| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the circumstantial participle thelōn {θέλων | thé-lōn} “wanting,” which, together with the complementary infinitive apokteinai {ἀποκτεῖναι | apok-teî-nai} “to kill,” expresses Herod’s settled intent toward the man referred to by auton {αὐτόν | autón}. This participial clause precedes the main finite verb and is rendered with a concessive nuance in English (“although he wanted to kill him”) to reflect the tension between desire and outcome. The main clause centers on ephobēthē {ἐφοβήθη | epho-bḗ-thē} “he feared,” a deponent verb that takes as its object the accusative ton ochlon {τὸν ὄχλον | tón óch-lon} “the crowd.” The causal conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} introduces the reason for his fear: the following clause hōs prophētēn auton eichon {ὡς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον}. Here hōs {ὡς | hōs} functions as a comparative marker “as,” modifying prophētēn {προφήτην | prophḗ-tēn}, while the verb eichon {εἶχον | eî-chon} “they were regarding” has an implied subject (“they”) that contextually refers to the crowd. The placement of auton {αὐτόν | autón} before eichon highlights the person’s identity as the object of the crowd’s ongoing estimation. The imperfect aspect of eichon conveys a sustained public opinion, not a momentary thought, which is captured in English by “regarded” or “thought.” The syntactic structure thus portrays a contrast between Herod’s internal resolve and his external restraint due to the stabilizing influence of the crowd’s perception that this man was “as a prophet.” |