| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle ei gar {εἰ γὰρ | eí gàr} ‘for if,’ linking this caution to the prior context. The causal prepositional phrase dia brōma {διὰ βρῶμα | diá brô-ma} ‘because of food’ uses the accusative to mark reason. The nominative phrase ho adelphos sou {ὁ ἀδελφός σου | ho a-del-phós sou} ‘your brother’ governs the passive verb lypeitai {λυπεῖται | lu-peî-tai} ‘is grieved,’ highlighting his emotional response. In the next clause, the adverb ouketi {οὐκέτι | ou-ké-ti} ‘no longer’ precedes the standard kata agapēn {κατὰ ἀγάπην | katà a-gá-pēn} ‘according to love’ and the present active peripateis {περιπατεῖς | pe-ri-pa-teîs} ‘walk,’ which frames moral conduct metaphorically as walking. The prohibition mē tō brōmati sou ekeinon apollye {μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε | mḕ tṓ brō-ma-tí sou e-keî-non a-pól-lye} places the dative instrumental phrase before the imperative ‘destroy,’ emphasizing the means of harm and the ongoing nature of the command. Finally, the genitive relative clause hyper hou Christos apethanen {ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν | hy-pèr hoû Khris-tós a-pé-tha-nen} ‘for whom Christ died’ grounds the warning in Christ’s sacrificial death. These syntactic features informed rendering ἀπόλλυε as “bring to ruin” in the formal to stress relational destruction and as “damage” in the dynamic for everyday clarity. |