| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence begins with a fronted temporal frame, en ekeinē tē hēmera {ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ | en ekeínē tē hēmérā} ‘in that day,’ which marks a future point of transition in the disciples’ experience. The second prepositional phrase, en tō onomati mou {ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου | en tō onomátí mou} ‘in My name,’ does not simply repeat location but establishes the sphere and basis of their asking. The future middle verb aitēsesthe {αἰτήσεσθε | aitēsesthe} ‘you will ask’ presents the disciples as the active petitioners. The coordinated clause kai ou legō hymin hoti {καὶ οὐ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι | kai ou légō hymîn hóti} ‘and I do not say to you that’ functions as a contrastive clarification, not a denial of Jesus’ role. The emphatic egō {ἐγὼ | egṓ} ‘I’ stresses the speaker’s deliberate clarification. The clause erōtēsō ton patera peri hymōn {ἐρωτήσω τὸν πατέρα περὶ ὑμῶν | erōtḗsō ton patéra perí hymôn} ‘I will ask the Father concerning you’ specifies Jesus’ own action and the reference of that request. In English, the Greek flow is best preserved by keeping the temporal frame first, then the name-based sphere of prayer, then the explanatory denial/clarification, so the contrast between the disciples’ direct asking and Jesus’ stated role remains clear. |