| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the aorist participle apokritheis {ἀποκριθεὶς | apokritheís} ‘having answered’, which together with the conjunction de {δὲ | dé} ‘but’ introduces a new response. This participle agrees with ho archisynagogos {ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος | ho archisynágōgos} ‘the ruler of the synagogue’, marking him as the subject. The participle aganaktōn {ἀγανακτῶν | aganaktôn} ‘being indignant’ supplies a circumstantial backdrop of emotional reaction. The causal particle hoti {ὅτι | hóti} ‘because’ introduces the reason clause: etherapeusen ho Iēsous {ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς | etherápeusen ho Iēsous} ‘Jesus healed’ on the Sabbath, where tō sabbatō {τῷ σαββάτῳ | tôi sabbátō} functions as a dative of time. The main verb elegen {ἔλεγεν | élegen} ‘he was saying’ (imperfect) presents ongoing speech to tō ochlō {τῷ ὄχλῳ | tôi óchlō} ‘the crowd’. In indirect discourse he states hex hēmerai eisin {Ἓξ ἡμέραι εἰσὶν | Héx hēmérai eisin} ‘there are six days’, followed by the necessity construction dei ergazesthai {δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι | deî ergázesthai} ‘it is necessary to work’ within the relative frame en hais {ἐν αἷς | en haîs} ‘in which’. The inferential oun {οὖν | oûn} ‘therefore’ links to the coordinated participle and imperative erkhomenoi therapeuesthe {ἐρχόμενοι θεραπεύεσθε | erchómenoi therapeúesthe} ‘come and be healed’. The final prohibition kai mē tē hēmera tou sabbatou {καὶ μὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου | kaí mḗ tē hēmérā toû sabbátou} ‘and not on the Sabbath day’ omits its verb to mirror the imperatives. The translation renders participles as subordinate clauses and the participial-imperative pairing as natural English commands while preserving the contrast between permissible workdays and contested Sabbath healing. |