Luke 2:2: Can πρώτη be translated as "before"?
Posted: May 9th, 2013, 5:09 am
αὕτη ἡ ἀπογραφὴ πρώτη ἐγένετο ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας Κυρηνίου
In Luke 2:2, can the feminine πρώτη be translated as "before," as in, "the census occurred before...," or is it most certainly translated correctly as "first," modifying αὕτη ἡ ἀπογραφὴ? John Gill and (IIRC) F. F. Bruce suggest that it could be translated as "before," so here I am wondering. One would think it would need to be neuter if it were to be understood as "before." Is this correct?
In Luke 2:2, can the feminine πρώτη be translated as "before," as in, "the census occurred before...," or is it most certainly translated correctly as "first," modifying αὕτη ἡ ἀπογραφὴ? John Gill and (IIRC) F. F. Bruce suggest that it could be translated as "before," so here I am wondering. One would think it would need to be neuter if it were to be understood as "before." Is this correct?