Matthew 19:16 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with the connective kai {Καὶ | Kaì} followed by idou {ἰδοὺ | idoù}, which functions as an attention-getting interjection, creating a narrative shift: “And behold.” The subject is introduced by the numeral heis {εἷς | heîs} used substantivally, emphasizing an individual rather than a crowd. This is followed by the aorist participle proselthōn {προσελθὼν | proselthṓn}, which is syntactically circumstantial, describing prior action relative to the main verb: the man, “having come,” is now in position to speak. The dative pronoun autō {αὐτῷ | autō̂} precedes the main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eîpen}, forming a dative of indirect object, “said to Him,” and tightly linking the action of approach with direct address to Jesus. The vocative didaskale {Διδάσκαλε | Didáskale} signals respect and frames Jesus in the role of an authoritative teacher. The question clause ti agathon poiēsō {τί ἀγαθὸν ποιήσω | tí agathón poiḗsō} fronts the interrogative pronoun ti and its modifying adjective agathon, placing emphasis on the quality “good” as the focus of the man’s concern, with the aorist subjunctive poiēsō expressing contemplated, decisive action. The hina-clause hina schō {ἵνα σχῶ | hína schṓ} introduces a purpose construction, “in order that I may have,” with schō as aorist subjunctive indicating the desired resultant state. The object zōēn aiōnion {ζωὴν αἰώνιον | zōḗn aiṓnion} is a noun-adjective pair, “life eternal,” with the adjective following the noun in standard Greek order and qualifying the nature of the life sought. In translation, the participial structure “heis proselthōn autō eipen” is rendered in formal English as “one who had come to Him said,” preserving the temporal nuance of the participle, while the dynamic rendering “a man came up to Him and asked” converts the participle into a finite verb for smoother contemporary style. The hina-purpose construction is consistently carried over as “so that I may have” (formal) and “to receive” (dynamic), both preserving the purposive sense while varying in idiomatic expression.