| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the coordinating conjunction kai {καὶ | kaí}, linking this action to the preceding narrative. The historical present verb paralambanei {παραλαμβάνει | paralambánei} ‘takes along’ heightens vividness, drawing the reader into the scene as if it is unfolding now. Three coordinated direct objects, Pétron {Πέτρον | Pétron} ‘Peter’, Iákobon {Ἰάκωβον | Iákobon} ‘James’, and Iōánnēn {Ἰωάννην | Iōánnēn} ‘John’, joined by repeated kai {καὶ | kaí}, mark the familiar inner circle of disciples, emphasizing their shared participation. The prepositional phrase met’ autoû {μετʼ αὐτοῦ | met’ autoû} ‘with Him’ underscores close physical and relational proximity. A second kai introduces a new phase of the action: the aorist middle erxato {ἤρξατο | ḗrxato} ‘He began’ functions as an ingressive verb that governs two complementary infinitives, ekthambeîsthai {ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι | ekthambeîsthai} ‘to be greatly amazed’ and adēmoneîn {ἀδημονεῖν | adēmoneîn} ‘to be deeply distressed’. This infinitival chain presents Jesus’ emotional experience as a process that begins at this point. The pairing of ekthambeîsthai, which can include elements of dread or terror, with adēmoneîn, denoting deep inner anguish, creates an intensifying portrayal of His inner turmoil. In English, this structure is rendered by a finite verb “He began” followed by two coordinated infinitive clauses (“to be greatly amazed and deeply distressed”), preserving the sense of onset and the dual emotional focus. |