| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the particle pair men oun {μὲν οὖν | mèn oûn}, which marks a transition and mild contrast with what precedes, signaling a move from description to consequence. The fronted accusative object tous khronous tes agnoias {τοὺς χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας | toùs chrónous tês agnoías} “the times of ignorance” sets the temporal sphere in focus before the main assertion, emphasizing that an entire era is in view. The aorist participle hyperidon {ὑπεριδὼν | hyperidṓn} “having overlooked” precedes and is linked to the subject ho theos {ὁ θεὸς | ho theós} “God,” forming a circumstantial participial clause that describes God’s prior stance toward that era. This aorist points to a completed, summary action, which in the formal reconstruction is rendered as a concessive temporal clause (“having overlooked the times of ignorance”) to make the logic explicit.
The clause ta nyn parangellei {τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει | tà nûn parangéllei} literally “the now He-commands” uses the neuter plural article with nûn to denote “the things now,” that is, the present state of affairs, and a present indicative verb parangellei, underscoring ongoing, current divine authority. The dative phrase tois anthropois {τοῖς ἀνθρώποις | toîs anthrṓpois} “to the people” is qualified by pantas pantachou {πάντας πανταχοῦ | pántas pantakhoû} “all everywhere,” a piling up of universal terms that stresses that no group or location is exempt. The infinitive metanoein {μετανοεῖν | metanoeîn} functions as a complementary infinitive expressing the content of the command, “to repent.” In the formal reconstruction, the Greek word order is largely maintained but reshaped into a single flowing sentence; in the dynamic reconstruction, the contrast between past forbearance (aorist participle) and present obligation (present indicative command) is brought out with the temporal framing “In the past…but now,” while preserving the universal and imperative force of the original. |