| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperfect main verb elegen {Ἔλεγεν | élegen} ‘he was saying,’ framing Jesus’ speech as an extended narrative action. The conjunction de {δὲ | dè} links this teaching to the preceding context. The prepositional phrase pros tous keklemenous {πρὸς τοὺς κεκλημένους | prós toûs keklēménous} identifies “the ones who have been invited,” with the perfect passive participle indicating their established guest status. The accusative object parabolen {παραβολήν | parabolḗn} signals an illustrative teaching. The participle epechon {ἐπέχων | epéchōn} ‘observing’ governs the indirect question introduced by pos {πῶς | pōs} ‘how,’ which comprises tas protoklisias exelegonto {τὰς πρωτοκλισίας ἐξελέγοντο | tàs prōtoklisías exelégonto}, where the imperfect middle exelegonto highlights repeated self-promotion regarding tas protoklisias ‘the chief seats.’ The final participle legon {λέγων | légōn} ‘saying’ introduces the parable’s wording, tightly linking Jesus’ observation to His didactic address. The sequence—epechon ... exelegonto ... legon—creates a cohesive narrative structure emphasizing the connection between perception and teaching. |