Tag Archives: Mark 6:24

Indirect Discourse and the Weight of Silence: The Interrogative Mood in Mark 6:24

Ἡ δὲ ἐξελθοῦσα εἶπε τῇ μητρὶ αὐτῆς· τί αἰτήσομαι; ἡ δὲ εἶπε· τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ. (Mark 6:24)

And having gone out, she said to her mother: “What should I ask for?” And she said: “The head of John the Baptist.”

We now turn our attention to a passage steeped in dramatic irony, political intrigue, and theological undercurrent—Mark 6:24. In this brief yet potent narrative segment, we witness a daughter’s exit from a royal banquet, her return with a chilling request, and her mother’s decisive answer. The grammatical focus of this study lies in the interrogative structure embedded within indirect discourse: Τί αἰτήσομαι; (“What shall I ask?”),… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar | Tagged | Leave a comment