| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence opens with the aorist participle akousantes {Ἀκούσαντες | Akoúsantes} ‘having heard’, functioning as a circumstantial participle that sets the background for the main finite verbs. The object of this hearing is the phrase anastasin nekrōn {ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν | anástasin nekrôn} ‘resurrection of the dead’, which is accusative plus a dependent genitive, forming the doctrinally charged topic that provokes division. The subject is then split using the correlative particles men…de {μὲν… δὲ | mèn… dè}, yielding a contrastive structure: hoi men echleuazon {οἱ μὲν ἐχλεύαζον | hoi mèn ekhleúazon} ‘on the one hand, some were mocking’ and hoi de eipan {οἱ δὲ εἶπαν | hoi dè eîpan} ‘but on the other hand, others said’. The imperfect echleuazon portrays the mockery as ongoing or repeated, emphasizing scorn as a sustained reaction. The aorist eipan introduces direct speech, marking a decisive verbal response from the other group. Within the quotation, akousometha {Ἀκουσόμεθά | Akousómetha} is a future middle indicative expressing a resolved intention, “we will listen,” and is complemented by sou peri toutou {σοῦ περὶ τούτου | sou perí toútou} ‘to you about this’, specifying Paul as the one to whom they will listen and the resurrection as the topic. The final adverb palin {πάλιν | pálin} ‘again’ adds the nuance of a future occasion for further discussion. The English renderings mirror this sequence: initial hearing, divided responses, and then the reported promise of further hearing, while preserving the contrastive men…de structure with “some… but others…”. |