| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the ethical dative toutō {τούτῳ | toútō} ‘to this man,’ linking the detail to the preceding narrative. The postpositive conjunction de {δὲ | dè} ‘but’ introduces a new element. The imperfect active indicative êsan {ἦσαν | êsan} expresses existence (‘there were’). The phrase thugateres tessares {θυγατέρες τέσσαρες | thugatéres téssares} orders ‘daughters’ before ‘four,’ emphasizing relationship then number. The appositional noun parthénoi {παρθένοι | parthénoi} ‘virgins’ further qualifies them, and the present active participle prophēteuousai {προφητεύουσαι | prophēteúousai} ‘prophesying’ functions attributively to denote ongoing activity. In the formal version, literal word order and a relative clause preserve the original structure, while the dynamic version renders the dative as ‘He had’ and the participle as a past tense verb for natural flow. |