I guess I have spent too much time in Hebrew, and I find myself
floundering in some very simple areas in the Greek. I realize that, of
the more than 200 uses of hOUTWS, normally it means, "in this way."
Yet some very important verses (e.g. Jn 3:16, 1 Jn 4:11) use this word,
and it is often interpreted, "so much". In looking at these verses in
the Greek, I see no good reason to change the significance of hOUTWS.
Nor can I seem to find good support for the word acting as an
intensifier in the limited reference works that I have at hand. Can
any of you shed light on the use of the word to result in intensifying
the significance of what is modified?
Paul
BTW, thanks for the responses on non-NT usages of "putting down the
soul." Oh, and Clayton, if you want to get rid of those books on the
bottom of your shelf, they *would* be put to some use (if only a
little) here in the Philippines, which is a bit more out of the way
than even you are in the Western U.S. ;^>
Paul and Dee Zellmer, Jimmy Guingab, Geoffrey Beltran
Ibanag Translation Project
Cabagan, Philippines
zellmer@faith.edu.ph