| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the participle exelthousai {ἐξελθοῦσαι | exelthoûsai} modifying the implied subjects and setting a temporal stage for the aorist verb ephygon {ἔφυγον | éphygon} “they fled.” The prepositional phrase apo tou mnēmeiou {ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου | apó tou mnēmeíou} situates their movement “from the tomb.” The clause eichen gar autas tromos kai ekstasis {εἶχεν γὰρ αὐτὰς τρόμος καὶ ἔκστασις | eîchen gár autás trómos kaí ékstasis} employs an impersonal construction with abstract nouns in the nominative to convey the involuntary grip of trembling and astonishment. A stacked negation oudeni ouden eipan {οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπαν | oudení oudén eîpan} heightens the portrayal of their silence, which the imperfect ephobounto gar {ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ | ephoboûnto gár} explains as ongoing fear. Transitioning to a summary, pánta de ta parēggelména tois peri ton Pétron exḗngeilan syntómōs {Πάντα δὲ τὰ παρηγγελμένα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πέτρον ἐξήγγειλαν συντόμως | pánta dé tá parēngelména toîs perí tón Pétron exḗngeilan syntómōs} condenses their faithful reporting of prior commands to Peter’s circle. The emphatic subject kai autos ho Iēsous {καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς | kaí autós ho Iēsous} shifts focus to Jesus Himself as agent. His aorist exapesteilen {ἐξαπέστειλεν | exapésteilen} with di’ autōn indicates instrumentality: the disciples as His messengers. The merism apo anatolēs kai achri dyseōs {ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς καὶ ἄχρι δύσεως | apó anatolês kaí áchri dýseōs} frames universal scope. The noun phrase to hieron kai aphtharton kḗrygma tês aiōníou sōtērías {τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἄφθαρτον κήρυγμα τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας | tó hierón kaí áphtharton kḗrygma tês aiōníou sōtērías} stacks qualifiers—sacred, imperishable—to stress the message’s eternal salvific purpose. The translation retains narrative causality in the first half and adopts a summarizing commission tone in the latter. |