| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the inferential phrase houtōs oun {οὕτως οὖν | hoú-tōs oûn} “thus therefore,” signaling a conclusion drawn from the preceding illustrations of cost counting. The partitive expression pas ex hymōn {πᾶς ἐξ ὑμῶν | pâs ex hū-môn} “every one of you” applies universally to Jesus’ audience. A defining relative clause introduced by hos {ὃς | hòs} “who” and negated by ouk {οὐκ | ouk} immediately precedes apotassetai {ἀποτάσσεται | a-po-tás-se-tai}, conveying a deliberate middle-voice act of renunciation. The dative object pasin tois heautou hyparchousin {πᾶσιν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπάρχουσιν | pâ-sin toîs he-au-toû hy-pár-chou-sin} uses a substantival participle to express “all that belongs to him.” The main clause ou dynatai einai mou mathētēs {οὐ δύναται εἶναί μου μαθητής | ou dý-na-tai eî-naí mou math-ē-tḗs} employs the modal dynatai with the infinitive einai to assert absolute inability, and the genitive mou marks personal relation to Jesus. The conditional force of “whoever does not…cannot…” emphasizes that total surrender of possessions is an indispensable criterion for discipleship. |