Matthew 20:29 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with the conjunction kai {Καὶ | Kaí} “and,” linking this scene with the preceding narrative. The genitive absolute construction ekporeuomenōn autōn {ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν | ekporeuoménōn autō̂n} functions temporally, “as they were going out,” providing the background circumstance for the main action. The prepositional phrase apo Ierichō {ἀπὸ Ἰεριχὼ | apò Ierichṓ} specifies the place of departure, marking Jericho as the narrative setting. The main clause centers on the aorist verb ēkolouthēsen {ἠκολούθησεν | ēkolóuthēsen} “followed,” with the dative pronoun autō {αὐτῷ | autō̂} indicating the one being followed; in context this pronoun refers to Jesus, whose identity has been established in the surrounding passage. The subject ochlos polys {ὄχλος πολύς | óchlos polýs} “a great crowd” follows the verb, a common Greek pattern where the verb is fronted and the subject appears post-verbally, which also allows “crowd” to receive end-position emphasis. In English, the genitive absolute is rendered as a temporal subordinate clause (“as they were going out / leaving Jericho”) to preserve its circumstantial force, while the verb–subject order is smoothed into a more natural subject–verb order without altering the focus on the size of the following crowd.