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negative more precisely than would be the case if
kai
had been used. In 1 Cor. 15:35;
Heb. 12:6, e.g., the
de
“and (scourgeth)” is purely copulative.
(
b
) The adversative use distinguishes a word or clause from that which precedes. This
is exemplified, for instance, in Matt. 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44, in each of which the
ego
,
“I,” stands out with pronounced stress by way of contrast. This use is very common. In
Matt. 23:4 the first
de
is copulative, “Yea, they bind heavy burdens” (
RV
), the second is
adversative, “but they themselves will not … ”
In John 3:1,
RV
, it may not at first sight seem clear whether the
de
, “Now,” is
copulative, introducing an illustration of Christ’s absolute knowledge, or adversative,
signifying “But.” In the former case the significance would be that, however fair the
exterior might be, as exemplified in Nicodemus, he needs to be born again. In the latter
case it introduces a contrast, in regard to Nicodemus, to what has just been stated, that
“Jesus did not trust Himself” (2:24) to those mentioned in v. 23. And, inasmuch as He
certainly did afford to Nicodemus the opportunity of learning the truths of the New Birth
and the kingdom of God, as a result of which he became a disciple (“secret” though he
was), he may be introduced in the apostle’s narrative as an exception to those who
believed simply through seeing the signs accomplished by the Lord (2:23).
In Rom. 3:22, in the clause “even the righteousness,” the
de
serves to annex not only
an explanation, defining “a righteousness of God” (v. 21,
RV
), but an extension of the
thought; so in 9:30, “even the righteousness which is of faith.”
In 1 Cor. 2:6, in the clause “yet a wisdom,” an exception (not an addition) is made to
what precedes; some would regard this as belonging to (
a
) it seems, however, clearly
adversative. In 4:7 the first
de
is copulative, “and what hast thou … ?”; the second is
adversative, “but if thou didst receive … ”
In 1 Thess. 5:21 “many ancient authorities insert ‘but’” (see
RV
marg.), so translating
de
, between the two injunctions “despise not prophesyings” and “prove all things,” and
this is almost certainly the correct reading. In any case the injunctions are probably thus
contrastingly to be connected.
In 2 Pet. 1:5-7, after the first
de
, which has the meaning “yea,” the six which follow,
in the phrases giving virtues to be supplied, suggest the thought “but there is something
further to be done.” These are not merely connective, as expressed by the English “and,”
but adversative, as indicating a contrast to the possible idea that to add virtue to our faith
is sufficient for the moral purpose in view.
De
, in combination with the negatives
ou
and
me
(
oude
and
mede
, usually “but not,”
“and not,” “neither,” “nor,”), sometimes has the force of “even,” e.g.,
oude
in Matt. 6:29,
“even Solomon … was not arrayed … ”; Mark 6:31, lit., “(they had) not even leisure to
eat”; Luke 7:9, lit., “not even in Israel have I found such faith”; John 7:5, “For even His
brethren did not believe on Him”; Acts 4:32, lit., “not even one of them”; 1 Cor. 5:1, “not
even among the Gentiles”;
mede
, in Mark 2:2, “not even about the door”; 1 Cor. 5:11, lit.,
“with such a one not even to eat.”
ON THE PREPOSITIONS
(473) AND
(5228)
The basic idea of
anti
is “facing.” This may be a matter of opposition, unfriendliness
or antagonism, or of agreement. These meanings are exemplified in compounds of the
preposition with verbs, and in nouns. The following are instances:
antiparerchomai
in
Luke 10:31, 32, where the verb is rendered “passed by on the other side,” i.e., of the road,
but facing the wounded man;
antiballo
in Luke 24:17, where the
anti
suggests that the