| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with the fronted demonstrative tauta {ταῦτά | taû-ta} functioning as the grammatical subject, followed by the equative verb estin {ἐστιν | é-stin}, producing the structure “these things is,” a common Greek pattern with neuter plural subjects taking singular verbs. The predicate nominative is the articular participial phrase ta koinounta ton anthropon {τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον | tà koi-noûn-ta tòn án-thrō-pon}, where the present active participle koinounta {κοινοῦντα | koi-noûn-ta} with the article ta {τὰ | tà} is substantivized, meaning “the things that defile,” and it takes ton anthropon {τὸν ἄνθρωπον | tòn án-thrō-pon} as its object, “the person.” The second clause is introduced by the contrastive conjunction de {δὲ | dè}, and its subject is the articular infinitive phrase to de aniptois chersin phagein {τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν φαγεῖν | tò dè a-níp-tois kher-sìn pha-geîn}, literally “the to eat with unwashed hands,” where the dative phrase aniptois chersin {ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν | a-níp-tois kher-sìn} modifies phagein {φαγεῖν | pha-geîn}. This whole infinitival construction functions as the subject of the finite verb koinoi {κοινοῖ | koi-noî}, which is negated directly by ou {οὐ | ou}, yielding “does not defile the person.” In translation, the articular participle is rendered as a relative clause (“the things that defile a person”) and the articular infinitive as a finite gerund-like clause (“to eat with unwashed hands”), preserving the contrast between what truly defiles and what does not, while keeping the repetition of “defile a person” that underscores the central concept of defilement. |