| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with kai {καὶ | kaí} ‘and’ linking back to the banquet narrative. The aorist middle ērxanto {ἤρξαντο | ḗrxanto} ‘they began’ takes the infinitive paraiteîsthai {παραιτεῖσθαι | paraiteîsthai} ‘to excuse themselves,’ signaling the group’s collective refusal. The idiomatic prepositional phrase apò miâs pántes {ἀπὸ μιᾶς πάντες | apò miâs pántes} literally ‘from one all’ conveys simultaneity. The nominative ho prôtos {ὁ πρῶτος | ho prôtos} ‘the first’ shifts focus to the initial excuse. In direct discourse, eîpen autôi {εἶπεν αὐτῷ | eîpen autôi} ‘he said to him’ marks the speaker and addressee. The clause Agròn ēgórasa {Ἀγρὸν ἠγόρασα | Agròn ēgórasa} presents a completed past purchase as rationale. The construction kaí ékhō anánkēn {καὶ ἔχω ἀνάγκην | kaí ékhō anánkēn} ‘and I have a necessity’ stresses ongoing compulsion, with the participial phrase exelthṓn ideîn autón {ἐξελθὼν ἰδεῖν αὐτόν | exelthṓn ideîn autón} indicating purpose ‘to go out and see it.’ The final request erōtô se ékhe me paraitēménon {ἐρωτῶ σε ἔχε με παραιτημένον | erōtô se ékhe me paraitēménon} combines a polite entreaty with an imperative plus predicate participle, yielding the sense ‘please regard me as excused,’ preserving the courteous refusal. |