| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the aorist participle emblepsas {ἐμβλέψας | em-blép-sas} ‘having looked’, which functions as an attendant circumstance participle linked to the main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eî-pen} ‘he said’. This structure foregrounds Jesus’ attentive gaze as the preparation for His authoritative statement. The subject ho Iesous {ὁ Ἰησοῦς | ho Iē-soûs} follows the participle, a common narrative order where the participle and article introduce the subject before the main finite verb. The indirect object autois {αὐτοῖς | au-toîs} ‘to them’ marks the disciples as the recipients of the teaching. The core assertion is framed by two parallel prepositional phrases: Para anthropois {Παρὰ ἀνθρώποις | Pa-rà an-thrṓ-pois} ‘with people’ and para theō {παρὰ θεῷ | pa-rà the-ōi} ‘with God’. Both use para with the dative, but the shift in object (people versus God) creates a stark antithetical contrast in agency. The clause touto adynaton estin {τοῦτο ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν | toû-to a-dý-na-ton es-tin} presents a neuter demonstrative subject touto ‘this’ with a predicate adjective adynaton ‘impossible’, emphasizing the inherent impossibility of the situation under discussion (the salvation of the rich, in the broader context). This is then overturned by the climactic panta dynata {πάντα δυνατά | pán-ta dy-na-tá}, where the neuter plural adjective panta ‘all things’ used substantivally with dynata ‘possible’ asserts comprehensive divine capability. The asyndetic movement within the quotation, retaining the adversative de {δὲ | dè} between the parallel para-phrases, has been mirrored in English with “but … but …” to preserve the strong rhetorical contrast between human limitation and divine power. |