ὅτι

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ὅτι

   HO-ti

   because
2. sentence🔊 καὶ προδραμὼν εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ συκομορέαν ἵνα ἴδῃ αὐτόν ὅτι ἐκείνης ἤμελλεν διέρχεσθαι

   KAI pro-dra-MON eis to EM-pros-then a-NE-bê e-PI sy-ko-mo-RE-an HI-na EE-dêi au-TON HO-ti e-KEI-nês Ê-mel-len di-ER-khes-thai

   and having run ahead into the ahead he went up upon a sycamore tree so that he might see him because that he was about to pass through

Exegesis

The causal clause introduced by hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} ‘because’ explains the reason for this purpose: ekeines {ἐκείνης | e-keí-nēs} in the genitive feminine, with an implied noun such as hodos ‘way,’ combines with the periphrastic-like construction emellen {ἤμελλεν | ḗ-mel-len} plus the infinitive dierchesthai {διέρχεσθαι | di-ér-khes-thai} ‘to pass through’ to express an impending action, ‘He was about to pass through that way.’ The progression from participle, to main verb, to purpose clause, to causal clause builds narrative momentum and highlights both the urgency of the man’s initiative and the certainty of the approaching passage.