A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 • SECTION 437

Occurring Throughout The Gnomon.

← Gnomon of the New Testament — Volume 5

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robruv <ruv/]?i(x,v, xat %v ro prince tovto xexpvfA/j,evov an abruv, xal obx eyhu- exov rd Xsyofieva. — John i. 20, xa / d(JjoXbyr\G g* xai obx rjpvyjGaro, xa/ w//o- X6yrtG sv. — Acts xiii. 45, en?^Gl)f]ffav tyXov xai dvr'eXeyov roTg bno too YlavXov Xeyo'jj&voiSy dvriX'eyovreg xai (3Xa<r<pr)jUjobvreg. — Phil. i. 23, noXXti /adXXov xpsTffffov. Nor, however, are such redundant expressions altogether idle or useless ; since they either set forth the subject more fully, OR impart Emphasis, or prove the feeling of the speaker, or mark distribution of the members of a sentence, OR are so employed in accordance with the usage of the sacred language. [Glassius’ Philol. S. L. IV., Tract. II. concerning Pleonasm, Obs. XIII.] Pleonasm is of use both towards augmenting the force, and towards ornament, and yet not always so ; but it is sometimes either in accordance with the simplicity of the most ancient language, of wdiich class there are several Pleonasms in the Hebrew tongue, and thence in that of the New Testament ; OR from whatever other cause, it has arisen in the usage of speech, and is employed even by elegant speakers : for which reason it cannot be arraigned as a fault, and yet at the same time it ought not to be twisted so as to be made indicative of force or ornament. [Ernesti Instit. Interpr. N. T. P. II. c. 10, § 10, p. 194.] Let us see some examples : Luke xviii. 34, The sacred writer indicates how great was the ignorance of the disciples ; but the Gnomon on the passage observes a Grada- tion in the several phrases, and we must altogether confess, that the very copiousness of the words here has the effect of making the narrative more perspicuous and forcible. — John i. 20, The Ple- onasm makes the language more powerful. — Acts xiii. 45, The re- petition of the verb is owing to a Hebraism. Comp, the Gnom. on the passage. — Phil. i. 23, The accumulated Comparative is not without emphasis. See the Gnom. on this passage, and on 2 Cor. vii. 13 ; and comp. Bauer’s Philol. Th. P. c. 6, 2, p. 67. — Another figure, which is called Hendiadys, has in it something similar to Pleonasm . As to Hendiadys see above.

PLOCE is, wLen a word is twice employed, so as that in the one instance the word itself is to be understood as meant, in the other instance an attribute of it. It almost belongs to Antanaclasis, which compare. — John iii. 31, 6 £v ex rSfc yx\g [i.e. He who is of earth in respect to natural birth and origin ], ex rr\g yr\g ear iv [i.e. is of earth in respect to disposition and, state]. See Gnom. — Ch. xix. 22, 6 ye - ypapa [I have written simply], yeypapa [i.e. I will not write other- wise].— Pom. vii. 13, aX7.a i] d/xapria [sin simply], ha pavy d/Mapria [i.e. the worst evil]. Ernesti refers also to this class the passage, John i. 10, ev rip xog/JjW ijv, xai 6 xoc/^og Bt abrov ey'evero , xat b xoapLog abrov obx eyvu [Inst. Int. N. T. p. 80].

POLYSYNDETON is a species of Pleonasm , when Conjunc- tions are rather frequently inserted between words or the members

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Public domain historical edition (1859); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.

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