Matthew 10.30

[Thomas Hagen]

Hello again -
After my question on Matthew 10.29, I now have a question concerning Matthew 10.30.

"ὑμῶν δὲ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς πᾶσαι ἠριθμημέναι εἰσίν."
"but the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

My question concerns the periphrastic perfect: "ἠριθμημέναι εἰσίν". I would like to know if the periphrastic form lends a particular nuance to the action, or if it is simply an alternative form of the simple perfect "ἠρίθμηνται" (as in Luke 12.7). For example, does the periphastic form more than the simple form hint at the idea that God keeps his count updated, or do the two forms do that equally, or is that idea foreign to both?

Thank you,
Thomas

[Jean Putmans]

Smyth lists in his Grammar the uses of periphrastic Perfect/PluPerfect:

www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=P ... ction%3D51

I think, there is no difference in meaning between the simple and periphrastic forms.

In Mt 10:30 some mss have the simple form: 517, 1424, 1661, 1675, 2766, L211, L770, L773.
In Lk12:7 the mss 05, 038 have the periphrastic form.

[Thomas Hagen]

Thank you for the link to Smyth's Grammar and especially for the note on the manuscripts. The manuscripts clearly show that in the transmission of the text the simple and periphrastic forms were treated as equivalent.

Thanks again,
Thomas

[Jean Putmans]

Well, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion, that ms-witnesses show the equivalence of simple and periphrastic forms, but at least that shows, that some scribes didn’t make a distinction between the two.

The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek § 52.51 states “the combined phrase is roughly equivalent to a finite form of the same verb (and in the same tense-aspect stem)”. (Smyth however, makes a difference: state / action).