Paul Danove, «Verbs of Transference and Their Derivatives of Motion and State in the New Testament: a Study of Focus and Perspective.», Vol. 19 (2006) 53-71
This article identifies 102 New Testament verbs that designate
transference and describes alternative usages of these verbs as derivates of
motion and state. The discussion first considers the manner in which verbs
grammaticalize the event of transference by assuming a particular focus
and perspective on its elements and by indicating the degree of affectedness
of the subject. The study then develops the usages of motion and state in
terms of the exclusion of elements of the event of transference and changes
in focus and perspective. A concluding discussion summarizes the results of
the investigation.
66 Paul Danove
(Trans.) And bringing them to / before the magistrate… (Acts 16,20)
καὶ Ï€Ïοσαγαγόντες αá½Ï„οὺς τοῖς στÏατηγοῖς...
(Mot.) The sailors were suspecting that some land was coming toward
them (Acts 27,27)
ὑπενόουν οἱ ναῦται Ï€Ïοσάγειν τινὰ αá½Ï„οῖς χώÏαν.
3.2. Passive Transitive Usages of Motion
Thirteen verbs focus on both the initiation and termination of the
event motion and assume the perspective in which the new Agent and
Source are coincident. This focus requires the use of passive forms,
and this perspective permits the verbs to omit direct consideration of
the coincident Source, which may be retrieved from the Agent, and to
raise the Agent and Goal to the status of required verbal arguments. The
resulting passive transitive usage of Motion to a Goal (#12 on chart) is a
primary usage because it permits the retrieval of all three logical entities
of the event of motion. Twelve of these thirteen verbs appear with correlate
primary active / passive usages of Transference / Motion to a Goal. The
thirteenth verb, ἀναλαμβάνω, conceives the event of transference with
the Agent and Goal co-directional and so appears with the primary active
usage of Transference from a Source. Since the passive usages of motion
require that the Agent and Source be coincident, this verb re-conceives
the motion and appears with the primary passive usage of Motion to a
Goal:
(Act. Trans.) We…intending to pick up [take up towards us] Paul from there
(Acts 20,13)
ἡμεῖς...á¼ÎºÎµá¿–θεν μέλλοντες ἀναλαμβάνειν τὸν Παῦλον
(Pass. Mot.) After speaking to them, Jesus went up [from them] into heaven
(Mark 16,19)
Ἰησοῦς μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αá½Ï„οῖς ἀνελήμφθη εἰς τὸν οá½Ïανόν.
The Greek verbs designate the same quality of motion as their
correlate usages of transference. The English translations utilize either
the same verb for transference and motion, alternative verbs of motion
that approximate the quality of motion, or the general English verbs of
motion plus adverbs18. Eleven verbs permit straightforward translation:
ἀναλαμβάνω (take up [to]) / ἀναλαμβάνομαι (go up [from]); διασπείÏω
This suggests that, at least for some verbs, English, like Greek, permits derivatives of
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motion that focus on both the initiation and termination of the event.
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