Re: Wis of Solomon 7

From: Stephen C Carlson (scarlso1@osf1.gmu.edu)
Date: Wed Jan 31 1996 - 15:33:45 EST


Kenneth Litwak wrote:
> I'd like to ask a question about WisSol 7:14.
>ANEKLIPHS GAR QHSAURIOS ESTIN ANQRWPOIS
>(ON (OI KTHSAMENOI PROS QEON ESTEILANTO FILIAN
>DIA TAS EK PAIDEIAS DWREAS SUSTAQENTES
>For unfailing is her treasure to men (no problem here),
>which having acquired they tried to avoid friendship with God (problem)
>on account of the gifts of instruction presented.

>My first difficulty here is the meaning of STELLW. BAGD lists various choices
>which all seem similar to the option of "try to avoid". That, however, makes
>little sense to me.

STELLW (the root of "apostle" and "epistle") normally means "to send,
set up, or place" and probably is related to hISTHMI, "to stand". In
the context, I'd say the sense is probably "establish" as in establishing
a friendship. STELLW is only found in the middle voice in the GNT (2Co8:20
pres. mid. part, 2Th3:6, pres. mid. inf.), so that may be why BAGD rendered
it as "avoid."

> My other difficulty is SUSTAQENTES. To what or whom does this refer and
>how should this passave participle, which means "present" in the active, be
>understood?

SUSTAQENTES should refer to hOI KTHSAMENOI, since it is in the nominative.
Its meaning, as I found from Perseus' LSJ, in the passive in reference to
friends would be "to form a league" or "to be allied" (in the middle voice
it would mean to "introduce" someone). It is thus a excellent word to
describe the result of becoming close friends.

Stephen Carlson

-- 
Stephen C. Carlson, George Mason University School of Law, Patent Track, 4LE
scarlso1@osf1.gmu.edu              : Poetry speaks of aspirations, and songs
http://osf1.gmu.edu/~scarlso1/     : chant the words.  -- Shujing 2.35


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