From: Carlton Winbery (winberyc@speedgate.net)
Date: Sun Apr 23 2000 - 18:09:27 EDT
Polycarp replied to bwmeyers;
>In a message dated 4/22/2000 7:53:42 AM Central Standard Time,
>bwmeyers@juno.com writes:
>
><< "But covet earnestly the best gifts: ... "KJV; and
> a sampling of other versions, Douay, NIV,
> RSV, YLT all seem to agree that this to be
> rendered as an imperative.
>
> So does the commentator AT Robertson.
>
> Yet John Gill wrote:
>
> > Which may be rendered either indicatively as
> > an assertion, "ye do covet earnestly the best gifts":
> > . . .
> > or, by way of interrogation, "do ye covet earnestly
> > the best gifts?"
> > . . .
> > or imperatively, as an exhortation, as it is rendered by
> > our translators: . . .
>
> So, is there no way, from the Grk alone, to distinguish between
> the imperative, indicative, or interrogative moods?
>
> And likewise, in the next clause, Robertson and Gill both
> seem to indicate that the AGAPH of the following chapter
> may not be just another of the forementioned gifts, but rather
> the proper means of seeking those aforementioned gifts:
>
> Is there no way grammatically to tell whether agaph is being
> given as "the best gift," or whether agaph is something of
> another class than a gift, entirely?
>
> Also, on Heb. 13:4, the KJV gives "Marriage is honorable
> in all," that is, as a declarative.
>
> However, it makes much more sense to read, as my "best"
> commentators do, "Let marriage be honorable in all, for
> whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." But the
> impression they give is that it is impossible to tell whether
> the mood is declarative or imperative as far as Grk grammar
> alone is concerned. >>
>
>First, a little advice. When you refer to a passage, it is a good idea to
>cite its location. I have the Logos software and thus had no trouble
>locating it, but not everyone has this resource.
Amen to this, so I'll reproduce it here 1 Cor. 12:31 ZHLOUTE DE TA
CARISMATA TA MEIZONA.
ZHLOUTE (as Polycarp observes) can be either indicative or imperative by
form. This is the case with all 2nd person plural present imperatives. In
the aorist the lack of the augment with the 2nd pl. imperative
distinguishes it from the indicative.
>Regarding your question:
>
>Taken strictly abstractly, Gill is correct. ZHLOUTE can be indicative or
>imperative as far as its form is concerned (It is indicative in Gal 4.17).
>There is always the consideration in reading any work, however, of the
>context in which something is found (even if this is English -- cf. the word
>"read". Should it be present indicative, past indicative, or imperative?).
>In cases where the form itself is ambiguous, only the context can tell you
>what the meaning is.
The mention of Gal. 4:17 is very interesting since it is used here as the
verb in a hINA clause. (hINA AUTOUS ZHLOUTE) As such the hINA is probably
more like an adverb of place, thus "in the situation where you zealously
seek them." If we go with the western reading (hINA ZHLOUTE DE TA KREITTW
CARISMATA, D, F, G, a, b, and Ambrosiaster). In this situation it could be
an imperative, "In this situation seek zealously the greater gifts." This
reading was surely inspired by the passage in 1 Cor12. I have a note in an
old bible (N-A19) that I copied from the older version used by Thayer,
Grimm-Wilke where he list the use of hINA with the indicative as a solecism
found in Helenistic Greek. However, I think I remember that Liddell/Scott
list hIN as having an adverbial use of place with the present or imperfect
tenses going back to Homer. I'll take time to look it up later or Carl will
correct me.
Dr. Carlton L. Winbery
Foggleman Professor of Religion
Louisiana College
winbery@speedgate.net
winbery@andria.lacollege.edu
Ph. 1 318 448 6103 hm
Ph. 1 318 487 7241 off
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