Heb 11:6

From: Steve Amato (samato@cfa.harvard.edu)
Date: Thu Jul 02 1998 - 13:04:15 EDT


Paul wrote:
>Heb. 11:6
>
>CWRIS DE PISTEWS ADUNATON EUARESTHSAI PISTEUSAI GAR DEI TON PROSERCOMENON
TW QEW HOTI ESTIN KAI TOIS EKZHTOUSIN AUTON MISQAPODOTHS GINETAI
>
>The elements of this sentence are swimming around in my head like goldfish
in bowl! I need help sorting it out. I knew I had neglected my Greek
skills lately but things are more rusty than I thought.
>
>I guess it would be best to start with the verbs, ESTIN, DEI & GINETAI? I
assume that the subject of GINETAI is the substantive participle
MISQAPODOTHS. However, it is hard to make any sense of how this works
without reference to the earlier ESTIN, he is, in some way.

I think I know what you mean:

but
(it is) impossible without faith to please (God)
for

     he coming to God
     must believe
          that he is
               1.) (existing) - Ellipsis
               and
               2.) become a rewarder
                    of those who seek him.

I think an Ellipsis is being used here. (He is = He is existing)
Which is not much different than what we would say in English.

ESTIN governs both this ellipsis and GINETAI

>
>The first part of the sentence, CWRIS DE PISTEWS ADUNATON EUARESTHSAI,
seems abrupt and incomplete. It begin a thought which never really comes
to completion unless somehow the later dative TW QEW linked to the
infinitive somehow. Or is it more likely that God is implied by the
earlier reference to Enoch having pleased (same word) God?

(God) is implied (yet another Ellipsis). You can get (God) from the "to
God" later in the verse or going to the end of the previous verse - which
is probably why he made it an ellipsis, else the text would keep using the
word "God" with undo repetition.

>Then there is what I assume is an impersonal verb DEI. Does this refer to
the person coming, as we would use the English "one who comes must..." or
does it mean something like "it is necessary for the one coming to God to
believe..."? I guess I am not sure how this impersonal idea works. I am
wondering if it is refers generically to the hypothetical seeker, or
whether it refers to the hypothetical condition of believing.

DEI (Present Impersonal Active Indicative)
Impersonal Active
    An active voice verb having no expressed subject, but which is
    always rendered impersonally, as in the English phrases which
    state that "it is necessary" or "it is proper" to do some
    specified action.

PISTEUSAI (Aorist Infinitive)

"it is necessary for the one coming to God to believe..."?
or
"the one coming to God must necessarily believe"

Both the same idea.

Steve Amato
http://www.xensei.com/users/samato
Attachment converted: Hard Disk:HEB116.HTM (TEXT/MSIE) (00064B78)



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