Re: Heb 11:16b...

Carlton Winbery (winberyc@alex1.linknet.net)
Fri, 3 Jan 1997 09:03:16 +0400

Tom Launder wrote;
>I have a question about Heb 11:16b....
>
>DIO OUK EPAISXUNETAI AUTOUS O QEOS QEOS EPIKALEISQAI AUTWN
>
>I have not been able to understand how the autous works in this
>sentence. Is the autous the subject of the complimentary infinitive
>epikaeisQai? Or is the autous the direct object with nothing to do with
>the comp. inf?

Tom, I think that we have to take AUTOUS as the object of the verb
EPAISXUNETAI, "God did not dispise them." It is inside the structure of
the main clause. The infinitive EPIKALEISQAI then has the understood
subject QEON and indicates result. The result of the main clause is that
"God is willing to be called their God." This may be a play on the idea of
Hosea and the changing of the names from "not my people" to "my people."

>Also...
>
>What about the second Qeos? Is this indirect discourse? Why the
>nominative case?
>
The second QEOS functions with the verb "called" as (what I call) a
nominative of appelation, like Luke 2:21 "His name was called _Jesus_."

Carlton L. Winbery
Fogleman Professor of Religion
Louisiana College
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
winbery@andria.lacollege.edu
Fax (318) 442-4996
Phone (318) 487-7241