Matthew 12:35

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Justin Cofer
Posts: 47
Joined: October 20th, 2012, 12:25 pm

Matthew 12:35

Post by Justin Cofer »

ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ ἐκβάλλει ἀγαθά, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ θησαυροῦ ἐκβάλλει πονηρά.
My question regards the meaning of ἐκβάλλω. I checked BDAG and it puts the usage in Matthew 12:35 under the 3rd section (bold mine).
③ to cause someth. to be removed from someth., take out, remove (1 Macc 13:48; Diosc. 1, 50; s. Rydbeck 155–58; 184) a beam or splinter ἐκ τ. ὀφθαλμοῦ Mt 7:4f; Lk 6:42; Ox 1 verso, 2 (ASyn. 68, 44) (cp. GTh 26; Aesop. p. 28 Ursing ἐκβάλλεις ἄκανθα[ν] ἐκ ποδῶν μου); bring out τὶ someth. (Horapollo 2, 105; TestAbr A 6, p. 83, 23 [Stone p. 14] ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου ‘[pearls] out of the purse’) ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ ἐ. τὰ ἀγαθά out of the good treasure (=the tr. of the good) that which is good Mt 12:35; 13:52; take out a sum of money Lk 10:35.
However, I wonder if ἐκβάλλω has the same usage in Matthew 12:35 as in Matthew 12:20.
κάλαμον συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεάξει καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει, ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος τὴν κρίσιν.
BDAG notes:
⑤ to bring someth. about, cause to happen, bring ἐ. εἰς νῖκος τὴν κρίσιν lead justice on to victory Mt 12:20 (s. κρίσις 3).—B. 713. M-M. TW.
I am wondering if ἐκβάλλω has the semantic meaning in Matthew 12:35 of bringing something about or producing something. The only translation committee which seems to go in this direction is the Holman translation.
A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good,1 and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. (Mat 12:35 CSB)
Do you think the Holman translation here is valid?
Stephen Carlson
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Re: Matthew 12:35

Post by Stephen Carlson »

Justin Cofer wrote:I am wondering if ἐκβάλλω has the semantic meaning in Matthew 12:35 of bringing something about or producing something. The only translation committee which seems to go in this direction is the Holman translation.
A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good,1 and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. (Mat 12:35 CSB)
Do you think the Holman translation here is valid?
My sense is that ἐκβάλλω in Matt 12:35 means to bring something out of the storeroom, not to bring something into existence. The Holman translation is not really different because it is relying on a definition of produce that basically means the same thing as the other translations. For example, definition 2a of the word in the OED means:
OED, produce, 2a wrote:To bring forward or out, to present to view or notice; to show or provide (something) for consideration, inspection, or use; to exhibit; spec. to bring (a witness or evidence) before a court of law.
The bring to existence meaning for produce is definition 3a.

So I would say that the Holman translation is valid but a bit unclear.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
Melbourne, Australia
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