Tag Archives: Exodus 10:11

Grammatical Resistance: Pharaoh’s Syntax of Control in Exodus 10:11

Μὴ οὕτως πορευέσθωσαν δὲ οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ λατρεύσατε τῷ θεῷ τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὶ ζητεῖτε ἐξέβαλον δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου Φαραω (Exodus 10:11 LXX)

Let them not go thus. Only the men—go and serve God, for that is what you are seeking. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

Grammatical Insight

This verse in the Septuagint crystallizes Pharaoh’s strategy of partial compliance, framed entirely in the precision of Greek command forms. The text opens with a prohibitive expression: μὴ οὕτως πορευέσθωσαν — “Let them not go thus.” The use of μὴ with a third person present imperative (πορευέσθωσαν) conveys prohibition in the form of royal command.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Septuagint Greek | Tagged | Leave a comment