Matthew 23:15
Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί, ὅτι περιάγετε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν ποιῆσαι ἕνα προσήλυτον, καὶ ὅταν γένηται, ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν υἱὸν γεέννης διπλότερον ὑμῶν.
Literal Translation: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you go around sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes so, you make him a son of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek
- Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν: Interjection Οὐαὶ (“woe”) followed by dative plural pronoun ὑμῖν (“to you”). A prophetic denunciation formula preserved from Hebrew usage, with the dative marking the recipient of the woe.
- γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί: Appositional vocatives; γραμματεῖς and Φαρισαῖοι are modified by ὑποκριταί (“hypocrites”). Koine frequently uses such vocative triplets for rhetorical attack, especially in Jesus’ condemnations.
- ὅτι περιάγετε: ὅτι introduces causal explanation (“because”), followed by present active indicative περιάγετε (“you go around”). This verb implies exhaustive effort—narrative vividness reinforced by the historical present.
- ποιῆσαι: Aorist active infinitive of ποιέω (“to make”). Infinitive expresses result or purpose of the proselytizing journey—typical Koine structure after verbs of effort.
- ἕνα προσήλυτον: Accusative singular direct object of ποιῆσαι. Koine often emphasizes small numerical adjectives like ἕνα (“one”) to underscore effort vs. result.
- καὶ ὅταν γένηται: καὶ joins the clause introduced by the temporal subjunctive ὅταν + aorist middle subjunctive γένηται (“when he becomes”). In Koine, subjunctive with ὅταν replaces many Classical optative constructions in future-real contexts.
- ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν: Present active indicative 2nd plural of ποιέω (“you make”) with object αὐτὸν (“him”). Simple Koine structure: main clause with indicative following a temporal clause.
- υἱὸν γεέννης: Predicate accusative construction (“a son of Gehenna”), denoting moral identity. Koine increasingly uses such constructions for spiritual or theological affiliation.
- διπλότερον ὑμῶν: Comparative accusative adjective διπλότερον (“twice as much”) with genitive of comparison ὑμῶν (“than you”). A clear Koine form of expressing comparative degree.
2. Classical Greek Grammar Comparison
- Woe Formula: While οὐαί existed in Classical Greek, it was rare and poetic. Its prophetic, formulaic repetition is a distinct Koine development, influenced by Semitic styles.
- Temporal Clauses: Classical Greek often used future indicative or optative after ὅταν. Koine standardizes with subjunctive—even in general future conditions, as seen in ὅταν γένηται.
- Purpose Infinitives: Classical Greek would favor a variety of structures including final clauses with ἵνα or participial constructions. Koine opts for the simpler ποιῆσαι after motion verbs.
- Comparatives: Classical Greek comparatives typically used particle combinations (e.g., ἢ) or full subordinate clauses. Koine increasingly prefers concise forms like διπλότερον ὑμῶν.
- Predicate Accusative: Classical usage allowed predicate accusatives, but Koine embraces them frequently for identity statements, particularly in theological or spiritual contexts.
3. Syntactic and Structural Differences
- Clause Layering: Koine uses parataxis: ὅτι… καὶ… καὶ… to chain events. Classical Greek would use more subordination and hypotaxis to balance ideas with syntactic variety.
- Emphatic Word Order: ἕνα προσήλυτον occurs late in the sentence to highlight contrast—much effort, single result. Koine exploits placement to draw attention, while Classical Greek would do so with particles and rhythm.
- Simplified Mood System: Koine reduces the optative’s role and relies on the subjunctive (e.g., γένηται) for both potential and future-time conditions.
4. Phonological Notes
- Proselyte Terminology: The word προσήλυτος entered later Classical and became common in Koine for a non-Jewish convert. It was likely pronounced [proˈsilitos] in Koine, merging ει to [i].
- Accentuation: Subjunctives like γένηται and comparatives like διπλότερον reflect the shift from melodic pitch to stress accent during Koine development.
- Vowel Contraction Loss: Verbs like ποιεῖτε had clearer contracted forms in Classical Greek, but in Koine pronunciation, these distinctions flattened due to phonetic mergers.
5. Summary Table of Grammatical Evolution
| Feature | Classical Greek | Koine Greek |
|---|---|---|
| Woe Formula (οὐαί) | Rare, poetic | Frequent prophetic device |
| Purpose Infinitive | Infinitive, optative, or final clause | Simplified to bare infinitive |
| Temporal Subjunctive | Future indicative or optative | Subjunctive standard with ὅταν |
| Comparative Constructions | More varied, longer forms | Compressed adjective + genitive |
| Predicate Accusative | Less frequent | Common in spiritual identity statements |
6. What This Verse Tells Us About the Evolution of Greek
Matthew 23:15 unleashes a rhetorical and theological charge using Koine Greek’s direct, action-driven storytelling. The movement from περιάγετε (“you cross sea and land”) to ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν υἱὸν γεέννης (“you make him a son of Gehenna”) is both grammatically clear and spiritually jarring.
Koine’s use of simplified mood (subjunctive), compact comparative forms, and emphatic vocabulary like οὐαί sharpens the denunciation. Classical Greek may have offered more elegant layering, but Koine wields blunt truth with devastating clarity—making this verse a perfect storm of theology, syntax, and indictment.
