Luke 18:13 — ExegesisTAB

The postpositive conjunction de {δὲ | dè} links this sentence contrastively to the preceding description of the Pharisee, while telōnēs {τελώνης | telōnēs} ‘tax collector’ introduces the socially despised character. The adverb makrothen {μακρόθεν | makróthen} ‘from afar’ precedes the participle hestos {ἑστὼς | hestōs} ‘standing’ to form a circumstantial participial phrase that depicts his spatial and symbolic distance. The main imperfect verb ethelen {ἤθελεν | ēthelen} ‘he was willing’ negated by ouk {οὐκ | ouk} governs the infinitive eparai {ἐπᾶραι | epārai} ‘to lift up,’ with oude {οὐδὲ | oudè} ‘not even’ intensifying the negation of the object tous ophthalmous {τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς | tous ophthalmous} ‘the eyes.’ The prepositional phrase eis ton ouranon {εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν | eis ton ouranon} ‘into heaven’ specifies the direction of the unrealized action, underscoring his sense of unworthiness before the divine realm. The adversative all {ἀλλʼ | all'} ‘but’ shifts to a contrasted imperfect etupte {ἔτυπτε | étypte} ‘he was striking,’ portraying repeated action, with to stethos autou {τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ | to stēthos autou} ‘his chest’ as the object, a conventional gesture of intense grief. The participle legon {λέγων | légōn} ‘saying’ introduces the content of his ongoing plea. The vocative-like phrase Ho theos {Ὁ θεός | Ho theos}, formally nominative with article but functioning as direct address, places God as the addressee. The aorist passive imperative hilastheti {ἱλάσθητί | hilásthēti} ‘be propitiated, be merciful’ expresses an urgent, once-for-all appeal for divine favor, while moi {μοι | moi} ‘to me’ and tō hamartolō {τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ | tō hamartōlō} ‘the sinner’ combine to make his confession intensely personal and exclusive, as if he sees himself above all as the sinner in need of mercy. The syntax contrasts inner humility and continuous penitence with the earlier self-exalting prayer, a contrast preserved in translation by maintaining the imperfect aspect and explicit self-identification as “the sinner.”