τὸ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 τὸ

   TO

   the
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 τὸ δῶρον ἢ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἁγιάζον τὸ δῶρον;

   TO DÔ-ron Ê TO thy-si-a-STÊ-ri-on TO ha-YA-zon TO DÔ-ron

   the gift or the altar the sanctifying the gift
3. sentence🔊 ⸀τυφλοί, τί γὰρ μεῖζον, τὸ δῶρον ἢ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἁγιάζον τὸ δῶρον;

   ty-PHLOI TI GAR MEI-zon TO DÔ-ron Ê TO thy-si-a-STÊ-ri-on TO ha-YA-zon TO DÔ-ron

   Blind ones for what greater the gift or the altar the sanctifying the gift

Exegesis

The neuter comparative meizōn {μείζων | meízōn} “greater” stands predicatively and conceptually takes as its comparison the two neuter substantives to doron {τὸ δῶρον | tó dô-ron} “the gift” and to thysiastērion {τὸ θυσιαστήριον | tó thys-i-as-tḗ-ri-on} “the altar.”

The final to doron {τὸ δῶρον | tó dô-ron} is the object of the participle, making the altar the agent that confers holiness on the gift. In English, the participial phrase is best rendered as a relative clause, “the altar that sanctifies the gift,” preserving both the attributive relation and the focus on the altar as the true source of consecration in the comparison.

Root and etymology

protos🔊 πρῶτοςpi–rho–omega–tau–omicron–sigma

“first, foremost”

• 🔊 πρῶτοςpi–rho–omega–tau–omicron–sigmafirstMatthew 20:27
• 🔊 κλίνηkappa–lambda–iota–nu–etacouch, bedLuke 5:18