| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with gar {γὰρ | gàr} ‘for’, linking this thought to Jesus’ teaching. The aorist passive indicative epachynthe {ἐπαχύνθη | epachýnthē} ‘has become dull’ describes hē kardía tou laoû toútou {ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου | hē kardía tou laoû toútou} ‘the heart of this people’, signifying spiritual insensitivity. The phrase kai toîs ōsín baréōs ḗkousan {καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν | kaí toîs ōsín baréōs ḗkousan} ‘and with their ears they heard heavily’ uses a dative of means with an adverb to convey impaired hearing. The coordinated clause kai toús ophthalmous autôn ekámmysan {καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν | kaí toús ophthalmous autôn ekámmysan} ‘and they closed their eyes’ conveys deliberate refusal of perception. The conjunction mḗpote {μήποτε | mḗpote} ‘lest’ introduces a negative purpose clause containing the subjunctives idōsin {ἴδωσιν | ídōsin} ‘they might see’, akoúsōsin {ἀκούσωσιν | akoúsōsin} ‘they might hear’, synōsin {συνῶσιν | synôsin} ‘they might understand’, and epistrépsōsin {ἐπιστρέψωσιν | epistrépsōsin} ‘they might turn’, each framed by toîs ophthalmmoîs, toîs ōsín, tē kardía {τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, τοῖς ὠσὶν, τῇ καρδίᾳ | toîs ophthalmmoîs, toîs ōsín, tē kardία} ‘with the eyes, with the ears, with the heart’, forming a rhetorical triad. Finally, the future middle indicative iasomai {ἰάσομαι | iásomai} ‘I will heal’ is rendered ‘would heal’ to reflect its conditional nature. |