Luke 5:7 Mismatched number and case in τοῦ ἐλθόντας

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MechPebbles
Posts: 2
Joined: September 24th, 2014, 11:20 am

Luke 5:7 Mismatched number and case in τοῦ ἐλθόντας

Post by MechPebbles »

καὶ κατένευσαν τοῖς μετόχοις ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ πλοίῳ τοῦ ἐλθόντας συλλαβέσθαι αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἦλθον, καὶ ἔπλησαν ἀμφότερα τὰ πλοῖα ὥστε βυθίζεσθαι αὐτά. Luke 5:7

I need help with τοῦ ἐλθόντας, the number and case are not matched. I believe the article goes with the infinitive:
τοῦ συλλαβέσθαι - genitive article + infinitive shows purpose.

ἐλθόντας goes with τοῖς μετόχοις. But why the accusative? Shouldn't it be dative? Is it accusative because it precedes the infinitive? The subject of an infinitive is in the accusative but how can the participle be considered the subject?

Thank you very much for your help.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Luke 5:7 Mismatched number and case in τοῦ ἐλθόντας

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

First of all, please give us your first and last name so that we can change your screen name to match, per B-Greek policy.

The participle ἐλθόντας switches to the accusative because it is part of the articular infinitive τοῦ συλλαβέσθαι. A participle might be treated as a noun if it's substantive, but here it simply modifies the understood subject of the infinitive, which is would be accusative if expressed. Instead of repeating it, τοῦ τοὺς μετόχους ἐλθόντας συλαββέσθαι (which might sound a bit awkward) he simply uses the participle in the accusative knowing full well than anybody reading his text would get the ellipsis.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
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