In terms of classical Attic grammar, one ought not ever to see EAN with an
indicative, but only with a subjunctive. However, one does find EAN in
Hellenistic generalizing constructions even where it can't be understood as
a combination of EI + AN such as would be used with a subjunctive. Here
DOULEUSOUSIN would, of course, be a future indicative, DOULEUSWSIN and
aorist subjunctive. Even the aorist subjunctive would, of course, here
refer to a future contingency. I don't believe Luke would have written this
EAN without a subjunctive, but if he is citing the LXX of Genesis 15:13-14,
he might not correct a grammatical error in his received text, while a
later scribe might correct Luke's text and put the subjunctive for the
future. I don't have a LXX text ready to hand to see whether the future
indicative is in fact what appears in the text of Gen 15:13-14.
As for the meaning, I don't really see any conceivable difference in
meaning between hWi EAN DOULEUSWSIN and hWi EAN DOULEUSOUSIN; either should
mean "whatever nation they shall serve (as slaves) ..." But the future
indicative with EAN is just simply "bad" or irregular Greek.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cconrad@yancey.main.nc.us
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/