| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the imperfect verb en {ἦν | Ēn} at the start of the sentence to establish a temporal background. The noun phrase to pascha kai ta azuma {τὸ πάσχα καὶ τὰ ἄζυμα | tò páscha kai tá ázyma} groups the two closely linked festivals, the Passover and the Unleavened Bread, as a single unit. The prepositional phrase meta dyo hemeras {μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας | metá dýo hēméras} functions adverbially to specify that this temporal marker refers to “two days before.” The imperfect ezetoun {ἐζήτουν | ezḗ-toun} portrays the religious leaders’ continuous search, and the coordinated subject hoi archiereis kai hoi grammateis {οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς | hoí archiereîs kai hoí grammateîs} highlights their joint action. The indirect question introduced by pos {πῶς | pôs} expresses deliberation about means, and the manner phrase en dolo {ἐν δόλῳ | en dólō} indicates their deceitful approach. The aorist participle kratesantes {κρατήσαντες | kra-tḗ-san-tes} and the aorist subjunctive apokteinosin {ἀποκτείνωσιν | a-pok-teí-nō-sin} form an attendant-circumstance construction that links the act of seizing with the purpose of killing, which in English is rendered with a purpose clause (“so they could kill Him”) or with “they might kill Him” to capture the subjunctive nuance. |