| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence begins with ouai {οὐαί | ou-aí} as a vehement interjection of lament and denunciation, immediately followed by the indirect address hymin {ὑμῖν | hy-mîn} “to you,” which is then specified by the vocative string grammateis kai Pharisaioi hypokritai {γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί | gram-ma-teîs kai Pha-ri-saî-oi hy-po-kri-taí}, creating a stacked address that heightens the rhetorical force. The causal conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} introduces the reason for the woe, governing the finite verb periagete {περιάγετε | pe-ri-á-ge-te}, whose direct objects are the paired accusatives ten thalassan kai ten xeran {τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν | tḕn thá-las-san kai tḕn xē-rán}, a merism expressing exhaustive effort (“sea and dry land”). The infinitival clause poiesai hena proselyton {ποιῆσαι ἕνα προσήλυτον | poi-ê-sai hé-na pro-sḗ-ly-ton} functions as a purpose construction dependent on periagete, stating the goal of this strenuous activity. The coordinated temporal clause kai hotan genetai {καὶ ὅταν γένηται | kai hó-tan gé-nē-tai} uses hotan with the aorist subjunctive genetai to mark an indefinite time when the purpose is achieved, setting up the result. The main clause poieite auton huion geennes diploteron hymon {ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν υἱὸν γεέννης διπλότερον ὑμῶν | poi-eî-te au-tón hy-i-ón ge-én-nēs di-pló-te-ron hy-môn} presents a resultative action: the repeated poieite echoes poiesai, forming an ironic parallel (“to make” a convert yet “you make” him worse). The Semitic-style construct huion geennes portrays character and destiny (“son of Gehenna”), intensified by the comparative diploteron with the genitive hymon, “twice as much as you,” which sharpens the condemnation. In translation, the causal and temporal clauses are preserved, the merism “sea and land” is rendered with natural English order, and the idiomatic “son of Gehenna” is maintained while its sense is clarified through careful word choice and structure. |