Re: Acts 2:6

From: Steven Craig Miller (scmiller@www.plantnet.com)
Date: Wed Dec 29 1999 - 08:31:34 EST

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<x-flowed>To: David R. Mills,

<< Why is the verb plural in the following clause when the subject is
singular?
hOTI HKOUON hEIS hEKASTOS THi IDIAi DIALEKTWi >>

This is not uncommon. A noun in the singular may denote a number of persons
or things (such as OCLOS, PLHQOS, OIKIA, LAOS, etc), these are known as a
"collective singular." With such collective substantives, the verb may or
may not be in the plural.

For example: HKOLOUQEI DE AUTWi OCLOS POLUS, hOTI EQEWROUN "But a large
crowd kept following him because they saw ..." (Jn 6:2). Here we have both
a singular verb (HKOLOUQEI) and a plural verb (EQEWROUN) with the same
collective singular subject! You can find more on this subject in most any
reference grammar under the subject of "concord in number."

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller@www.plantnet.com
Disclaimer: "I'm just a simple house-husband (with no post-grad degree),
what do I know?"

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