Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The clauses are numbered as referred to in the quotation from the New Treasury
of Scripture Knowledge copied in the right hand column for comparison.
| GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS :
[You will need Windows' "symbol" fonts for the Greek words] |
| (1) |
metanohsate (ye) repent
{verb-aorist, active, imperative, 2nd person plural} |
| (2) |
kai and
{co-ordinate conjunction}
baptisqhtw (he/she/it) be
baptized
{verb-aorist, passive, imperative, 3rd person
singular}
ekastoV each (one)
{adjective used as a noun, nominative, singular, masculine,
3rd person singular}
umwn of you
{personal pronoun-2nd person, genitive, plural}
epi upon
{preposition}
tw the
{definite article-dative, singular, neuter}
onomati name
{noun-dative, singular, neuter}
ihsou of Jesus
{noun-genitive, singular, masculine}
cristou Christ
{noun-genitive, singular, masculine}
eiV for
{preposition}
afesin remission
{noun-accusative, singular, feminine}
amartiwn of sins
{noun-genitive, plural, feminine} |
| (3) |
kai and
{conjunction}
lhyesqe ye will receive
{verb-future, middle deponent, indicative-2nd person plural}
thn the
{definite article-acusative, singular, feminine}
dwrean gift
{noun-accusative, singular, feminine}
tou of the
{definite article-genitive, singular, neuter}
agiou holy
{adjective-genitive, singular, neuter}
pneumatoV spirit
{noun-genitive, singular, neuter}. |
|
New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge edited by Jerome H. Smith.
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992 (NTSK).
<< Acts 2.38. Repent. The English text does not adequately convey
the grammar of this verse. When the grammar is understood, the verse no longer
can be used to support any view of baptismal regeneration or baptismal remission
of sin.
The phrase “every one of you” is mistakenly understood to be the
subject of the verbs “repent” and “be baptized,” with
the phrase “for the remission of sins” modifying this alleged compound
predicate. There are three clauses in this verse (1) Ye understood
subject, second person, plural number. Repent verb, aorist tense, active
voice, imperative mood, second person, plural number. (2) every one
of you subject, third person, singular number. be baptized verb, aorist tense,
passive voice, imperative mood, third person, singular number. for the remission
of sins. modifying phrase, expressing the ground or basis of the baptism
commanded (if understood of ritual water baptism), or the result (if understood
of real baptism) of the baptism received. (3) ye. subject, second
person, plural number. shall receive. verb, future tense, indicative mood,
passive voice, second person, plural number. the gift of the Holy Ghost.
direct object of the verb. Note particularly in the above analysis that the
first and third clauses agree with each other in that both are in the second
person and plural number for their subject and verb. The second clause does
not agree in person and number of its subject and verb with the preceding
or following clause. This makes it impossible to make “every one of
you,” which is third person singular, the subject of both
“repent” (second person plural) and “be baptized” (third
person singular), for subjects and verbs must agree in person and number.
A. T. Robertson observes that this change in person and number “marks
a break in the thought here that the English translation does not
preserve”
(Word Pictures, vol. 3, p. 34).>> |