| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with hepta {ἑπτὰ | heptá} ‘seven’, fronted for topical emphasis on the size of the sibling group, followed immediately by the inferential particle oun {οὖν | oûn} which links this illustration to the preceding discussion. The subject adelphoi {ἀδελφοὶ | adél-phoi} ‘brothers’ is in the nominative plural and is matched by the imperfect verb esan {ἦσαν | ê-san} ‘they were’, forming a background, scene-setting statement. The conjunction kai {καὶ | kaí} connects this with a more specific focus on one member of the group, introduced by the article ho {ὁ | ho} plus the adjective protos {πρῶτος | prô-tos} ‘first’, which functions substantivally, “the first one.” The participial form labon {λαβὼν | labṓn} ‘having taken’ precedes its object gynaika {γυναῖκα | gynaí-ka} ‘a wife’, forming a circumstantial participial clause that is temporally prior to the main verb apethanen {ἀπέθανεν | apé-tha-nen} ‘he died’. The predicate adjective ateknos {ἄτεκνος | á-tek-nos} ‘childless’ is in the nominative masculine singular, agreeing with the understood subject “he” and indicating the resultant state accompanying his death. This syntactic sequence clarifies the temporal flow (marriage, then death) and highlights the lack of offspring, which is crucial to the levirate-marriage scenario being described in the wider context. |