| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the aorist participle phōnēsas {φωνήσας | phō-nḗ-sas} ‘having summoned’, which establishes the circumstances preceding the direct address. The main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eî-pen} ‘said’ introduces the ensuing question. In the interrogative clause ti touto akouō peri sou {τί τοῦτο ἀκούω περὶ σοῦ | tí toû-to a-koú-ō perì soû}, the demonstrative touto highlights the speaker’s surprise at the ongoing reports implied by akouō {ἀκούω | a-koú-ō}, and the preposition peri with sou specifies the subject of those reports. The forceful aorist imperative apodos {ἀπόδος | apó-dos} ‘render’ takes the accusative logon {λόγον | ló-gon} ‘account’ and the genitive oikonomias sou {οἰκονομίας σου | oi-ko-no-mí-as soû} ‘of your stewardship’ to delineate the precise obligation. The causal clause ou gar dynē eti oikonomein {οὐ γὰρ δύνῃ ἔτι οἰκονομεῖν | ou gàr dún-ē é-ti oi-ko-no-meîn} employs negation with ou gar, the present indicative dynē {δύνῃ | dún-ē}, and the adverb eti to indicate that the steward’s authority is definitively revoked, with the infinitive oikonomein specifying the forbidden action. This progression from summons to interrogation, to command, and then to explanation mirrors the intensifying rhetorical structure of the Greek. |