Tag Archives: Luke 5:12

Text in Focus: Luke 5:12

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας· καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ λέγων· κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς, δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι.

Literal Translation

And it happened while He was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy; and seeing Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me.”

The Grammar of Possibility and Will: Exploring δύνασαί and ἐὰν θέλῃς

This passage from Luke is a rich tapestry of grammatical nuances, but one thread stands out: the use of subjunctive and indicative mood in a context of supplication, where in Classical Greek we might expect an optative mood.… Learn Koine Greek