| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is built as two mirrored speech turns. The opening historical present legei {λέγει | lé-gei} keeps the scene vivid, with the dative autē {αὐτῇ | au-tē} marking Mary as the one addressed. Iēsous {Ἰησοῦς | Iē-soûs} follows the verb, and the vocative Mariam {Μαριάμ | Ma-riám} lands as the personal turning point of the scene. The participle strapheisa {στραφεῖσα | stra-feî-sa} marks the action that precedes her reply, while ekeinē {ἐκείνη | e-keí-nē} heightens the subject, stressing that it is Mary who responds. The second legei {λέγει | lé-gei} and autō {αὐτῷ | au-tō} mirror the first clause, creating a tight call-and-response pattern. Hebraisti {Ἑβραϊστί | Heb-rai-is-tí} signals the language of Mary’s address, and the Aramaic Rabbouni {Ραββουνι | Rab-bou-ní} is then unpacked by the parenthetical relative clause ho legetai Didaskale {ὃ λέγεται Διδάσκαλε | ho lé-ge-tai Di-dás-ka-le}, where legetai marks conventional explanation rather than a fresh speech act. The result is a narrative hinge in which recognition is carried by name, reverence, and translation. |