| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with the narrative formula ho de eipen {ὁ δὲ εἶπεν | ho dè eî-pen}, where the article ho functions substantively as the subject (“he”) and de serves as a connective particle marking a response in the dialogue. The object tauta panta {Ταῦτα πάντα | Taû-ta pán-ta} places the demonstrative first for emphasis, followed by panta to underscore the claimed completeness of obedience. The aorist verb ephylaxa {ἐφύλαξα | e-phý-la-xa} presents the man’s obedience as a whole, summarizing his past observance of the commandments up to the present. The prepositional phrase ek neotetos mou {ἐκ νεότητος μου | ek ne-ó-tē-tos mou} introduces a genitive object of the preposition, indicating the starting point “from youth,” with the genitive mou personalizing the claim (“from my youth”). In English, the word order is adjusted to standard subject–verb–object sequence while preserving the emphatic “all these” and the temporal span “from my youth / since I was young.” |