| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the circumstantial aorist participle apokritheis {ἀποκριθεὶς | apokritheís} ‘answering’, which is subordinated to the main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eîpen} ‘he said’, giving a typical narrative structure of backgrounded action followed by foregrounded speech. The connective de {δὲ | dé} marks a mild transition, linking this response to the prior challenge. The prepositional phrase pros autous {πρὸς αὐτούς | prós autoús} identifies the direct audience of the reply. The future indicative Erōtēsō humas kagō {Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ | Erōtēsō humâs kagṓ} forms a pledge, “I also will ask you,” with kagō highlighting reciprocity and role reversal as the respondent becomes the interrogator. The object logon {λόγον | lógon} is used in the sense of ‘question’ or ‘issue’, specifying the content of the forthcoming inquiry. The coordinating kai {καὶ | kaí} introduces the aorist imperative eipate {εἴπατέ | eípate} ‘tell’, and the dative moi {μοι | moi} marks the speaker as the one who must receive the reply. Together, the future declaration plus the imperative create a dialogical challenge: He will pose a question, and they are obligated to respond, underscoring His rhetorical control of the encounter. |