The NRSV goes even further by putting 5:21 in a paragraph all by itself!
This seems especially difficult, considering that 5:22 is an elliptical
clause in which the verb (the process, I mean, not necessarily the form of
the verb) must be supplied from 5:21. It seems that the structure of the
passage is something like:
5:15 Watch therefore...
16 redeeming...
17 Do not be foolish...
but understand...
18 Do not get drunk...
but be filled...
19 speaking...
singing and making melody...
20 giving thanks...
21 being subject...
22 (wives to [their] own husbands...)
Then the hOTI clause breaks this string, and the gives rise to an
extended stretch of text concerning husbands and wives (or is it Christ
and the church?). The point is that there is certainly not a clear break
as though the writer has finished one topic and is now ready (in v. 21)
to move on to another. He slides into it seamlessly, like he does from
talking about husbands and wives to talking about Christ and the church
(where did he make THAT transition?).
This seems obvious to me, but I've never seen it treated this way. Am I
missing something? (Perhaps its a bad childhood experience with an
imperatival participle, or one that used too much force.)
Philip Graber Graduate Division of Religion
Graduate Student in New Testament 211 Bishops Hall, Emory University
pgraber@emory.edu Atlanta, GA 30322 USA