| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the inferential adverb hothen {ὅθεν | hó-then} ‘therefore; for this reason’, which links Herod’s action to the preceding circumstance. The prepositional phrase meta horkou {μετὰ ὅρκου | me-tá hór-kou} ‘with an oath’ is fronted immediately after the connector, emphasizing the solemn, binding character of the declaration. The main finite verb homologesen {ὡμολόγησεν | hō-mo-ló-gē-sen} ‘he promised’ is an aorist indicative, presenting the promise as a single, decisive act. The dative pronoun aute {αὐτῇ | au-têi} ‘to her’ specifies the beneficiary of the promise. The infinitive dounai {δοῦναι | doû-nai} ‘to give’ functions as a complementary infinitive after homologesen, expressing the content of what he promised to do. The clause ho ean aitesetai {ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσηται | ho e-án ai-té-sē-tai} is an indefinite relative clause: ho is an accusative neuter relative pronoun functioning as the object of dounai, while ean plus the aorist middle subjunctive aitesetai conveys a conditional, open-ended request, “whatever she might ask.” This structure highlights both the seriousness of the oath and the unrestricted scope of the offer in the narrative. In translation, the sequential order is preserved, and the indefinite relative construction is represented by “whatever / anything she might ask,” retaining the sense of an unrestricted promise conditioned only by her future request. |