| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the genitive absolute eipontos de {εἰπόντος δὲ | ei-pón-tos dé} ‘when he had said’, providing a temporal frame. The phrase apo tōn allotrion {ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων | apó tôn allo-trí-ōn} ‘from strangers’ reprises Peter’s question about who pays the tax. The narrative verb ephe auto {ἔφη αὐτῷ | é-phē au-tôi} ‘he said to him’ introduces Jesus’ reply, with auto marking the addressee. The explicit subject ho Iesous {ὁ Ἰησοῦς | ho Iē-soûs} ‘Jesus’ precedes the inferential particles ara ge {Ἄρα γε | á-ra ge} ‘therefore indeed’, signaling a logical conclusion. In eleutheroi ei-sin hoi huioi {ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί | e-leú-the-roi ei-sin hoi hu-ioí} ‘the sons are free’, the fronted predicate adjective eleutheroi emphasizes exemption, and the nominative appositive hoi huioi specifies the beneficiaries. The translation maintains the genitive absolute nuance with “When he said,” renders ara ge as “Therefore” or “Then,” and highlights “sons are free” as the decisive declaration. |