| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the second person plural imperative aspasasthe {Ἀσπάσασθε | aspásasthe} ‘greet’, which addresses the whole congregation and commands a communal act of recognition. The direct object is the proper name Mariam {Μαριὰμ | Mariám}, marked off by a comma and followed by a relative clause. The relative pronoun hētis {ἥτις | hḗtis} ‘who’ introduces this clause and carries a qualitative nuance, characterizing Mary by the description that follows rather than merely identifying her. Within the relative clause, the adjective polla {πολλὰ | pollá} in the accusative neuter plural functions adverbially, intensifying the verbal idea of ekopiasen {ἐκοπίασεν | ekopíasen} ‘labored’, and thus conveying the extent or degree of her effort. The verb ekopiasen, an aorist active indicative, presents Mary’s labor as a substantial, completed whole, summing up her history of service on behalf of the community. The prepositional phrase eis hymas {εἰς ὑμᾶς | eis hymâs} ‘for you’ uses eis to indicate direction or orientation toward the recipients in a benefactive sense, clarifying that the focus of her labor has been the Roman believers themselves. The English renderings retain the initial imperative position to preserve the prominence of the command, represent the qualitative relative clause with “who has worked,” and translate the adverbial polla with expressions such as “much” or “a great deal” to reflect the intensity of Mary’s service for the community. |