| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence begins with the coordinating conjunction kai {καὶ | kaí} ‘and’, linking this questioning scene with the preceding narrative. The aorist verb epērōtēsan {ἐπηρώτησαν | epērṓtēsan} ‘they asked’ takes the accusative auton {αὐτὸν | autòn} ‘him’ as its object, followed by the circumstantial participle legontes {λέγοντες | légontes} ‘saying’, which introduces the direct discourse. The vocative Didaskale {Διδάσκαλε | Didáskale} ‘Teacher’ marks respectful address, though in the larger context it is ironically used by hostile interrogators. The main clause inside the quotation uses the perfect oídamen {οἴδαμεν | oídamen} ‘we know’ with the complement clause introduced by hóti {ὅτι | hóti} ‘that’. Within this clause, the adverb orthōs {ὀρθῶς | orthôs} ‘rightly’ modifies the coordinated present indicatives légeis {λέγεις | légeis} ‘you say’ and didáskeis {διδάσκεις | didáskeis} ‘you teach’, forming a balanced description of both His words and His instruction. A further coordinated clause with kaí ou lambáneis {καὶ οὐ λαμβάνεις | kaí ou lambáneis} adds a negative assertion, where lambáneis prósōpon {λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον | lambáneis prósōpon} literally ‘you receive face’ is an idiom meaning to show favoritism. The adversative conjunction all’ {ἀλλʼ | all’} ‘but’ introduces a contrast that intensifies the praise: instead of being swayed by appearances, His teaching is characterized ep’ alētheías {ἐπʼ ἀληθείας | ep’ alētheías} ‘in truth’. The final clause identifies the direct object of His teaching as tḗn hodón toû theoû {τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θεοῦ | tḗn hodón toû theoû} ‘the way of God’, a metaphorical expression for God’s will or path of righteousness. The repetition of didáskeis {διδάσκεις | didáskeis} frames the content of His instruction and maintains focus on His role as Teacher. |