Matthew 22:18 — ExegesisTAB

The verse begins with the participial form gnous {γνοὺς | gnoùs} ‘having known,’ which functions adverbially, giving the causal ground for the main verb eipen {εἶπεν | eîpen} ‘he said.’ The conjunction de {δὲ | dè} ‘but’ marks a transition from the previous interaction to Jesus’ response, highlighting contrast between outward appearance and inward reality. The noun phrase ho Iesous {ὁ Ἰησοῦς | ho Iēsoûs} serves as the grammatical subject of the sentence. The accusative object ten ponerian auton {τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν | tḕn ponērían autôn} ‘their wickedness’ specifies the content of His perceptive knowledge, with the genitive pronoun auton indicating that the wickedness belongs to or arises from “them.” The aorist main verb eipen introduces direct speech, followed by the interrogative clause Ti me peirazete {Τί με πειράζετε | Tí me peirázete}, where ti functions adverbially as “why,” me is the first person singular object, and peirazete is a present indicative addressing the plural audience, implying an ongoing attempt to test or trap Him. The vocative hypokritai {ὑποκριταί | hypokritái} is placed at the end as a sharp address, intensifying the rebuke by explicitly naming their moral duplicity. In translation, the participle is rendered with a temporal-causal nuance (“having known” / “saw through”), the interrogative is reshaped into a natural English question, and the vocative “hypocrites” is retained to preserve the direct confrontational tone of the Greek.