| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is a single narrative sentence structured around three coordinate kai {καί | kaí} ‘and’, which link a chain of actions. The initial participle proselthontes {προσελθόντες | proselthóntes} ‘having come’ with its subject hoi mathetai autou {οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ | hoi mathētai autou} ‘his disciples’ forms a temporal clause, understood as “when his disciples came,” leading into the first main verb ēran {ἦραν | êran} ‘they took up.’ The direct object of this verb is to ptōma {τὸ πτῶμα | to ptô-ma} ‘the body,’ followed by the coordinated aorist ethapsan {ἔθαψαν | éthapsan} ‘they buried,’ which shifts the object to auton {αὐτόν | auton} ‘him,’ viewing the deceased again as a person. A second aorist participle elthontes {ἐλθόντες | elthóntes} ‘having come’ precedes apēngeilan {ἀπήγγειλαν | apḗngeilan} ‘they reported,’ functioning as another temporal circumstantial clause (“then they went and reported”). The dative tō Iēsou {τῷ Ἰησοῦ | tō Iēsoû} marks the recipient of the report. The sequence of participles plus main verbs creates a tight chronological flow: approach, care for the body, burial, and subsequent report to Jesus. In English, the participles are rendered as finite verbs (“came,” “went”) to preserve the temporal nuance while maintaining natural narrative style, and the implicit object of “reported” is expressed as “it” in the formal reconstruction for clarity. |