| 35. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with hos {ὡς | hōs} ‘like, as,’ creating a simile that prepares the image before the main verb appears. The noun pagis {παγίς | pagís} is placed early, giving the metaphor of sudden entrapment immediate force. The future middle form epeiseleusetai {ἐπεισελεύσεται | epeiseleúsetai} presents the event as something that will move in upon the scene with certainty and without an explicit agent. The postpositive conjunction gar {γάρ | gár} links this saying to the prior warning, showing that the statement explains why vigilance is necessary. The first prepositional phrase epi pantas tous kathemenous {ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς καθημένους | epí pántas toús kathēménous} expands the scope to every person included in the participial description, while the article makes the participle substantival rather than merely descriptive. The second prepositional phrase epi prosopon {ἐπὶ πρόσωπον | epí prósōpon} extends the image spatially, using prosopon {πρόσωπον | prósōpon} idiomatically for visible surface or expanse. The genitive phrase pases tēs gēs {πάσης τῆς γῆς | pásēs tēs gēs} is a genitive of totality, stressing comprehensiveness rather than local or partial impact. In English, the rendering keeps the simile, preserves the impersonal force of the verb, and re-expresses the participial description in natural terms while maintaining the verse’s universal scope. |