Paul Danove, «le&gw Melding In The Septuagint And New Testament», Vol. 16 (2003) 19-31
This study investigates the grammatical phenomenon, le&gw melding,
which arises in particular contexts in which two or three verbs of communication,
one of which usually is le&gw, govern the same object complement.
The study establishes the syntactic, semantic, and lexical requirements of
the verbs of communication that participate in le&gw melding, develops the
distinctive characteristics of this phenomenon, and considers its implications
for translation and the formulation of lexicon entries for the Greek
words of the Septuagint and New Testament.
23
ΛÎγω Melding in the Septuagint and New Testament
(410 in LXX and 166 in NT) appear in the format, verb of communica-
tion + λέγω. The intrusion of a verb of communication other than λέγω
between an initial verb of communication and its third complement also
appears on eleven occasions (7 in LXX and 4 in NT): ἀπαγγέλλω + [a
second] ἀπαγγέλλω; ἀποκÏίνομαι + ἀπαγγέλλω or Ï€Ïοσλέγω (reply) or
φημί (say); á¼Ïωτάω (ask) + á¼Ï€ÎµÏωτάω; and παÏακαλέω + κελεύω. Finally,
on four occasions (2 in LXX and 2 in NT), two verbs of communication
intrude between an initial verb and its third complement: ἀποκÏίνομαι +
λέγω + [a second] λέγω; and á¼Ï€ÎµÏωτάω + [a second] á¼Ï€ÎµÏωτάω + λέγω.
Λέγω melding differs from coordination in that it imposes a restric-
tion on the number of second complements that may receive lexical re-
alization among linked verbs. For two linked verbs, coordination permits
the lexical realization of neither, one, or both second complements even
when they have the same lexical realization. This is apparent in the co-
ordination of two verbs that permit their second complements to receive
lexical realization as a dative case noun phrase:8
á¼Î½Ï„είλατο Μωυσῆς Ἰησοὶ καὶ εἶπεν αá½Ï„á¿· ἈνδÏίζου... Moses commanded Joshua and
said to him, “Be brave...†(Deut 31:23)
ἀπεκÏίθη Ιωναθαν Ï„á¿· Σαουλ καὶ εἶπεν αá½Ï„á¿· ΠαÏήτηται ∆αυιδ... Jonathan re-
sponded to Saul and said to him, “David requested...†(1 Sam 20:28)
Λέγω melding, in contrast, imposes the restriction that, among linked
verbs with the same lexical realization for their second complements, at
most one verb may have its second complement lexically realized. For
example, on 503 occasions, λέγω melding links a verb of communication
and λέγω; and the verb of communication, like λέγω, permits the lexical
realization of its second complement as either a dative case noun phrase
(N+dat) or a Ï€Ïός prepositional phrase (P/Ï€Ïός). In these occurrences,
either the first verb (234) or λέγω (103) or neither verb (166) but never
both verbs have their second complement lexically realized.9 The same
See also Gen 42:7; Exod 6:2; 2 Sam 4:9; 24:13; 2 Kgs 25:24; 2 Chr 23:14; 1 Macc 13:35.
8
Second complement of the verb of communication lexically realized and second com-
9
plement of λέγω null (234 occurrences = 209 in LXX and 25 in NT): ἀναγγέλλω (N+dat:
Gen 45:26; Exod 13:8; Lev 14:35; 2 Sam 11:10; 17:16; 1 Kgs 21:17 [A]; 2 Kgs 6:13; 7:10;
8:7); ἀπαγγέλλω (N+dat: Gen 38:24 [R]; 47:1; Num 11:27; 1 Sam 19:2, 11; 25:14; 2 Sam 2:4;
17:16 [A]; 1 Kgs 12:6 [R]; 21:17; 2 Kgs 4:31; 6:13 [R]; 2 Chr 34:18; 1 Macc 5:38; P/Ï€Ïός: 2
Sam 15:13); ἀποκÏίνομαι (N+dat: Gen 23:14; 41:16a; Deut 1:14, 41; Josh 1:16; 7:20; 9:24; 1
Sam 9:8, 19; 20:3; 21:5; 22:14; 25:10; 2 Sam 15:21; 19:44; 1 Kgs 1:36; 2:1; 12:16; 2 Kgs 7:19;
1 Esdr 6:12; Job 1:7; 40:1; Zech 1:11; Matt 12:38; 14:28; 20:13; 21:27; 25:37, 45; Mark 3:33;
9:19; 10:51; 11:33; 15:2, 9; John 1:26; Acts 8:34; 25:9; P/Ï€Ïός: Gen 23:5; 1 Sam 14:12; 2 Sam
19:43; 2 Chr 10:16; Hab 2:2; Luke 6:3); δηλόω (N+dat: Josh 4:7); διαλογίζομαι (P/Ï€Ïός:
Mark 11:31; Luke 20:14); διαστέλλομαι (N+dat: Mark 8:15); á¼Î½Ï„έλλομαι (N+dat: Gen 2:16;