| 39. Linguistic Exegesis The main clause begins with the aorist elthen {ἦλθεν | êlthen} foregrounding a new arrival in the burial narrative, while de {δὲ | dè} marks a mild continuation that links this action to the preceding events. The subject Nikodemos {Νικόδημος | Nikódēmos} is further identified by an article-participle construction, ho elthon {ὁ ἐλθὼν | ho elthṓn}, functioning like a relative clause (“the one who had come”), which intentionally recalls his earlier approach. The prepositional phrase pros auton {πρὸς αὐτὸν | pròs autón} supplies the prior direction of that coming, and nyktos {νυκτὸς | nyktós} with to proton {τὸ πρῶτον | tò prôton} adds a temporal frame (“at night, the first time”), evoking the earlier private meeting without repeating the full earlier scene. The present participle pheron {φέρων | phérōn} gives attendant circumstance, portraying Nicodemus as arriving already carrying the burial materials. The object migma {μίγμα | mígma} is specified by a genitive-of-content pair, smyrnes kai aloes {σμύρνης καὶ ἀλόης | smýrnēs kaí alóēs}, indicating what the mixture consists of. The quantity is expressed with hos {ὡς | hōs} introducing an approximate measure, litras hekaton {λίτρας ἑκατόν | lítras hekatón}, which underscores the lavish scale of the offering and the honor implied in the burial preparation. |