| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse consists of a tightly structured series of four parallel clauses, each beginning with an article followed by a participle or adjective to create substantive expressions: ho adikōn {ὁ ἀδικῶν | ho a-di-kōn} “the one doing wrong,” ho rhyparos {ὁ ῥυπαρὸς | ho rhy-pa-ros} “the filthy,” ho dikaios {ὁ δίκαιος | ho di-kai-os} “the righteous,” ho hagios {ὁ ἅγιος | ho ha-gi-os} “the holy.” Each subject is followed by a third person singular aorist imperative: adikēsatō {ἀδικησάτω | a-di-kē-sa-tō} “let him do wrong,” rhypareuthētō {ῥυπαρευθήτω | rhy-pa-reu-thē-tō} “let him be made filthy,” poiēsatō {ποιησάτω | poi-ē-sa-tō} “let him do,” hagiasthētō {ἁγιασθήτω | ha-gi-as-thē-tō} “let him be made holy.” The repeated adverb eti {ἔτι | e-ti} “still, yet” after each imperative intensifies the idea of continuation or confirmation of an existing moral direction. The alternation of active imperatives for wrongdoing and righteous action with passive imperatives for being made filthy or holy underscores both human responsibility and the shaping influence of external or divine agency. The coordinating kai {καὶ | kai} links each clause, creating a rhythmic, almost liturgical parallelism that heightens the solemnity of the declaration. In translation, the third person imperatives are rendered with “let” plus base verb to preserve the command-like force, while “continue to” and “keep” convey the durative sense associated with eti, maintaining the sharp contrast between entrenched wickedness and persevering righteousness and holiness. |