| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with panta de ta erga autōn poiousin {πάντα δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ποιοῦσιν | pán-ta dè tà ér-ga au-tôn poi-oû-sin} “they do all their works,” where the fronted panta “all” gives prominence to the comprehensive extent of their behavior. The following prepositional phrase pros to theathēnai tois anthrōpois {πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις | prós tò the-a-thê-nai toîs anth-rṓ-pois} uses an articular infinitive with pros to express purpose, so that the passive infinitive theathēnai “to be seen” makes the onlookers’ gaze the central concern. The dative phrase tois anthrōpois functions as the concerned party, effectively “by people” as spectators. The second clause, introduced by gar {γὰρ | gar} “for,” provides an explanation of the preceding assertion through two coordinated present verbs: platynousin ta phylaktēria autōn kai megalynousin ta kraspeda {πλατύνουσι γὰρ τὰ φυλακτήρια αὐτῶν καὶ μεγαλύνουσι τὰ κράσπεδα | pla-tý-nou-sin gar tà phu-lak-tḗ-ri-a au-tôn kai me-ga-lý-nou-sin tà krá-spe-da}. These durative presents depict habitual practices, and the parallel objects “phylacteries” and “tassels” highlight the external, visible aspects of their piety. In translation, the causal connection is retained with “for,” while the sequence “do … to be seen … make broad … enlarge” mirrors the Greek flow from motive to concrete, visual expressions of religious display. |