Overview

The Koine Greek particles ἰδού and ἴδε have been traditionally translated as either 'behold' or 'lo'. But such mechanical renderings are inadequate as they suggest these particles can be reduced to a single meaning or function. As argued in this monograph, these particles actually have several distinct uses that are conditioned by their linguistic context, and a translator should find natural idioms in the receptor language that match the meaning and function of these Greek uses. Based on a Construction Grammar approach, Bailey's analysis of all 200 New Testament instances of ἰδού and 29 instances of ἴδε, as well as many from the LXX and extra-biblical materials, differentiates at least five uses. Examples of suitable and unsuitable renderings of the five uses are illustrated from 31 published translations in English and other European languages. The differences in the five uses are reflected most clearly in their functional differences in deixis and information structure. Although the analysis draws on insights from the theories of Construction Grammar and Cognitive Linguistics, familiarity with these theories is unnecessary to benefit from the study. This analysis also serves as a major refinement of the entries of these particles in the standard lexicon, BDAG. Biblical studies scholars, exegetes, Bible translators, students of Koine and Ancient Greek, linguists interested in functional and typological linguistics, pastors, and others will benefit from reading this analysis and following the example of its analytical approach with other elements of the language.

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9781556714504

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I greatly welcome this publication as do no doubt all who have struggled with the vexed question of determining the precise function and an appropriate translation of the particles ἰδού and ἴδε (traditionally 'lo'/'behold') so frequently occurring in New Testament texts. Approaching the question within a coherent linguistic framework (Construction Grammar), Dr. Bailey offers a detailed analysis of every New Testament occurrence of these particles, carefully categorizing their uses. For each of these he not only indicates their distinctive formal features but also the specific semantic-communicational contributions they are expected to make and how they may best be translated. Heinrich von Siebenthal, PhD Giessen School of Theology (Freie Theologische Hochschule Giessen) Author of Ancient Greek Grammar for the Study of the New Testament (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2019) The words ἰδού and ἴδε 'behold' cause problems for many exegetes and translators of the New Testament. On the one hand, grammars and commentaries often just apply one vague, unifying label to these words such as 'attention getter', 'thetic element' or 'presentational device'. On the other hand, translators feel that these words do a number of different things. But which things precisely? And how to distinguish them in clear and convincing ways? This book provides translators and exegetes a principled basis to distinguish the meanings and functions ἰδού and ἴδε in the different constructions that they form part of, by a brilliant application of the best tools that linguistics has to offer to all occurrences of these words in the Greek New Testament, and by comparing biblical usage to the ways ἰδού and ἴδε are used in extrabiblical Koine Greek. Prof. dr. Lourens J. de Vries Professor of Bible Translation and General Linguistics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam This is an exemplary study of Ancient Greek discourse. In his convincing analysis of ἰδού and ἴδε, Nicholas Bailey successfully combines linguistic theory, more specifically Construction Grammar, with a great interpretative acumen. His study demonstrates to what important insights this powerful combination may lead. Rutger J. Allan, PhD, LLM Lecturer of Ancient Greek Language and Literature Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Author Information

With an academic background in linguistics, translation, and biblical languages, Nicholas A. Bailey has assisted Bible translation projects in Europe and West Asia for many years. In 2009 he was awarded a PhD from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Dr. Richard Rhodes is Professor emeritus of Linguistics, Thomas Garden Barnes Chair of Canadian Studies, Interim Director of Canadian Studies, UC Berkeley.

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