Re: Rom 12:15 infinitives

From: Christopher Hutson (crhutson@salisbury.net)
Date: Fri Aug 06 1999 - 11:23:45 EDT


Mike Sangrey <mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us> wrote:

>
>Can someone help me understand how the infinitives are being used here?
>
>Rom. 12:14-15 -
> EULOGEITE TOUS DIWKONTAS,
> EULOGEITE KAI MH KATAPASQE.
> CAIREIN META CAIRONTWN,
> KLAIEIN META KLAIONTWN.
>
>I want to connect CAIREIN and KLAIEIN with some verb and subject,
>e.g. EULOGEITE; however, that doesn't seem to fit. What's Paul
>doing here?
>

These two infinitives in 15 are parallel to the two imperatives in 14. This
is a good example of imperatival infinitive. The imperatival infinitive
sounds a little odd to English ears, because we don't use it much. But *not
to worry*! Look at BDF 389 for an explanation. For classical usage, see
Smyth 2013, which cites Aristophanes, Achanarians 1000, a nice parallel to
Rom 12:14-15, in that it contains an imperative followed by an imperatival
infinitive:

AKOUETE LEWi. KATA TA PATRIA TOUS XOAS PINEIN.

Smyth translates: "Hear ye, good people! Drink the pitchers as our sires
drank!"

Cheers,

XPIC

------------------------------------
Christopher R. Hutson
          Hood Theological Seminary
          Salisbury, NC 28144
crhutson@salisbury.net
------------------------------------

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