From: Iver Larsen (alice-iver_larsen@wycliffe.org)
Date: Sun Nov 26 2000 - 12:11:06 EST
Rob Somers wrote:
> > I have a question about the meaning of this passage in James [5:14]
> >
> > From what I can see in the UBS GNT 4th Ed.,
> >
> > ASTHENEI TIS EV hUMIN "The one who is sick among you...."
> >
> > is not a question, but rather a statement -- especially as there is no
> > punctuation [;] that would indicate this being a question (Although there
> is
> > in my Zondervan Parallel Interlinear -- it has the [;]
>
>
> Ok then, simply what I would like to know is this: -- what is with the [;]
> in this passage? It is not in my UBS GNT -- however, my NASB translates
> this as a question. Is it a question James asking, or a statement?
New Century Version translates James 5:13-14a as follows: "Anyone who is having
troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Anyone who is sick
should call the church's elders."
In the UBS Greek text it is a statement, not a question. The way I understand it, it
is not a statement of fact, but a statement of presuppositon. It is important to
notice the present tense, which is better described here as imperfective aspect.
Imperfective aspect can be expressed as "when I have said this, I have said
something, but more is to come", or: "what I am talking about is not completed." It
is also helpful to notice that James 5:13 has two examples of exactly the same
construction: "(Suppose) someone among you is suffering - let him/her pray. (Suppose)
someone feels encouraged - let him/her sing praises. (Suppose) someone among you is
weak/sick, let him/her call the elders of the church..."
The way the punctuation has been put in the UBS GNT shows that the editors
interpreted it as a statement, not a question. However, in another language it is
quite possible to translate the presupposition as either a rhetorical question that
states a presupposition (Is anyone among you sick?) or as a condition (If anyone
among you is sick) or with a relative clause (Anyone among you who is sick.)
It is possible to take it as a rhetorical question in the Greek, since NT Greek does
use rhetorical questions to introduce a topic and even to introduce a condition.
Bernhard Weiss interpreted all three as questions in his edition of the Greek text.
Whatever one chooses, it would not change the meaning.
Sincerely,
Iver Larsen
p.t. Denmark
(SIL Translation Consultant)
---
B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu
To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:36:42 EDT