Monthly Archives: July 2011

Verse in Greek

ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε· ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί, κορβᾶν, ὅ ἐστι, δῶρον, ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,

Focus Topic: Conditional Clauses and Parenthetical Explanation

This verse involves a nested conditional sentence, with explanatory gloss, and a relative clause inside a conditional protasis. The structure reflects both legalistic reasoning and linguistic complexity found in rabbinic-style traditions.

Main Verb: λέγετε

λέγετε is present active indicative, 2nd person plural, from λέγω (“you say”). It introduces direct speech that reports a hypothetical legalistic statement attributed to the religious leaders.

Conditional Clause: ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος…

This is a third-class conditional clause: ἐὰν + subjunctive (εἴπῃ) introduces a future hypothetical situation — “if a man says…”

Greek Word Form Function ἐὰν Subordinating conjunction Introduces the protasis (if-clause) εἴπῃ Aorist active subjunctive, 3rd singular “he says” — hypothetical statement Dative Indirect Objects: τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί

These datives indicate the people to whom the man speaks — his father or mother.… Learn Koine Greek