| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence begins with kai {καὶ | kaí} ‘and’, linking this inquiry to Jesus’ prior teaching. The aorist verb eperotesan {ἐπηρώτησαν | epērṓtēsan} ‘they asked’ precedes the object auton {αὐτὸν | autón} ‘Him’ and the subject hoi mathētai {οἱ μαθηταί | hoí mathētái} ‘the disciples’, foregrounding the action directed toward Jesus. The participle legontes {λέγοντες | légontes} ‘saying’ introduces their question. The interrogative pronoun ti {Τί | Tí} ‘why’ expresses puzzlement, with the inferential conjunction oun {οὖν | oûn} ‘then’ connecting it to context. The present indicative legousin {λέγουσιν | légousin} ‘they say’ and the impersonal dei {δεῖ | deî} ‘must’ present the scribes’ ongoing claim. The infinitive elthein {ἐλθεῖν | eltheîn} ‘to come’ together with the adverb proton {πρῶτον | prōton} ‘first’ conveys the temporal priority of Elijah’s coming, underscoring the prophetic necessity implied by the scribal assertion. |