| 28. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the present imperative prosechete {προσέχετε | pro-sé-khe-te} ‘pay attention,’ establishing an ongoing pastoral responsibility. It governs two coordinated dative complements, heautois {ἑαυτοῖς | he-au-toîs} ‘to yourselves’ and panti tō poimniō {παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ | pan-tí tô poi-mní-ō} ‘to all the flock,’ highlighting individual and communal watchfulness. The relative clause introduced by en hō {ἐν ᾧ | en hō} ‘in which’ specifies the sphere of oversight. Its subject is to pneuma to hagion {τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον | tò pneû-ma tò há-gi-on} ‘the Holy Spirit,’ with etheto {ἔθετο | é-the-to} ‘appointed’ (aorist middle indicative) and episkopous {ἐπισκόπους | e-pi-skó-pous} ‘overseers’ as its object. The infinitive poimainein {ποιμαίνειν | poi-maí-nein} expresses purpose ‘to shepherd.’ The phrase tēn ekklēsian tou theou {τῆν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ | tḕn ek-klē-sí-an toû the-oû} ‘the church of God’ employs a genitive of possession. A subsequent relative clause, hēn periepoiēsato dia tou haimatos tou idiou {ἣν περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου | hḕn pe-ri-e-poi-ḗ-sa-to diá toû haí-ma-tos toû i-dí-ou}, uses periepoiēsato ‘acquired for Himself’ (aorist middle indicative) and the preposition dia with the genitive to denote means, underscoring the cost of redemption with idiou ‘His own.’ |