| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with apekrithē {ἀπεκρίθη | a-pe-kri-thē} ‘answered’, which marks a new stage in the arrest scene and introduces Jesus’ spoken response. The subject Iesous {Ἰησοῦς | Iē-soûs} follows the verb, a normal Greek narrative pattern that keeps the speech itself in the foreground. The direct quotation opens with Eipon hymin hoti egō eimi {Εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι | Eî-pon hy-mîn hó-ti e-gṓ eí-mi} ‘I told you that I am’; hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} introduces the content of the remembered statement, and egō eimi {ἐγώ εἰμι | e-gṓ eí-mi} stands as an absolute self-identification without an expressed predicate. The clause ei oun eme zēteite {εἰ οὖν ἐμὲ ζητεῖτε | eí oûn e-mé zē-teî-te} ‘if therefore you are seeking Me’ places eme {ἐμὲ | e-mé} before the verb for emphasis, centering the request on Jesus Himself. The final command aphete toutous hypagein {ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν | á-phe-te toú-tous hy-pá-gein} ‘let these go away’ combines an imperative with an infinitive, presenting the departure of the others as the intended result of Jesus’ words. The sequence moves from identity to protection: Jesus declares who He is, and that self-disclosure becomes the basis for releasing the others. |