David Lim wrote:I found that "ζητησις" is used in the new testament apparently with the meaning of "enquiry" / "question", but the word I expected for "question", "ερωτησις", does not appear even once in both the new testament and the LXX. LSJ gives the primary meaning of "ζητησις" as "searching", and does not seem to indicate that it is used for "that which is asked". Is there some reason for this?
cwconrad wrote:David Lim wrote:I found that "ζητησις" is used in the new testament apparently with the meaning of "enquiry" / "question", but the word I expected for "question", "ερωτησις", does not appear even once in both the new testament and the LXX. LSJ gives the primary meaning of "ζητησις" as "searching", and does not seem to indicate that it is used for "that which is asked". Is there some reason for this?
See Smyth §§838-843 on formation of substasntives from verbal roots. In general -σις nouns indicate the process (πρᾶξις, ἐρώτησις, ζήτησις κτλ.) while -μα nouns indicate the result of action (πρᾶγμα, ἐρώτημα, ζήτημα κτλ.). I think also that ἐρωτῶ ordinarily is used of questioning a person, while ζητῶ is used of endeavor to find things; ἐρώτησις is interrogation, while ἐρώτημα is a question put to someone; ζήτησις is investigation or research, while ζήτημα is the thing queried or being investigated.
What Smyth has to say about word-formation is really very useful.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest