| 28. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative pronoun ti {Τί | tí} “what” in initial position for emphasis, followed by the postpositive conjunction de {δὲ | dè} introducing the rhetorical question. The dative pronoun hymin {ὑμῖν | hy-mîn} “to you” combines with the verb dokei {δοκεῖ | dó-kei} “does it seem” to address the audience directly. The nominative noun anthropos {ἄνθρωπος | án-thrō-pos} “man” is the subject of the imperfect verb eichen {εἶχεν | êi-khen} “had,” taking tekna dyo {τέκνα δύο | ték-na dý-o} “two children” as its accusative object. The aorist participle proselthōn {προσελθὼν | pros-el-thṓn} “having come” governs the dative prōtō {πρώτῳ | prṓ-tō-i} “to the first,” marking a temporal circumstance. Direct discourse commences with eipen {εἶπεν | êi-pen} “he said,” followed by the vocative teknon {Τέκνον | ték-non} “child” and the paired imperatives hypage {ὕπαγε | húp-age} “go” and ergazou {ἐργάζου | er-gá-zou} “work,” linked by sēmeron {σήμερον | sḗ-me-ron} “today.” The locative phrase en tō ampelōni {ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι | en tô-i am-pel-ṓ-ni} specifies the setting “in the vineyard.” English translation adjusts word order for natural flow while preserving the sequence of actions and the force of the imperatives. |