| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} ‘for/because’, linking this statement logically to the preceding context and introducing an explanatory clause. The construction ho men huios tou anthropou {ὁ μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | ho men huï-ós tou anth-rṓ-pou} uses the particle men to set up one side of an implicit contrast, with the title ‘Son of Man’ functioning as the subject. The verb hupagei {ὑπάγει | hy-pá-gei} ‘goes’ denotes Jesus’ departure to His destined suffering, and is modified by the comparative clause kathos gegraptai peri autou {καθὼς γέγραπται περὶ αὐτοῦ | ka-thṓs gé-grap-tai pe-rí au-toû} ‘just as it has been written about Him’, where gegraptai is a perfect passive that presents the scriptural testimony as a standing, authoritative decree. The second half is introduced by ouai de {οὐαὶ δὲ | ou-aí de} ‘but woe’, shifting from the divine plan to the human agent under judgment. The dative phrase tō anthropō ekeinō {τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ | tô anth-rṓ-pō e-kei-nô} is a dative of disadvantage, specifying the one who suffers the announced woe. The relative clause di hou ho huios tou anthropou paradidotai {διʼ οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται | di' hoû ho huï-ós tou anth-rṓ-pou pa-ra-dí-do-tai} further defines that man as the channel ‘through whom’ the Son of Man ‘is being betrayed’, with the present passive paradidotai highlighting the unfolding act and maintaining focus on the Son of Man as the one handed over. The closing clause kalon autō ei ouk egennēthē ho anthrōpos ekeinos {καλὸν αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος | ka-lón au-tô ei ouk e-gen-nḗ-thē ho án-thrō-pos e-kei-nos} is an idiomatic conditional expression: the predicate adjective kalon ‘good’ plus dative autō ‘for him’ forms the main assertion, while ei with the aorist passive egennēthē ‘was born’ expresses a contrary-to-fact condition (‘if that man had not been born’). English requires reordering to make the condition explicit and to differentiate clearly between the divine necessity of the Son of Man’s suffering and the severe culpability of the betrayer. |