Tag Archives: Matthew 8:6

κύριε, ὁ παῖς μου βέβληται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ παραλυτικός, δεινῶς βασανιζόμενος. (Matthew 8:6) A Cry for Help in the Syntax of Suffering

Matthew 8:6 captures the plea of the centurion on behalf of his suffering servant. The sentence is rich in emotional weight and grammatical nuance, portraying:

A perfect passive verb expressing a completed and lasting condition

Locative prepositional structure identifying the setting

A predicate adjective defining his medical condition

A present passive participle showing ongoing torment

 

Let’s explore this prayer of urgency through a detailed grammar table.

Grammatical Analysis Table Greek Phrase Form & Morphology Function Meaning κύριε Vocative singular masculine Direct address “Lord” — a respectful title showing faith and urgency ὁ παῖς μου Nominative singular + possessive pronoun Subject “my servant” — object of concern βέβληται Perfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular from βάλλω Main verb “has been thrown / lies” — permanent state of being cast down ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ Preposition + dative feminine singular Locative expression “in the house” — shows confinement παραλυτικός Predicate adjective, nominative masculine singular Describes subject “paralyzed” — condition resulting from the passive verb δεινῶς βασανιζόμενος Adverb + present passive participle from βασανίζω Descriptive modifier of subject “being terribly tormented” — ongoing suffering in vivid form Observations from the Syntax of Mercy

The verb βέβληται is in the perfect passive, indicating that the servant has been cast down and remains in that state.… Learn Koine Greek