| 36. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative opens with εἶπεν {eipen | eî-pen} ‘said’, while δὲ {de | dè} marks a continuation with a slight discourse shift. Ἀλλὰ νῦν {alla nyn | allà nŷn} ‘but now’ creates the sharp contrast that signals a new set of instructions. The articular participles ὁ ἔχων {ho echon | ho é-khōn} and ὁ μὴ ἔχων {ho mē echon | ho mḗ é-khōn} function substantively, dividing the hearers into two groups by possession and lack. The aorist imperatives ἀράτω {aratō | a-rá-tō} ‘let him take up’, πωλησάτω {pōlēsatō | pō-lē-sá-tō} ‘let him sell’, and ἀγορασάτω {agorasatō | a-go-ra-sá-tō} ‘let him buy’ give the command sequence a decisive, punctiliar force. Ὁμοίως {homoiōs | ho-moí-ōs} ‘likewise’ links the second item to the first, and the repeated καί {kai | kaí} strings the possessions and actions together in a tight parallel. The phrase ὁ μὴ ἔχων {ho mē echon | ho mḗ é-khōn} is elliptical in Greek; English must supply the implied object from the closing instruction to buy μάχαιραν {machairan | má-khai-ran} ‘sword’, so the translation makes that sense explicit rather than leaving the reader to infer it. |