| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a genitive absolute construction, kai anakeimenōn autōn kai esthiontōn {καὶ ἀνακειμένων αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσθιόντων | kaí anakeiménōn autôn kaí esthióntōn} ‘and as they were reclining and eating’, which sets a temporal and situational frame independent of the main clause and evokes the formal meal setting of the Passover. The main narrative clause ho Iesous eipen {ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν | ho Iēsoûs eîpen} places Jesus as the subject who breaks into this intimate setting with a solemn announcement. The formula Amēn legō hymin {Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν | Amḗn légō hymîn} ‘Truly I say to you’ functions as an emphatic discourse marker, foregrounding the reliability and gravity of what follows. The content clause introduced by hoti {ὅτι | hóti}—heis ex hymōn paradōsei me {εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με | heîs ex hymôn paradṓsei me} ‘one of you will betray me’—employs the future indicative paradōsei to indicate a definite but still future act of betrayal arising from within the group (“one out of you”). The defining apposition ho esthiōn met' emou {ὁ ἐσθίων μετʼ ἐμοῦ | ho esthíōn met' emoû} ‘the one eating with me’ uses a substantival participle to narrow the identity of the betrayer to someone currently sharing the meal, intensifying the sense of violated fellowship. In translation, the genitive absolute is rendered as a temporal clause (“as they were reclining and eating”), the amen-formula as “Truly I say to you” / “I assure you,” and the participle ho esthiōn as “one who is eating / someone who is eating” in order to preserve both the ongoing aspect and the personal focus. |