| 21. Linguistic Exegesis Abraam {Ἀβραὰμ | Abraám} ‘Abraham’ occupies the emphatic initial position, followed by ho patēr hēmōn {ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν | ho patḗr hēmôn} ‘our father’ in apposition, underscoring his representative role. The negation ouk {οὐκ | ouk} ‘not’ plus the main clause forms a rhetorical question that presupposes affirmation. The prepositional phrase ex ergōn {ἐξ ἔργων | ex érgōn} ‘from works’ precedes the verb to highlight works as the basis. The aorist passive verb edikaiōthē {ἐδικαιώθη | edikaiṓthē} ‘was justified’ denotes a completed divine act. The participle anenegkas {ἀνενέγκας | anenégkas} ‘having offered up’ functions circumstantially, linking justification temporally and causally to the action. The phrase ton huion autou {τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ | tón huión autoû} ‘his son’ intensifies the cost of the offering. Finally, epi to thysiastērion {ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον | epí tó thysiastḗrion} ‘upon the altar’ situates the event in sacrificial worship, and the participial clause is rendered as “when he offered” to clarify the logical connection in James’s argument. |