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Pronouns Metaphors Errors Part 16

 

Pronouns Metaphors Errors Pt 16

 

Pronouns, Metaphors, and Errors

Message
February 8, 2015
Part 16

During the last two weeks we’ve built a solid foundation for discovering, identifying, evaluating, and interpreting two figures of speech frequently found in the Scriptures; the metonymy and the double-metonymy. After applying to our understanding to the term “the blood of Christ”, we determined that a proper expression for the term is:“the blood{ death( atonement)} of Christ”.We also converted the Greek nomenclatures for“the metonymy” and “the double-metonymy” to their English language equivalents, “name-change” and “double-name-change” respectively. Now, the plan is to continue to examine the Scriptures and seek a better understanding of God’s truth by applying the “power tools” which He has given us thus far.

Where is a good place to begin?

Since one goal of ours is to trust the Lord to lead us into deeper discovery and revelation of His truth, one aspect of that process includes avoiding drawing erroneous conclusions based upon sloppy interpretation. For a starter, I can think of one word which regularly confuses many: “the world”.Since the wordGreek for The Cosmos “the world” has an affinity relationship with many other nouns, it is used for the world, the world order, the universe; the world inhabitants, mankind (especially of men hostile to God); the world as a realm of existence, a way of life (especially as opposed to the purpose of God); and in only one instance as “adornment” (1 Peter 3.3).

So, which NT author has the most to say about“the world”, and how can we be certain he has the most to say about it? I tried something different.I don’t usually do this, but I made a statistical inquiry, and found 203 uses of the word “the world” in the NKJ version of the NT.After printing them all, I attempted to classify their use from the Greek text.I can tell you one thing, I’m not interested in doing
this for every word we suspect as being a good“name-change” candidate.

Here’s how it went…

The word “the world” is used extensively in the NT as a “name-change” figure of speech. I identified and classified 32 distinct kinds of usage of the 203 words translated “the world” in English.

Greek for The Cosmosm. the world

For any of you who have ever looked into a Greek lexicon, you might have been confused by seeing how many Greek words have a wide range of meaning. You may also have had the mistaken notion that translation is a matter of simply picking the word you want the text to say.The reason for the multiplicity of meanings, and the reason one-to-one translations of the Bible are nasty, is that biblical text is loaded with figures of speech. Of the 203 occurrences of “the world”, about 15 of them are

Gree for the Empire f. noun meaning: the (inhabited) world; mankind; the Roman Empire.

Just as a note;

Greek for hunkering in the houseis the combination ofGreek for housea house +
Greek for I remainI remain (akin to permanent);
literally meaning, to hunker down in a house. This is the root source of our word, ecumenical.

Classification by Grammatical Cases-

N [nominative, subject]…………….....the world 28

M [nominative, metaphor]…….…....is the world 1

A [accusative, object]……………...….the world 21

G [genitive]………………..(things) of the world 33

G’ [genitive]………………(things) of this world 8

D [dative, indirect object]………to/for the world 7

D’ [dative, indirect object]……..to/for this world 1

E [Greek for in within]………………….….....in the world 21

E’ [Greek for in thisthis]………………......in this world 2

I [Greek for intomotion into]……………...…into the world 22

I’ [Greek for into thisthis]……………...…into this world 1

O [Greek for outout of]……………………out of the world 12

O’ [Greek for out of thisthis]………..……out of this world 5

R [Greek for awayaway from]…….…away from the world 1

P [Greek for on behalf of]…………….....…in behalf of the world 2

P’ [Greek for concerning or pertaining to]…………...…...…concerning the world 1

S [Greek for together together with]……together with the world 1

O [Greek for out out of]……………………out of the world 12

O’ [Greek for out of thisthis]………..……out of this world 5

W [ Greek for whole entirewhole]…………….…the whole world 6

W’ [Greek for within the entire].………...…within the whole world 3

W’’ [Greek for into the entire]……….……into the whole world 1

W’’’ [Greek for throughout the entire]……throughout the whole world 3

V [Greek for all].…………………….…...…all the world 2

V’ [Greek for in all]………………...……in all the world 1

V’’ [Greek for into all]……………….…into all the world 1

T [Greek for nownow]…………………..…the now world 1

T’ [Greek for before].……………………..…before the world 4

T’’ [Greek for out]……………………………out of the age 1

T’’’ [Greek for away]…..…from the foundation of the world 11
                                            beginning
                                            age
                                            creation            

