| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs the aorist passive participle apokrithentes {ἀποκριθέντες | apokri-thén-tes} “answering” to introduce a responsive dialogue directed at Iēsou {Ἰησοῦ | Iē-soû}, marking the beginning of the exchange. The negation ouk {οὐκ | ouk} with the perfect oidamen {οἴδαμεν | oí-da-men} conveys a definitive denial of knowledge. The narrative shift signaled by ephē {ἔφη | é-phē} and autos {αὐτός | au-tós} clarifies that the speaker is Jesus. The adversative conjunction oude {οὐδὲ | ou-dè} links Jesus’ refusal to reciprocate the leaders’ silence. The interrogative adjective poia {ποίᾳ | pói-a} in the instrumental dative with exousia {ἐξουσίᾳ | ex-ou-sí-a} specifies the nature of the authority under discussion. English rendering maintains the dialogical structure and reciprocal tone of the Greek, preserving the question-and-response pattern. |