| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with a forceful double vocative, Pharisaie typhle {Φαρισαῖε τυφλέ | Pha-ri-saî-e ty-phlé} ‘Blind Pharisee’, which frontloads the addressee and characterizes him at once, creating sharp rhetorical emphasis. The main clause centers on the aorist imperative katharison {καθάρισον | ka-THÁ-ri-son} ‘cleanse’, which issues a decisive, comprehensive command rather than an ongoing process. The adverb proton {πρῶτον | PRÔ-ton} ‘first’ modifies the imperative, marking priority and sequence. The object is expressed with the article-plus-adverb phrase to entos {τὸ ἐντὸς | to en-TÒS}, literally ‘the inside’, followed by a genitive chain, tou poteriou kai tes paropsidos {τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τῆς παροψίδος | toû po-tē-RÍ-ou kaí tês pa-RÓP-si-dos}, which specifies the inner part of both cup and dish and functions metaphorically for the inner person. The subordinate clause is introduced by hina {ἵνα | HÍ-na}, forming a purpose or result clause: hina genetai kai to ektos auton katharon {ἵνα γένηται καὶ τὸ ἐκτὸς αὐτῶν καθαρόν | HÍ-na GÉ-nē-tai kaí to ek-TÒS au-TÔN ka-tha-RÓN}. Here the substantival use of to ektos {τὸ ἐκτὸς | to ek-TÒS} ‘the outside’ parallels to entos, reinforcing the inner–outer contrast. The subjunctive genetai {γένηται | GÉ-nē-tai} conveys the intended outcome rather than an automatic consequence, while the particle kai ‘also’ links the purification of the outside to the prior cleansing of the inside. In translation, the logical sequence is preserved by maintaining “first … so that/then …” structure, clarifying that genuine external purity is the consequence of internal transformation rather than a substitute for it. |