ἑαυτὸν

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ἑαυτὸν

   he-au-TON

   himself
2. sentence🔊 λέγω ὑμῖν κατέβη οὗτος δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ παρʼ ἐκεῖνον ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται ὁ δὲ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται

   LE-gō hy-MEEN ka-TE-bê HOU-tos de-di-kai-ō-ME-nos eis ton OI-kon au-TOU par e-KEI-non HO-ti pas ho hy-PSŌN he-au-TON ta-pei-nō-THÊ-se-tai ho de ta-pei-NŌN he-au-TON hy-psō-THÊ-se-tai

   I say to you went down this {one} having been justified into the house of him rather than that {one} for everyone the exalting himself will be humbled the but humbling himself will be exalted

Exegesis

Within this explanatory clause, the structures pas ho hypsōn heauton tapeinothēsetai {πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται | pâs ho hū-psō̂n he-au-tòn ta-pei-nō-thē-se-tai} and ho de tapeinōn heauton hypsōthēsetai {ὁ δὲ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται | ho dè ta-pei-nō̂n he-au-tòn hū-psō-thē-se-tai} form a balanced antithetical parallelism. In each half, a present active participle (hypsōn, tapeinōn) functioning substantivally is followed by a reflexive object heauton and a future passive indicative (tapeinothēsetai, hypsōthēsetai). This syntax portrays continuous self-directed action (self-exaltation or self-humbling) met by a future, divinely effected reversal. The placement of de in the second clause sharpens the contrast, and the mirrored word order underscores the theme of reversal that justifies the narrative outcome declared in the first sentence.