| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative connector de {δὲ | dé}, which links this response to the preceding context while slightly contrasting it. The participle apokritheis {ἀποκριθεὶς | apokri-theìs} “having answered” functions as an attendant circumstance participle with the main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eî-pen} “He said,” forming a standard introduction to direct speech. The interrogative expression Dia ti {Διὰ τί | Diá tí} literally “through what?” operates idiomatically as “why?”, and its fronted position marks the sentence as an emphatic challenge. The combination kai hymeis {καὶ ὑμεῖς | kaí hy-meîs} “also you” highlights the addressees in contrast to others, sharpening the accusation. The present indicative verb parabainete {παραβαίνετε | pa-ra-bai-ne-te} “you transgress” portrays their violation as an ongoing or characteristic practice. Its direct object is ten entolen {τὴν ἐντολὴν | tḕn en-to-lḕn} “the commandment,” specified further by the genitive tou theou {τοῦ θεοῦ | toû the-oû} “of God,” which identifies the highest possible authority whose will is being set aside. The prepositional phrase dia ten paradosin hymon {διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν | diá tḕn pa-rá-do-sin hy-môn} expresses cause or motive, “because of your tradition,” placing human tradition in structural opposition to divine command. The Greek word order moves from the act of answering, to the probing “why,” to the emphatic “you also,” and finally to the contrast between God’s commandment and human tradition, a progression that was mirrored in translation to preserve the rhetorical force. |