| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the clause blepomen gar {βλέπομεν γὰρ | blépomen gar} “for we see,” where the verb comes first and the postpositive conjunction follows, giving the statement an explanatory force that grounds what precedes. The temporal adverb arti {ἄρτι | árti} “now” frames the present situation, later balanced by tote {τότε | tó-te} “then,” creating a clear temporal contrast. The prepositional phrase di esoptrou {δι᾽ ἐσόπτρου | di esóptrou} “through a mirror” uses the genitive with the preposition to convey instrumentality, while the following phrase en ainigmati {ἐν αἰνίγματι | en ainígmati} “in a riddle” adds the sphere or manner in which the seeing occurs, emphasizing obscurity. The contrasting clause tote de prosopon pros prosopon {τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον | tóte de prósōpon pros prósōpon} “then but face to face” uses repetition of prosopon to stress direct, unmediated encounter, functioning almost as a rhythmic counterpoint to the earlier mediated vision.
The second half of the verse shifts from “we” to the first person singular with arti ginosko ek merous {ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους | árti ginṓskō ek mérous} “now I know from part,” where ek {ἐκ | ek} with the genitive merous {μέρους | mérous} expresses partialness or incompleteness of knowledge. This is set in deliberate parallelism with tote de epignosomai {τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι | tóte de epignṓsomai} “then but I shall know fully,” where the compound verb epiginosko intensifies the notion of knowing into full recognition. The comparative kathos kai epegnosthen {καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην | kathṓs kaí epegnṓsthēn} “just as also I was fully known” introduces a standard of comparison: the future fullness of the speaker’s knowledge is patterned after an already accomplished, complete knowing of the speaker by another (implicitly God), expressed by the aorist passive. In translation, the parallel arti/tote and the repeated contrast between partial and complete knowledge are preserved through consistent temporal adverbs and matching clauses, maintaining the eschatological movement from obscurity to clarity and from fragmentary understanding to fullness. |