| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with ho gar theos eipen {ὁ γὰρ θεὸς εἶπεν | ho gar the-ós eî-pen} “for God said,” a formula that appeals to God’s prior, written command as the decisive authority in the argument. The imperative tima {Τίμα | Tí-ma} governs two coordinated direct objects, introduced by the articles ton and ten {τὸν, τὴν | tón, tēn} with patera and metera {πατέρα, μητέρα | patéra, mētéra}, yielding the command “honor the father and the mother,” which in context naturally refers to one’s own parents. The second half of the sentence is joined by kai {καὶ | kaí} and introduces a parallel but more severe provision: the substantival construction ho kakologon {Ὁ κακολογῶν | ho kakologôn}, literally “the one speaking evil,” functions generically, equivalent to “whoever curses” or “anyone who reviles.” The objects patera and metera are repeated, maintaining a tight focus on filial obligations. The clause concludes with thanatō teleutatō {θανάτῳ τελευτάτω | thanátō teleutátō}, where the dative thanatō expresses means (“by death”) and the third person imperative teleutatō states a judicial sentence (“let him die”), a legal formula rather than mere description. The English renderings preserve the two-quotation structure and the escalation from a positive command to a death-penalty statute, while expressing the juridical force of the final imperative in natural legal language. |