| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with mē {μὴ | mē}, which with the imperative forms a prohibitive construction, signaling a command framed negatively. The verb blasphēmeisthō {βλασφημείσθω | blas-phē-meís-thō} is a present passive imperative, third person singular, literally “let it not be blasphemed,” with the understood subject being “the good.” The conjunction oun {οὖν | oun} introduces an inferential conclusion, tying this injunction to the preceding argument about the impact of one’s practices on others. The genitive hymōn {ὑμῶν | hy-mōn} modifies the neuter substantive phrase to agathon {τὸ ἀγαθόν | tò a-ga-thón}, yielding “your good,” referring to what the addressees regard as ethically right or beneficial. The word order places mē and blasphēmeisthō early, foregrounding the prohibition against allowing that “good” to become the object of hostile or contemptuous speech. In English, the passive imperative is rendered as “do not let … be slandered” and “do not allow … to be spoken of as evil” to convey the sense of permitting something to come under hostile talk, while maintaining the possessive nuance of hymōn through “your good” and “what is good for you.” The explanatory notes in the formal rendering clarify agathon as a “virtuous deed” and blasphēmeisthō as “spoken against,” while in the dynamic rendering they highlight mē as a “strong warning” and hymōn as referring to the believing “faith community,” emphasizing both the seriousness of the command and its communal scope. |