Matthew 22:33 — ExegesisTAB

The verse begins with the conjunction kai {καί | kaí}, linking this response to the preceding dialogue, followed by the aorist participle akousantes {ἀκούσαντες | a-koú-san-tes}, which functions as a temporal circumstantial participle: “when they heard.” This participle agrees in case, number, and gender with the subject hoi ochloi {οἱ ὄχλοι | hoi óch-loi}, “the crowds,” which follows immediately, creating the sense that the crowds, having heard what was said, then experienced the reaction described. The main finite verb exeplessonto {ἐξεπλήσσοντο | ex-e-plḗs-son-to} is imperfect middle indicative, highlighting an ongoing or repeated state of astonishment rather than a momentary shock. The prepositional phrase epi tē didachē autou {ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ | e-pí tē di-da-chē au-toû} uses epi with the dative to indicate the ground or basis of their reaction, “at His teaching.” The dative article–noun pair tē didachē forms a unit, and the genitive pronoun autou, placed last in the sentence, specifies the possessor and implicitly points back to Jesus as the one whose instruction provoked such amazement. In translation, the participial construction is rendered as a temporal clause (“when the crowds heard”) to reflect its function, and the imperfect exeplessonto is expressed with “were astonished” or “were amazed” to convey the durative emotional response. The prepositional phrase is kept close to the verb in English (“astonished at His teaching”) to preserve the Greek emphasis on the crowds’ reaction to the content and authority of Jesus’ instruction.