The imperfect of Romans 9:3
Posted: August 30th, 2018, 7:30 am
I've been reading through Romans and was struck by the imperfect in 9:3: ηὐχόμην γὰρ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα,
English translations tend to treat this as a subjunctive. ESV: For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh.
My question is, does Jewett's explanation (below) make sense, as to why Paul would've chosen the imperfect rather than a different (subjunctive) form? Paul used to pray this way, but now he doesn't, because he understands/accepts God's larger purpose? Nevertheless, the fact that he prayed this way is evidence ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστιν μεγάλη καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου.
"Paul provides the reason for his anguish by a complex construction introduced by the imperfect verb ηὐχόμην (“I was praying, wishing”), which has “the force of throwing this wish into the past, and into a past that remains always unfinished, so that this expression takes away from the wish all possibility of realization.” Paul avoids the subjunctive formulation with ἄν (“if”) because this would render the wish itself unreal and thus awaken the suspicion that Paul in fact had never wished such a thing. To translate this as “I would pray that I myself be accursed …” implies that the prayer was “unattainable or impermissable” and therefore unlikely to have actually been made by Paul, in which case the preceding threefold assertion of his truthfulness is reduced to claiming good intentions. The subjunctive translation would also render the emphatic αὐτὸς ἐγώ (“I myself”) insincere and unconvincing, because Paul would have actually failed to place his future in jeopardy. It is better in this context to translate, “I used to pray that I myself be banned …” implying actual prayer requests made sometime before the moment of writing, requests that God had thus far chosen not to fulfill. This brings Paul’s prayer in line with the extraordinary dialogue between Yahweh and Moses in Exod 32:31–33*: “Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sins—and if not, blot me, I pray you, out of your book which you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”
Jewett, R., & Kotansky, R. D. (2006). Romans: A commentary. (E. J. Epp, Ed.) (p. 560). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
English translations tend to treat this as a subjunctive. ESV: For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh.
My question is, does Jewett's explanation (below) make sense, as to why Paul would've chosen the imperfect rather than a different (subjunctive) form? Paul used to pray this way, but now he doesn't, because he understands/accepts God's larger purpose? Nevertheless, the fact that he prayed this way is evidence ὅτι λύπη μοί ἐστιν μεγάλη καὶ ἀδιάλειπτος ὀδύνη τῇ καρδίᾳ μου.
"Paul provides the reason for his anguish by a complex construction introduced by the imperfect verb ηὐχόμην (“I was praying, wishing”), which has “the force of throwing this wish into the past, and into a past that remains always unfinished, so that this expression takes away from the wish all possibility of realization.” Paul avoids the subjunctive formulation with ἄν (“if”) because this would render the wish itself unreal and thus awaken the suspicion that Paul in fact had never wished such a thing. To translate this as “I would pray that I myself be accursed …” implies that the prayer was “unattainable or impermissable” and therefore unlikely to have actually been made by Paul, in which case the preceding threefold assertion of his truthfulness is reduced to claiming good intentions. The subjunctive translation would also render the emphatic αὐτὸς ἐγώ (“I myself”) insincere and unconvincing, because Paul would have actually failed to place his future in jeopardy. It is better in this context to translate, “I used to pray that I myself be banned …” implying actual prayer requests made sometime before the moment of writing, requests that God had thus far chosen not to fulfill. This brings Paul’s prayer in line with the extraordinary dialogue between Yahweh and Moses in Exod 32:31–33*: “Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sins—and if not, blot me, I pray you, out of your book which you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”
Jewett, R., & Kotansky, R. D. (2006). Romans: A commentary. (E. J. Epp, Ed.) (p. 560). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.