| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with eite {εἴτε | eí-te} introducing a conditional situation regarding orderly worship practice. The dative glosse {γλώσσῃ | glṓs-sē} functions as a dative of manner or sphere, indicating that the speaking lalei {λαλεῖ | la-leî} occurs “in a tongue.” The indefinite subject tis {τις | tis} generalizes the instruction to any potential speaker. The prepositional phrase kata duo e to pleiston treis {κατὰ δύο ἢ τὸ πλεῖστον τρεῖς | ka-tá dý-o ḗ tò pleî-ston treîs} modifies the verbal idea, setting a numerical limit: “by two or at the most three.” The following coordination with kai {καὶ | kaí} and the phrase ana meros {ἀνὰ μέρος | a-ná mé-ros} adds an adverbial notion of sequence, literally “according to part,” idiomatically “in turn,” which emphasizes orderly participation rather than simultaneous speech. The final clause kai heis diermeneueto {καὶ εἷς διερμηνευέτω | kaí heîs di-er-mē-neu-é-tō} is coordinated but contains its own imperative verb, specifying that exactly one person is to do the interpreting. English word order preserves the initial conditional clause and then divides the long Greek sentence into clear segments (number of speakers, sequence, and requirement of an interpreter) to reflect the Greek coordination while maintaining readability and highlighting the concern for comprehensible, orderly communication. |