| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The explanatory conjunction gar {γὰρ | gàr} ‘for’ links this assertion to Paul’s preceding argument. The present-tense verb phrase ou gar dynametha {οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθα | ou gàr dy-ná-me-tha} ‘we are not able’ conveys ongoing inability, with the indefinite pronoun ti {τι | ti} ‘anything’ extending the negation universally. The prepositional phrase kata tēs aletheias {κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας | ka-tá tēs a-lē-theí-as} ‘against the truth’ uses kata plus genitive to express direct opposition, balanced by the adversative conjunction alla {ἀλλὰ | al-lá} ‘but’ and a parallel hyper tēs aletheias {ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας | hy-pér tēs a-lē-theí-as} ‘for the truth’ construction. This syntactic parallelism highlights that apostolic action cannot oppose but only promote truth. In translation, “contrary to” and “in support of” preserve kata’s and hyper’s nuances, while “only” marks the exclusivity of the second clause. |