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"Doubled" verbs in Gen 15:13 and 16:10

Posted: December 23rd, 2023, 1:41 pm
by Mitch Tulloch
15:13 καὶ ἐρρέθη πρὸς Αβραμ γινώσκων γνώσῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἔτη

16:10 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ οὐκ ἀριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους

Is this kind of construction (with the pres. act. part. of a verb immediately followed by the fut. act. ind. of the same verb) unique to the LXX? And if so, is it based on some underlying Hebraism? Or is this kind of construction also found in the NT and/or earlier Classical Greek?

Thanks!

Re: "Doubled" verbs in Gen 15:13 and 16:10

Posted: December 23rd, 2023, 2:44 pm
by Jason Hare
This is simply in imitation of the Hebrew infinitive absolute, which is a verbal intensifier (most of the time). So, in Hebrew, those verses that say “you shall surely die” actually have “dying you shall die” (מוֹת תָּמוּת). The LXX imitates this form by using a participle with the finite verb.

Re: "Doubled" verbs in Gen 15:13 and 16:10

Posted: December 23rd, 2023, 2:55 pm
by Mitch Tulloch
Thanks!