| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence begins with the negative question ou noeite {οὐ νοεῖτε | ou noeî-te} ‘do you not understand’, a rhetorical device that assumes the hearers ought already to grasp the point. The conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} introduces the content clause explaining what they should understand. The phrase pan to eisporeuomenon {πᾶν τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον | pân tó eis-po-reuó-me-non} employs a neuter participle functioning substantivally, meaning ‘everything that enters’, with pan giving the statement a comprehensive scope. A chain of prepositional phrases—eis to stoma {εἰς τὸ στόμα | eis tó stó-ma}, eis ten koilian {εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν | eis tén koi-lí-an}, and eis aphedrona {εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα | eis a-phe-drō-na}—traces the linear path of food from mouth to stomach to place of disposal. The verbs chorei {χωρεῖ | chō-reî} ‘goes’ and ekballetai {ἐκβάλλεται | ek-bál-le-tai} ‘is expelled’ are coordinated by kai {καὶ | kaí}, marking successive stages in this movement. In translation, the participial construction is rendered with “everything entering” (formal) and “whatever you eat” (dynamic) to make the substantival participle explicit, while the prepositional sequence is kept intact to reflect the logical, physical progression that undergirds the argument about what does and does not defile a person. |