Paul Danove, «The Interpretation and Translation of Verbs of "Giving" in the New Testament», Vol. 23 (2010) 109-127
This article resolves the occurrences of the thirteen NT verbs of “giving” into seven usages and considers the interpretation and translation of the verbs with each usage. The introductory discussion develops the semantic and syntactic criteria for identifying verbal usages and the distinguishing characteristics of verbs of “giving”. The study identifies the semantic, syntactic, and lexical properties of all occurrences of each verb with each usage, clarifies potential difficulties for interpretation, and proposes procedures for translation that accommodate the interpretive constraints with each usage. The concluding discussion distinguishes the function of complements with the same lexical realizations in different usages.
120 Paul Danove
Give and delegate [[for your slaves]] to your slaves to [[your slaves]]
speak your word with all boldness (Acts 4,29)
δὸς τοῖς δούλοις σου μετὰ παρρησίας πάσης λαλεῖν τὸν λόγον σου
The P/εἰς [–an] Goal appears on only one occasion:19
For God gave and delegated [[for them]] to their hearts to [[them]] do
his intent (Rev 17,17a)
ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἔδωκεν εἰς τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ
5. Benefaction
Seven of the verbs (ἀνταποδίδωμι, ἀποδίδομαι, ἀποδίδωμι,
διαδίδωμι, δίδωμι, παραδίδωμι, and χαρίζομαι) appear with the usage
of Benefaction. With this usage, the verbs require completion by an Agent,
a Patient (the entity undergoing an action), and a Benefactive. This is
the first usage in which the verbs require completion by the Benefactive
of the action itself and the only usage in which the Benefactive of the
action can be either +animate or –animate. The verbs make the ±animate
Benefactive of the action the Benefactive of the Patient.
English verbs of “giving” appear with a parallel usage of Benefaction;
and, for all of the verbs except χαρίζομαι, the Greek verbs usually have
the same translation as with the usage of Transference to a Goal. On
occasion, however, the action of the former six verbs is closer to “appoint”,
“cast”, “lay”, “make”, or “produce”, English verbs with the usage of
Effect (an Agent acts on a Patient), in which the verbs do not require
completion by a Benefactive argument. If translation by the latter verbs
is preferable and the Greek verb realizes its Benefactive, use of the latter
English verbs alone is acceptable, because English verbs with the usage
of Effect admit to completion by a non-required Benefactive adjunct. As
a result, the required Benefactive complement in Greek realizes a non-
required Benefactive adjunct in English. This ensures the interpretation
that the action is for an entity other than the Agent. When the six
Greek verbs do not realize the required Benefactive, the procedure for
translation introduces the Benefactive function of the third complement
of the Greek verbs by coordinating the English verb of “giving” and the
preferred English verb with the usage of Effect and realizing the Patient
19
This usage with the P/εἰς [–an] Goal has no parallel in the LXX but conforms to the
N+dat / P/εἰς distinction for + / –animate Goal complements with the usage of Transference
in the NT.