| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The relative pronoun hos {ὃς | hós} introduces a clause linking back to the jailer as subject. The aorist participle labon {λαβών | labṓn} ‘having received’ functions adverbially to mark the reception of the parangelian {παραγγελίαν | pa-rang-ge-lí-an} ‘order’ as the cause for the subsequent actions. The verb ebalen {ἔβαλεν | é-ba-len} ‘he put, he threw’ governs autous {αὐτούς | au-toús} ‘them’ and the prepositional phrase eis ten esoteran phylaken {εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν φυλακήν | eis tḗn e-sō-té-ran phy-la-kḗn} ‘into the inner prison’, indicating placement in the most secure cell. The conjunction kai {καί | kaí} coordinates the middle-voice verb esphalisato {ἠσφαλίσατο | ē-spha-lí-sa-to} ‘he secured’, which takes tous podas auton {τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν | toús pó-das au-tôn} ‘their feet’ as direct object and eis to xylon {εἰς τὸ ξύλον | eis tó xý-lon} ‘into the stocks’ as its complement. The sequence participle + aorist verbs underscores a swift, decisive response shaped by obedience to authority. |