His disciples, beware
>6) He began to say to His first disciples, beware
>7) He began to say to His disciples first, beware
>8) He began to say to His disciples, first beware
>9) He began to say to His disciples, beware first
>
>Some of these placements might not significantly change the meaning,
>but others obviously would. Why are #1, 6, and #8 impossible options?
>1) first He began to say to His disciples, beware
This is not impossible, but it is unlikely, particularly for so careful a
writer as Luke: if it modified ERXATO, it really should be closer to it.
>6) He began to say to His first disciples, beware
This really IS impossible; PRWTON is adverbial (n. acc. of the adj.); to
modify MAQHTAS it would have to be PRWTOUS.
>8) He began to say to His disciples, first beware
>9) He began to say to His disciples, beware first
Neither of these is impossible; either would be appropriate, since (as I
said before, the natural assumption is that PRWTON modifies PROSEXETE), but
I think #8 is clearly preferable for the rhetorical emphasis that appears
intended here.
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/