Mark 14.22 - Minor punctuation matter

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MGV Hoffman
Posts: 10
Joined: December 29th, 2011, 1:28 am

Mark 14.22 - Minor punctuation matter

Post by MGV Hoffman »

Mark 14.22 in the NA28 reads, with punctuation provided:
λάβετε, τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου. > Take, this is my body.
I.e., it takes τοῦτό as the nominative subject of ἐστιν. I was wondering, however, if it couldn't rather be taken as the accusative object of λάβετε. Thus I would read:
λάβετε τοῦτό. ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου. > Take this. It is my body.

It's not a significant difference, but, interestingly, look at what Matthew and Luke do.
Matthew 26.26: λάβετε φάγετε, τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου. > Take, eat, this is my body.
Clearly Matthew is reading τοῦτό as the nominative subject of ἐστιν.
But Luke 22.17 (which is not the exact parallel) reads:
λάβετε τοῦτο καὶ διαμερίσατε εἰς ἑαυτούς· > Take this and divide it among yourselves.
Here Luke is reading τοῦτό as the accusative object of λάβετε.
So, in Mark 14.22, would there be a preference to read it one way or the other?

After further review...
I'm guessing Mark was probably intending, "Take. This is my body...," since in 14.24 he writes:
τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης ... > This is my blood of the testament... Here is clear that τοῦτό is the subject and v22 and 24 are likely to be read in parallel.

Hmm... so I guess I'm answering my own question, but it interesting nonetheless how Matthew and Luke read.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Mark 14.22 - Minor punctuation matter

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

More than likely, "take this" would have been λάβετε τοῦτον since ἄρτος is masculine.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
MGV Hoffman
Posts: 10
Joined: December 29th, 2011, 1:28 am

Re: Mark 14.22 - Minor punctuation matter

Post by MGV Hoffman »

And that makes even more sense! Thanks!
(And the τοῦτό in Luke 22.17 refers to the neuter ποτηριον.)
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