| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative aorist eipen {εἶπεν | eî-pen} ‘he said,’ with de {δὲ | dè} linking this saying to the preceding context. The subject ho kyrios {ὁ κύριος | ho kú-ri-os} ‘the Lord’ is explicitly named, marking His authoritative role. The sentence then forms a conditional construction: ei {εἰ | ei} ‘if’ introduces the protasis with present indicative echete {ἔχετε | é-khe-te} ‘you have’ and its object pistin {πίστιν | pí-stin} ‘faith,’ indicating an ongoing state rather than a mere momentary act. The comparative particle hos {ὡς | hôs} ‘as/like’ with kokkon {κόκκον | kó-kkon} ‘grain’ and the genitive sinapeōs {σινάπεως | si-ná-pe-ōs} ‘of mustard’ creates a simile of extremely small quantity. The apodosis uses the imperfect elegete {ἐλέγετε | e-lé-ge-te} with the potential particle an {ἄν | án} to express a hypothetical, repeated or characteristic action: ‘you would say’ to tē sykaminō tautē {τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ | tê sy-ka-mín-ō taú-tē} ‘this sycamine tree.’ The two aorist passive imperatives ekrizōthēti {Ἐκριζώθητι | ek-ri-zṓ-thē-ti} ‘be uprooted’ and phyteuthēti {φυτεύθητι | phy-teú-thē-ti} ‘be planted’ form a vivid command sequence, with the prepositional phrase en tē thalassē {ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ | en tê tha-lás-sē} ‘in the sea’ providing an impossible location that underlines the miraculous scope. The concluding clause kai hypēkousen an hymin {καὶ ὑπήκουσεν ἂν ὑμῖν | kaì hu-pḗ-kou-sen án hū-mîn} uses the aorist indicative with an to depict a result that would certainly follow in this hypothetical scenario: ‘and it would obey you.’ The overall syntax presents even the smallest genuine faith as participating in the Lord’s authoritative word, capable of commanding creation. |