| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with elegen {Ἔλεγεν | é-lé-gen} ‘He was saying,’ an imperfect active indicative that situates the parable within Jesus’s ongoing teaching. The postpositive de {δὲ | dè} and coordinating kai {καὶ | kaì} link this remark to what precedes, while pros tous mathetas {πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς | pròs toùs mathē-tás} specifies the immediate audience. The introductory clause anthropos tis ēn plousios {Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος | Án-thrō-pos tis ḗn ploú-si-os} introduces ‘a certain rich man,’ with the imperfect ēn implying continuous possession. The relative clause hos êi-khén oikonomon {ὃς εἶχεν οἰκονόμον | hòs êi-khén oi-ko-nó-mon} defines his social role, and the imperfect highlights an established arrangement. The clause kai houtos dieblḗ-thē autōi {καὶ οὗτος διεβλήθη αὐτῷ | kaì hoû-tos di-eb-lḗ-thē au-tôi} shifts focus to the steward, with the aorist passive marking the completed act of accusation. The participial phrase hōs diaskorpízōn ta huparchonta autou {ὡς διασκορπίζων τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ | hôs di-as-kor-pí-zōn tà hu-pár-chon-ta au-toû} explicates the basis of the charge, preserving the durative sense of ‘scattering.’ The translation preserves the original clause order to maintain narrative emphasis on the misuse of entrusted resources. |