| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The coordinating conjunction kai {καὶ | kaî} ‘and’ connects this clause to Jesus’ preceding challenge, marking the result of His questioning. The negative particle ouk {οὐκ | ouk} prefaces the aorist indicative ischysan {ἴσχυσαν | í-schy-san} ‘they were able’, emphasizing a definitive lack of ability. The infinitive antapokrithenai {ἀνταποκριθῆναι | an-ta-po-kri-thḗ-nai} serves as the complement of ischysan, specifying the action they could not perform—‘to answer in return’—with the anti- prefix indicating a reciprocal reply. The preposition pros {πρὸς | pròs} governs the accusative tauta {ταῦτα | taû-ta} ‘these things’, indicating the target of the unmade response and referring back to the questions Jesus posed. The sequence—negation, finite verb, infinitival complement, then prepositional phrase—places primary focus on their utter inability before identifying the nature and object of the withheld reply. |