http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2009-April/048980.html wrote:
[B-Greek] Translating Hebrews 11:11
Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Wed Apr 29 11:40:48 EDT 2009
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Moore" <tom at katabiblon.com>
To: "Daniel Buck" <bucksburg at yahoo.com>; <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 29. april 2009 03:08
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Translating Hebrews 11:11
>I don't think there are any substantive differences in the variants listed.
Even though the UBS/NA text has included STEIRA, NA25 did not include it, and NA26/27 were ill
advised to put it in, IMO. I am not saying this to initiate a TC discussion, only as a background
for my adjustment of and comments on the text below. However, it doesn't influence the question of
who is subject, Abraham or Sarah.
>
> The question of who the subject is, seems to hinge on the expression DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN
> SPERMATOS ELABEN. There are a couple of threads in the archives discussing Heb. 11:11, dating back
> to Sep. 2001 and Dec. 2000.
>
> Πίστει καὶ αὐτὴ Σάρρα [στεῖρα] δύναμιν εἰς καταβολὴν σπέρματος ἔλαβεν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν ἡλικίας,
> ἐπεὶ πιστὸν ἡγήσατο τὸν ἐπαγγειλάμενον.
> PISTEI KAI AUTH SARRA [STEIRA] DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN SPERMATOS ELABEN KAI PARA KAIRON hHLIKIAS,
> EPEI PISTON hHGHSATO TON EPAGGEILAMENON. (Hebrews 11:11)
>
> Both BDAG and Metzger comment that it is used of the male role, not the female, in which case any
> apparent ambiguity disappears; it also clears up the last part of the verse, since Genesis doesn't
> seem to me to support the idea that it was Sarah who counted the one who had promised as faithful.
> (Not everyone in the threads agree that the expression is reserved for the male role, nor
> obviously do some very competent translators, such as those of the ESV.)
KATABOLH is used 11 times in the NT. 10 times it occurs with KOSMOS and refers to the "laying down"
or "foundation" of the world. It could well have a similar meaning of "foundation" in Heb 11:11.
SPERMA is commonly used as metonym referring to "offspring, descendant(s)". It is usually connected
with a man, and expressions like SPERMA ABRAAM and SPERMA DAVID are common. However, it is connected
with a woman in Rev 12:17, but the woman here is a metaphor, so it may not carry much weight. In any
case, the reference is not to literal seed, but to the posterity. (See below for LXX references.)
EIS indicates a result, so that DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN SPERMATOS ELABEN means that he/she received
power towards or resulting in the foundation/laying down of offspring. This does not tell us whether
the subject is he or she, since both parties are needed for the founding of a line of descendants.
BAGD suggests that the normal translation "foundation" is also possible for this verse. Has that
been changed in BDAG? The t.t. definition in BAGD and BDAG appears to be completely alien to and
irrelevant for the NT and LXX.
Looking at the whole clause:
PISTEI KAI AUTH SARRA DUNAMIN EIS KATABOLHN SPERMATOS ELABEN
it seems reasonable that Sara should be the subject. Abraham was the subject for verses 8-10,
introduced by name in v. 8. In these "By faith" constructions, the subject is introduced by name
near the beginning of the sentence. The KAI refers to addition and may indicate that not only did
Abraham do something by faith, but Sarah herself also did something. If we take the dative option
AUTHi SARRAi meaning that Abraham with Sarah fathered a son, then the KAI is out of place.
The next clause KAI PARA KAIRON hHLIKIAS gives an added reason for why Sarah needed faith to be part
of the process of bringing forth descendants.
Even though Sarah was incredulous in the beginning, she turned around and accepted to become
pregnant and later bear a son, so she, too, showed faith. To have the subject shift between Abraham
and Sarah in the verse is very strange and the reader would not have enough clues to follow such
shifts.
So, as a translator, I have opted for the choice of Sarah as subject like REB, CEV, NLT, ESV and
others, because that makes most sense of the Greek text and context.
>
> Here are a few of the pertinent links:
>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-gr ... 18267.html
>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-gr ... 18266.html
>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-gr ... 14501.html
>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-gr ... 14509.html
>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-gr ... 14500.html
>
> Excerpts from the above links from both sides of the discussions, incl. BDAG and Metzger, are
> here:
http://forums.katabiblon.com/topic.php?tid=21.
Looking at these posts it seems to me that they wrongly assume that SPERMA is used in the literal
sense of English sperm, which is very unlikely when the normal sense is the metonym of posterity in
the context of the Bible. The corresponding Hebrew word is used for both plant seeds in the OT and
offspring of both a female and male genitive. (e.g. the famous Gen 3:15, but also other places like
4:25, 16:10, 24:60). This is not a problem, since it does not refer to "sperm" but to "offspring,
posterity" in these contexts. In fact, when the reference is to "sperm" in the LXX, it is
consistenly rendered KOITH SPERMATOS, never SPERMATOS alone and never in connection with PARABOLH.
(See LEV 15:16, 17, 18, 32, LEV 18:20, LEV 19:20, LEV 22:4, NUM 5:13, WIS 3:16).
Iver Larsen