F ………………the world (Greek form for The World) to come 1

Frequency Ranking-of 203 occurrences

G [genitive]………………..(things) of the world 33

N [nominative, subject]…………….....the world 28

I [Greek for into motion into]…………....…into the world 22

A [accusative, object]……………...….the world 21

E [Greek for in within]………………….….....in the world 21

O [Greek for outout of]……………………out of the world 12

T’’’ [Greek for away]…..…from the foundation of the world 11

                                            beginning
                                            age
                                            creation  

G’ [genitive]………………(things) of this world 8

D [dative, indirect object]………to/for the world 7

W [Greek for whole entirewhole]…………….…the whole world 6

O’ [Greek for out of this this]………..……out of this world 5

T’ [Greek for before].……………………..…before the world 4

W’ [Greek for within the entire].………...…within the whole world 3

W’’’ [Greek for throughout the entire]……throughout the whole world 3

E’ [Greek for in this this]………………......in this world 2

P [Greek for on behalf of]…………….....…in behalf of the world 2

V [Greek for all].…………………….…...…all the world 2

I’ [Greek for into this this]……………...…into this world 1

S [Greek for togethertogether with]……together with the world 1

M [nominative, metaphor]………....is the world 1

D’ [dative, indirect object]……..to/for this world 1

R [Greek for away away from]…….…away from the world 1

P’ [Greek for concerning or pertaining to]…………...…...…concerning the world 1

S [Greek for together together with]……together with the world 1

W’’ [Greek for into the entire]……….……into the whole world 1

V’ [Greek for in all]………………...……in all the world 1

V’’ [Greek for into all]……………….…into all the world 1

T [Greek for nownow]…………………..…the now world 1

T’’ [Greek for out]……………………………out of the age 1

F ………………the world (Greek form for The World) to come 1

Use Frequency by Authors-

John           107

Paul            49

Synoptic    22

Peter           7

Hebrews     7

Acts             7

James         4
                 _____
                  203

107 Used by John-

N [nominative, subject]…………..the world 20 28

I [Greek for intomotion into]………..…into the world 22 16

A [accusative, object]…………….the world 21 13

E [Greek for inwithin]…………….….....in the world 21 11

O [Greek for outout of]………………out of the world 12 11

G [genitive]………..…(things) of the world 33 7

O’ [Greek for out of thisthis]………..out of this world 5 5

G’ [genitive]…………(things) of this world 8 5

D [dative, indirect object]…to/for the world 7 4

W [Greek for whole entire whole]……….…the whole world 6 3

W’’’ [Greek for throughout the entire]throughout the whole world 3 2

E’ [Greek for in this this]………….....in this world 2 2

P [Greek for on behalf of]………….…in behalf of the world 2 2

I’ [Greek for into this this]………….into this world 1 1

NKJ John 1:9
That was the true Light which gives light
to every man coming into the world.

Three things we need to clarify:

1. Who is the subject of the clause “coming into the world”?

2. What is the name-change for the world?

3. Who is every man?

What is the rhythm of this sentence?

“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world”, as in “the recipient of light is every man who comes
into the world.

Or
“That was the true Light coming into the world, which gives light to every man.”

Or does it matter?

Before you think that we have to take the words just as we see them in this particular translation, please remember that Greek text is not restricted in its sense to word-order as it is in our English language.Greek word-order is used for syntax, to form sentences in order to express emphasis. The greatest opportunity to express emphasis through syntactical arrangement comes from sentences which are either complex or compound in form. I’m sorry, but I need to mention these two technical
terms.

A complex sentence consists of one independent clause (complete, able to stand alone sensibly) and one or more dependent clauses.

e.g. one licensed plumber and two helpers

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by conjunctions or by punctuation, or by both.

e.g. two licensed plumbers

Here is a sentence we can use for an example.

“And the man shouted make mine a hot dog with relish.”

A photo of a hotdog with relish on it

 

Here is a real sentence we can use for an example.

“That is the author who gave the book to the boy sitting at the table who comes into the store.” Will you agree with me?
this statement is confusing!
Who does what?

It would not be fair at this point to ask you if this is a complex or compound sentence.

It is a complex sentence [one licensed plumber and two helpers], and the way we can clarify what we mean when writing this in English is to use punctuation to indicate our rhythm.

for example...

“That is the author, who gave the book to the boy sitting at the table, who comes into the store.”

Independent clause [plumber]:
“That is the author.” Dependent clauses [helpers]:
“who gave the book to the boy sitting at the table” “who comes into the store”

(Q) Now, how does our English reader know the rhythm and intended sense of our sentence?

