| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a genitive absolute echontos autou apodounai, where echontos {ἔχοντος | échontos} ‘having’ and autou {αὐτοῦ | autoû} ‘of him’ form a circumstantial clause indicating inability, and the infinitive apodounai {ἀποδοῦναι | apodoûnai} ‘to repay’ expresses the action lacking. The main clause centers on the aorist indicative ekéleusen {ἐκέλευσεν | ekéleusen} ‘commanded,’ with ho kýrios {ὁ κύριος | ho kýrios} ‘the lord’ as subject and autòn {αὐτὸν | autòn} ‘him’ as object. This is followed by complementary infinitives: prathênai {πραθῆναι | prathênai} ‘to be sold’ taking coordinated objects (tḕn gynaîka {τὴν γυναῖκα | tḕn gynaîka} ‘the wife,’ tà tékna {τὰ τέκνα | tà tékna} ‘the children,’ and pánta hósa échei {πάντα ὅσα ἔχει | pánta hósa échei} ‘all that he has’) marked by repeated kaí {καὶ | kaí} ‘and,’ followed by apodothênai {ἀποδοθῆναι | apodothênai} ‘to be repaid’ signaling the intended outcome. The relative pronoun hósa {ὅσα | hósa} ‘whatever’ limits pánta ‘all,’ reinforcing total asset liquidation. In English, the genitive absolute is rendered causally (“since”/“because”) and the infinitival series is translated as subordinate clauses to convey the command’s severity and progression. |