[b-greek] Subjunctives going to the Mall

From: Alex / Ali (alexali@surf.net.au)
Date: Thu Nov 02 2000 - 07:29:23 EST


Robert H. Matlack, Jr. asked about saying in Greek "Mom, let us go to the
mall", an exhortation, as opposed to "Mom, let us go to the mall", a
request.

I haven't seen any reponse to this as yet, Robert, so it might be helpful to
kick it off by noting that there are no first person imperative forms; that
makes sense, since it isn't quite so easy to give a command to oneself, or
to a group of which one is a member. ("Me, do it!"??) The first person
subjunctive forms are able to fill the void; but the sense of these latter
extends over a range, from deliberation ("Are we to ... "), to exhortation
("let us ..."), to a tone that is more commanding.

A few examples may help.

Mark 14:42 EGEIRESQE AGWMEN. IDOU hO PARADIDOUS ME HGGIKEN. ("Get up, let
us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand." NRSV)

Acts 15:36 META DE TINAS hHMERAS EIPEN PROS BARNABAN PAULOS, EPISTREYANTES
DH EPISKEYWMEQA TOUS ADELFOUS ... ("After some days Paul said to Barnabas,
'Come, let us return and visit the believers ...")

Gal 5:25- 26 EI ZWMEN PNEUMATI, PNEUMATI KAI STOICWMEN. MH GINWMEQA
KENODOXOI ("If we live by the spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited...")

Mark 12:14 DWMEN H MH DWMEN (Pharisees and Herodians had posed a question
about paying taxes to Caesar, and ask, "Should we pay them, or should we
not.")

1 Cor 15:32 FAGWMEN KAI PIWMEN, AURION GAR APOQNHSKOMEN. ("Let us eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die.")

In the example from Mark, the imperative EGEIRESQE colours the sense, so
that AGWMEN is pretty decisive in its tone; maybe that's closest to the
stronger request, "Mom, let's go to the mall!" But even in these few
examples the shades of meaning are interesting. For example, is MH GINWMEQA
KENODOXOI exhortatory in its tone, or more peremptory? DWMEN H MH DWMEN
could be translated as "Are we to pay or not?" in a deliberative sense, but
I think there is a slightly different nuance, in that the speakers are not
actually deliberating among themselves but posing this as a question for the
Lord's judgement, so that the NRSV "Should we" is valid; it perhaps shades
even to "Must we ... ". This suffices for now to indicate the range of
nuances of these first person singular subjunctives; I think either of your
senses could be conveyed by them.

Alex Hopkins (Melbourne, Australia)

[PS Carl's response arrived just as I was about to send this off.]




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