| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The opening gar {γὰρ | gar} signals an explanation, while pantes {πάντες | pán-tes} is fronted to stress the totality of the first comparison group. The phrase ek tou perisseuontos autois {ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος αὐτοῖς | ek toû pe-ris-seú-on-tos au-toîs} uses a substantival participle to describe the source of their giving as overflow rather than sacrifice. The aorist ebalon {ἔβαλον | é-ba-lon} with eis ta dora {εἰς τὰ δῶρα | eis ta dô-ra} presents a completed act of placement, and the plural object keeps the action collective. The contrastive turn with haute de {αὕτη δὲ | haú-te de} narrows the focus to the solitary woman, and the mirrored phrase ek tou hysterematos autes {ἐκ τοῦ ὑστερήματος αὐτῆς | ek toû hy-ste-rḗ-ma-tos au-tês} reverses the source of giving from abundance to lack. Panta ton bion hon eichen {πάντα τὸν βίον ὃν εἶχεν | pán-ta ton bí-on hon ei-chen} intensifies totality by combining an all-inclusive object with a relative clause that removes any remaining reserve. The repeated ebalen {ἔβαλεν | é-ba-len} closes the sentence with a singular aorist, sharpening the antithetical parallelism between many giving from excess and one person giving from deprivation. |