| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The Greek imperative verb mnemoneuete {μνημονεύετε | mnē-mo-néu-e-te} ‘remember’ directly addresses a plural audience, giving a concise command. The genitive article tes {τῆς | tês} introduces the genitive noun gynaikos {γυναικὸς | gynai-kós} ‘wife’, forming the genitival phrase tes gynaikos Lot {τῆς γυναικὸς Λώτ | tês gynai-kós Lôt}, which expresses a possessive relationship. The indeclinable proper noun Lot {Λώτ | Lôt} follows the genitive noun, with its case determined by the construction. The word order—imperative verb first, followed by the genitive phrase—places rhetorical emphasis on the act of remembering, while the content to be remembered is a specific narrative figure. In English, the genitive construction is naturally rendered either as a possessive noun phrase (“Lot’s wife”) or as a prepositional phrase (“the wife of Lot”), both preserving the ownership sense while maintaining the imperative force of the original command. |