| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the coordinating conjunction kai {καί | kaí} linked to the temporal adverb νῦν {νῦν | nŷn}, foregrounding urgency. This is followed by the interrogative phrase τί μέλλεις {τί μέλλεις | tí mél-leis}, literally “what are you about to do?” but used idiomatically as “why are you delaying?”, marked by the Greek question mark. The aorist participle ἀναστάς {ἀναστάς | anastás} functions as an attendant circumstance participle, indicating the action that accompanies the imperatives βάπτισαι {βάπτισαι | báptisai} “be baptized” and ἀπόλουσαι {ἀπόλουσαι | apólousai} “wash away.” These aorist middle imperatives signal decisive, once-for-all actions. The object phrase τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου {τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου | tàs hamartías soû} specifies what is to be washed away, with the genitive pronoun σου marking personal possession. The participle ἐπικαλεσάμενος {ἐπικαλεσάμενος | epikalesámenos} is coordinated with ἀναστάς and conveys the means by which the washing away occurs: “calling upon the name of him,” τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ {τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ | tó ónoma autoû}. Positioned after the imperatives, this participial phrase carries instrumental emphasis, linking invocation of the divine name to forgiveness in baptism. The English rendering uses a direct question followed by coordinated commands, rendering participles as finite or gerundial forms (“Stand up,” “calling upon”) to preserve natural flow and reflect the logical sequence. |