| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal clause hos de katelthon {Ὡς δὲ κατῆλθον | hōs dè katêlthon} ‘when they came down,’ where the conjunction hos introduces a time setting and the particle de links this event to the preceding narrative. The subject of the verb is expressed by the correlative construction ho te Silas kai ho Timotheos {ὅ τε Σιλᾶς καὶ ὁ Τιμόθεος | hó te Silâs kaí ho Timótheos}, in which te…kai underscores the joint arrival of Silas and Timothy. The main clause follows with syneicheto tō logō ho Paulos {συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ ὁ Παῦλος | syneícheto tôi lógō ho Paûlos}, where the imperfect middle/passive syneicheto portrays Paul’s ongoing state of being constrained or absorbed, and the dative tō logō marks the sphere or instrument, “by” or “in” the word. The nominative ho Paulos placed after the verb gives mild emphasis to Paul as the one so engaged. The participial phrase diamartyromenos tois Ioudaiois {διαμαρτυρόμενος τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις | diamartyroménos tois Ioudaíois} is contemporaneous with the imperfect and expresses manner: Paul’s being constrained by the word is expressed in his continual solemn testimony to the Jews. The infinitival clause einai ton christon Iesoun {εἶναι τὸν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν | eînai tón Christón Iēsoûn} functions as the content of that testimony, effectively meaning “that Jesus is the Christ,” though Greek word order allows either “the Christ is Jesus” or “Jesus is the Christ” in translation. The English renderings preserve the temporal subordination, the durative aspect of the imperfect with an accompanying participle, and the clear focus on the messianic identity claim at the heart of Paul’s preaching. |