| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the relative pronoun hen {ἣν | hēn} “which,” pointing back to the small boat, followed by the aorist participle arantes {ἄραντες | árantes} “having lifted,” marking the initial completed act. The dative plural boetheiais {βοηθείαις | boētheíais} combines with the imperfect ekhronto {ἐχρῶντο | ekhrônto} “they were using” to express instrumental means. The participle hypozōnnýntes {ὑποζωννύντες | hypozōnnýntes} “undergirding” further specifies how those aids functioned. A causal participle phoboumenoi {φοβούμενοι | phobóumenoi} “fearing,” with the negative mē {μὴ | mḕ}, governs the subjunctive ekpesosin {ἐκπέσωσιν | ekpésōsin} “they might fall,” and the prepositional phrase eis tēn Syrtin {εἰς τὴν Σύρτιν | eis tḕn Sýrtin} identifies the hazard of running aground. Another aorist participle khalasantes {χαλάσαντες | khalásantes} “having lowered” introduces its object skeuos {σκεῦος | skeûos} “gear.” The adverb houtōs {οὕτως | hoútōs} “thus” modifies the imperfect middle/passive epheronto {ἐφέροντο | ephéronto} “they were carried,” summarizing the result. The series of participles into two imperfect verbs creates a tight action chain preserved in English by framing participles as finite or gerundial clauses. |