KOINONIA Greek Forum Login To Start Posting!
KOINONIA - Greek Forum
Profile | Active Topics | Latest Topics | Latest Replies | Popular
RSS Feed | Partners | Search | AFQ


» Forgot your Password?

 All Communities
 The language
 Speaking Greek
 Septuagint Genesis 3:8 question
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
Registration is closed. The Forum remains available only as a source of published information.

 


 
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  

crisoft

Romania
40 Posts

Posted - 20 Jan 2008 :  11:54:18  


Γειά σας!

This is the greek text of Genesis 3:8: καὶ ἤκουσαν τὴν φωνὴν κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ τε Αδαμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου

My question is this: how do you translate ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου ? "In the middle of the tree" ? That doesn't make much sense. Or is it "in the middle of the trees"? And in that case, why does the greek text have a singular instead of a plural?

Thank you in advance!
Marian


 

George

Greece
615 Posts

Posted - 21 Jan 2008 :  05:52:10  

 

Hi,

Reading the whole chapter you'll see that the tree here implied is the tree of knowing Good and Evil. Ἐν μέσῳ could mean "under it", or you can read the sentence in connection with 3.3 (τοῦ ξύλου, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου), i.e. the sentence may mean not "in the midst of the trees of the garden", as the English translator has it, but "under the tree which is in the midst of the garden". In any case, I think that Brenton's translation misses the point here. Grammatically it is probable, since a noun in singular sometimes can refer to many beings of the same kind (e.g. we can say to paidion meaning all children). Yet here the whole chapter is about the particular tree, and is simultaneously ironical, (since the firstborn tried to hide from God in the very place of their sin) and prophetic, showing the need of exiting a paradise that had become, instead of the original habitation of man, the place of the origin of sin.

Go to Top of Page


  Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
Jump To:

Promote Greek Learning

Use Elpenor's Libraries and Greek Language departments to stimulate your thinking. To refer to a text there published, just copy its url and paste it in your post. ||| Get updates of all Ellopos sites by e-mail. ||| Download Shortcuts for easy access to the Communities - or drag this icon and drop it in the Links bar of your browser :ELPENOR

Learned Freeware

Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/koinonia/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=367© Elpenor