| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the concessive protasis kán mén {κἂν μὲν | kán mén} ‘even if, on the one hand,’ combining the aorist subjunctive poiḗsē {ποιήσῃ | poiḗsē} ‘it produces’ to express potential action. The object karpón {καρπὸν | karpón} ‘fruit’ is modified by the temporal accusative eîs tò méllon {εἰς τὸ μέλλον | eîs tò méllon} ‘into the future,’ pointing to the upcoming season. The contrasting protasis eî dè mḗge {εἰ δὲ μήγε | eî dè mḗge} ‘but if not at all’ uses intensified negation to underscore failure. The apodosis employs the future indicative ekkópseis {ἐκκόψεις | ekkópseis} ‘you will cut down,’ referring back to autḗn {αὐτήν | autḗn} ‘it’ (the tree), completing the men–de balance. The formal reconstruction mirrors these two outcomes, while the dynamic version renders the time frame idiomatically as ‘next year.’ |