Re: 1 Jn 5:16, hAMARTANONTA hAMARTIAN

Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Sat, 20 Sep 97 21:36:23

On Sat 20 Sep 97 (02:37:47), dixonps@juno.com wrote:
> My question is two-fold: does anybody recall other such "doublings" in
> scripture, and secondly, is there any particular meaning to this? Is
> it merely a duplication for emphasis? What bearing, if any, does
> Classical Greek have?

Well, Paul, the Hebrew infinitive-absolute construction comes to mind at once;
e.g. Genesis 22:17, H MEN EULOGWN EULOGHSW SE, KAI PLHQUNWN PLHQUNW TO SPERMA
SOU (LXX); Hebrew /KiY-BaReKh 'aBhaReKheKha: WeHaRBaH 'eRBeH 'eTh-ZeRa`Kha/
"That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy
seed" (KJV). This is repeated in Hebrews 6:14, EI MEN EULOGWN EULOGHSW
SE KAI PLHQUNWN PLHQUNW SE.

This is a very common construction, serving to emphasize the verbal action,
and to underline the certainty of it taking place. The stock English hack
translation is "Blanking I will blank". The standard periphrasis is "I will
surely blank".

The apostolic writers, whose upbringing was thoroughly Semitic, would
easily slip into Aramaisms and Hebraisms when writing in Greek rather than
in their native tongue.

-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA Bristol, 1963 (hons in Theology)
 <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)