| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The conditional particle ei {εἰ | ei} ‘if’ introduces the protasis and sets up a first-class condition. The preposition en {ἐν | en} takes the dative tō allotriō {τῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ | tṓ al-ló-tri-ō} ‘in another’s’ to indicate the sphere of stewardship. The nominative predicate adjective pistoi {πιστοὶ | pis-toí} ‘faithful’ qualifies the implied subject “you,” while the aorist middle verb egenesthe {ἐγένεσθε | e-gé-nes-the} ‘you became’ presents the failure as a completed event. In the apodosis, the interrogative pronoun tis {τίς | tís} ‘who’ governs the future verb dōsei {δώσει | dṓ-sei} ‘will give,’ and its object is the accusative phrase to hymeteron {τὸ ὑμέτερον | tò hy-mé-te-ron} ‘what is your own.’ The contrast between managing another’s affairs and receiving rightful possessions sharpens the logical argument, and the consistent second person plural forms underscore communal accountability in stewardship. |