Matthew 20:21 — ExegesisTAB

The verse is composed of two linked dialogue units. The first is introduced by ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ {ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ | ho de eî-pen au-tḗ} ‘but he said to her’, marking a contrastive turn in the conversation with de connecting to the prior narrative. The direct question Τί θέλεις {Τί θέλεις | tí thé-leis} ‘What do you want?’ uses an interrogative pronoun in the accusative as the object of the verb, producing a concise, direct inquiry. The narrative then immediately shifts to the mother’s response with the historical-present λέγει αὐτῷ {λέγει αὐτῷ | lé-gei au-tṓ} ‘she says to him’, a stylistic feature that makes the scene vivid. Her request is expressed through an imperative plus ἵνα clause: Εἰπὲ ἵνα καθίσωσιν {Εἰπὲ ἵνα καθίσωσιν | Eî-pe hína ka-thí-sō-sin} literally, ‘Say that they may sit’. Here the aorist subjunctive καθίσωσιν functions as a verb of desired outcome within a content clause, effectively approximating an indirect command in English; this is rendered with “may sit” in the formal version and “are to sit” in the dynamic version to keep the sense of requested authorization. The demonstrative οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου {οὗτοι οἱ δύο υἱοί μου | hoû-toi hoi dú-o hu-ioí mou} places “these my two sons” in a prominent position, emphasizing maternal advocacy and specificity. The coordinated structure εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου {εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων σου | heîs ek de-xi-ôn sou kaí heîs ex eu-ō-ný-mōn sou} forms a balanced pair, marking two symmetrical positions of privilege at the right and left of Jesus, which in the cultural context imply highest honor and authority. The prepositional phrase ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου {ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου | en tē̂ ba-si-leí-a sou} ‘in Your kingdom’ situates the request within the eschatological or royal reign of Jesus, so the translation maintains the term “kingdom” in both reconstructions. English word order is adjusted to follow natural dialogue flow and to clarify pronoun references, while preserving the sequential feel of the Greek and the formal force of the ἵνα clause.