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Greek Lessons
- Vindicated at the Table: How Speech Condemns and Grammar Acquits
- Carried, Not Carrying: The Grammar That Topples Boasting
- Spliced into Abundance: The Grammar of Displacement and Participation in ἐνεκεντρίσθης
- When the Heart Expands Toward Ruin: The Grammar of Self-Watchfulness
- Living, Begetting, Dying: The Grammar of Time and Continuity
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Category
Tag Archives: Deuteronomy 4:6
Wisdom on Display: Subjunctive Clauses, Demonstratives, and Divine Reputation
Καὶ φυλάξεσθε καὶ ποιήσετε ὅτι αὕτη ἡ σοφία ὑμῶν καὶ ἡ σύνεσις ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ὅσοι ἐὰν ἀκούσωσιν πάντα τὰ δικαιώματα ταῦτα καὶ ἐροῦσιν ἰδοὺ λαὸς σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων τὸ ἔθνος τὸ μέγα τοῦτο (Deuteronomy 4:6 LXX)
The Command and Its Consequence
This verse is an exhortation with deep theological and grammatical architecture. It commands Israel to obey the statutes of YHWH — not merely for inward holiness, but for a powerful external witness among the nations. The Greek Septuagint captures this with complex subordinate structures and precise use of demonstratives, subjunctives, and predicate nouns.
The central exhortation comes in the twin imperatives: – φυλάξεσθε — “You shall guard” – ποιήσετε — “You shall do”
These aorist middle imperatives address not just passive preservation, but active obedience to divine instruction.… Learn Koine Greek