Monthly Archives: May 2014

The Value of Devotion: Passive Verbs and Misguided Indignation

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Greek Insights
Ἠδύνατο γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ μύρον πραθῆναι ἐπάνω τριακοσίων δηναρίων καὶ δοθῆναι τοῖς πτωχοῖς· καὶ ἐνεβριμῶντο αὐτῇ. (Mark 14:5)

For this perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.

The Grammatical Voice of Economic Critique

In Mark 14:5, we encounter a moment charged with tension—devotion misjudged as waste. The grammar of this verse features two striking passive infinitives, a weighty monetary reference, and a final emotional verb that echoes with rebuke. The structure reflects not only economic reasoning but also reveals how linguistic choices can dramatize the blindness of human judgment when faced with divine acts of love.… Learn Koine Greek

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Mercy in the Pit: Legal Logic in Luke 14:5

Posted on May 1, 2014 by New Testament Greek
Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε· τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς εἰς φρέαρ ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; (Luke 14:5)

And answering them he said, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

A Legal Counterquestion: ἀποκριθεὶς… εἶπε

The verse begins with καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε — “and answering to them, he said.” The verb ἀποκριθεὶς is an aorist passive participle of ἀποκρίνομαι, functioning idiomatically as “answering.” Though passive in form, this deponent verb has active meaning in context.

The main verb εἶπε is aorist active indicative — a narrative mainstay in direct discourse.… Learn Koine Greek

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