| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the imperfect verb elegen {ἔλεγεν | é-le-gen} “was saying,” which portrays John’s speech as ongoing or repeated, suggesting a sustained prophetic challenge rather than a single remark. The conjunction gar {γὰρ | gàr} is postpositive and functions to connect this explanatory statement with the prior narrative, giving the reason for the hostility against John. The subject is expressed by ho Ioannes {ὁ Ἰωάννης | ho Iō-án-nēs}, where the article plus proper name mark a known figure. The indirect object auto {αὐτῷ | au-tôi} “to him” indicates the specific recipient of the rebuke, syntactically linking John’s repeated speech directly to Herod. A strong negated legal declaration follows: Ouk exestin {Οὐκ ἔξεστίν | Oûk éx-es-tin} combines the negative particle with an impersonal verb “it is lawful,” forming a categorical prohibition rooted in covenant law. The dative soi {σοι | soí} “to you” personalizes the judgment, while the infinitival clause echein auten {ἔχειν αὐτήν | é-khein au-tḗn} “to have her” functions as the content of what is not lawful, defining the forbidden ongoing relationship. In translation, the Greek word order is slightly smoothed while preserving the causal force of gar, the iterative sense of the imperfect, and the impersonal legal construction “it is not lawful,” followed by the direct speech that carries John’s prophetic authority. |