| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the narrative verb eipan {εἶπαν | eî-pan} followed by the inferential particle oun {οὖν | oûn}, linking this decision to the preceding description of the tunic and indicating logical progression in the soldiers’ actions. The prepositional phrase pros allelous {πρὸς ἀλλήλους | pròs al-lḗ-lous} presents reciprocal interaction, framing the speech as a deliberative conversation. The clause Me schisomen auton {Μὴ σχίσωμεν αὐτόν | Mḕ schí-sō-men au-tón} is a first person plural aorist subjunctive with the negative particle mē, functioning as a deliberative prohibition, “Let us not tear it,” where the masculine pronoun refers back to the tunic mentioned in the previous verse. The contrasting alla lachomen peri autou {ἀλλὰ λάχωμεν περὶ αὐτοῦ | allà lá-khō-men perì au-toû} sets up the alternative course of action, with the subjunctive again marking a proposal and the preposition peri indicating the object of the lot-casting. The interrogative phrase tinos estai {τίνος ἔσται | tí-nos é-stai} forms an embedded question (“whose it will be”), syntactically dependent on the implied purpose of casting lots. The hina-clause hina he graphe plerothe {ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ | hína hē gra-phḗ plē-rō-thē̂} expresses purpose or divinely intended result from the narrator’s viewpoint, introducing the fulfillment motif central to Johannine theology. The articular participle he legousa {ἡ λέγουσα | hē lé-gou-sa} functions attributively, “the one that says,” and introduces the Psalm citation. The quotation itself, diemerisanto ta himatia mou heautois kai epi ton himatismon mou ebalon kleron {Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον | Di-e-me-rí-san-to tà hi-má-ti-a mou he-au-toîs kaì epì tòn hi-ma-tis-món mou é-ba-lon klê-ron}, uses aorist verbs to describe completed actions, matching the soldiers’ behavior in detail (division of garments and casting of lots). Finally, the summarizing clause Hoi men oun stratiotai tauta epoiesan {Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα ἐποίησαν | Hoí mèn oûn stra-ti-ô-tai taû-ta e-poí-ē-san} employs the men–oun combination to mark a concluding and somewhat contrastive summary: “So then, the soldiers did these things.” In translation, the deliberative subjunctives are rendered as polite proposals (“Let us not tear it... let us cast lots”), the hina-clause as a purpose/result clause (“so that the Scripture might be fulfilled”), and the quotation is preserved in direct speech to maintain the explicit fulfillment connection between prophecy and narrative action. |