From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Thu May 17 2001 - 08:03:44 EDT
At 12:53 AM -0400 5/17/01, Harry W. Jones wrote:
>Dear B-Greekers,
>
> Since KAMYH is in the subjunctive mood shouldn't it be translated as,
>"should bow"?
It's unclear whether your question is really about the Greek grammar or
about translation strategy. Regarding the latter, I would be inclined to
say we should convey the sense of the original text as clearly and
precisely in an appropriate idiom for the target language but that we need
not feel compelled to imitate slavishly the grammatical structure of the
original Greek formulation.
Text: Phil 2:10 hINA EN TWi ONOMATI IHSOU PAN GONU KAMYHi EPOURANIWN KAI
EPIGEIWN KAI KATACQONIWN (11) KAI PASA GLWSSA EXOMOLOGHTAI hOTI KURIOS
IHSOUS CRISTOS EIS DOXAN QEOU PATROS.
Yes, KAMYHi and its parallel EXOMOLOGHTAI are both subjunctives, but I
think it would be a mistake to suppose that their sense could only be
conveyed with the auxiliary "should" and the infinitive--even if most
literary translations do so; I think they probably do so because the formal
language of the hymn here seems to call for the most dignified (which is
often to say, the most archaic) mode of conveying the sense. Nevertheless,
inasmuch as the hINA purpose clause here seems to indicate God's intention
in exalting and entitling Jesus, we need to convey the force of the
subjunctives somehow. I personally don't think any of the content would be
lost if we departed from a literalistic rendering and rephrased the version
as: "for every creature in heaven and on earth and beneath the earth to bow
at his name and for every one to declare openly that Jesus Christ is Lord
and so glorify God the Father."
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
---
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