(A) By knowing our punctuation.

(Q) And, how did the Greek reader know the rhythm and intended sense of John’s sentence?

(A) Not by his punctuation.

By his grammar and the context!

While the NKJ version assumes we know what John meant, it does not provide punctuation, some other translations do.

John 1:9

ASV There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

BBE The true light, which gives light to every man, was then coming into the world.

ESV The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

KJV That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

NAS There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

NIV The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

NKJ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

RSV The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.

Frankly, most of these translations miss the point by translating the middle-voice as “was coming into the
world”.

As you will soon see, the middle-voice action of the final participle should communicate the notion
that the action is taken in behalf of oneself, or in behalf of one of close affinity relationship with oneself.

In this case, it is in behalf of God the Father.

The sense is this: Jesus effectively acted in behalf of the Father by coming into the world.

Can this sort of thing be said of any other man?

Let’s look at the grammar of this sentence, or verse, in the original Greek. Notice a few critical gender-specific elements.

Greek word for The               Greek forThe light           Greek form for True light

Always was the light(neut.) namely the true light(neut.)

Greek form of The                      Greek for light

Always was the light(neut.) namely the true light(neut.)

Greek for every                                 Greek for mankind

every kind of (without the article) man

Greek for in which

it which/ he who (present-part., neut./ mas.) comes (middle)

Greek for into the world

into the world.

into the world( the people inhabiting the earth)

Greek for in which

it which/ he who (present-part., neut./ mas.) comes (middle)

Greek for into the world

into the world.

A participle points to its antecedents by virtue of its gender and number; but in this instance it could be either neuter singular or masculine singular.

Either the Light(n. sing.) or man(m. sing.) is possible.

However, from the context, it is abundantly clear of whom John speaks.

The strongest indication is contextual, found in the main verb Greek for of intoand the Light that always was with the Father, had to leave the place in heaven where He remained before the presence of God the Father in order to enter into the world.

 

John 1:9

Greek word for The               Greek forThe light           Greek form for True light

Always was the Light(neut.) namely the true Light(neut.)

 

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning Greek for of into always was the Word, and the Word Greek for of intoalways was with God, and the Word Greek for of into always was God.
2 He Greek for of into always was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In HimGreek for of intoalways was life, and the life Greek for of into always was the light of men.
5 And the light (presently) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (make it their own).

While it might not be easy to understand, a proper treatment of the grammar produces this-

John 1:9

The true Light, which presently inwardly enlightens( gives revelation to) every kind of man, always was, namely He who comes into the world( the people inhabiting the earth) in behalf of (the will of) the Father.

The message is this:
before this time in history, only Israel had the true Light, the Shechinah or presence of Jehovah.

Now this distinction between the kinds of people is done away with, so every kind of man (into all whom the Son should reveal the Father) would be thus enlightened.

Every man who is enlightened is enlightened by Christ.

Christ Greek for of into always was that true Light.

By implication, John does not say that Christ enlightens every single man who inhabits the earth. The Word, history, and experience validate that as well. The next two verses sharpen the focus on who does what...

Next Time!

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life.Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, He is God Incarnate. In order to pay the debt of our sins,
He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf. Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. Only the power of God can open your heart to the willingness to have the void within it filled
with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life.
Only the life of His Spirit’s quickening of your heart will allow the Gospel message of salvation to even make sense to you, to truly “hear” the message and give you the ability, as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus, to recognize your need for forgiveness and restoration, and gain the desire of your heart to be favorably inclined to want to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name,
AMEN

 

Copyright February, 2015
Rev. Jim Craig
All Rights Reserved

Bibliography

Agnes, Michael and Charlton Laird (eds.). Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1996.
Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren (eds.). The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Germany: Biblica-Druck, 1994.
Benner, Jeff A. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station, Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., 2005
Bullinger, E. W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible; Explained an Illustrated. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2007.
Chapman, Benjamin. Greek New Testament Insert. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977.
Dana, H. E., and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the New Testament. Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1957.
Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1989.
The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011.
Metzger, Bruce M. Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek. Princeton, New Jersey, 1977.
Wikipedia contributors. "Xenophon." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.
Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament; An Expanded Translation. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992.
Wuest, Kenneth S. (Revised, Donald L. Wise). The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1982.
Walsh, J. Martyn and Anna Kathleen Walsh. Plain English Handbook: A Complete Guide to Good English, 7th rev. ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: McCormick-Mathers PublishingCompany,1977.

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