St Matthew 24: 36-44
Jesus said to the disciples, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
[36]Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ ὥρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν οὐρανῶν, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ μου μόνος.
[37]ὥσπερ δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ Νῶε, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
[38]ὥσπερ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταῖς πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ τρώγοντες καὶ πίνοντες, γαμοῦντες καὶ ἐκγαμίζοντες, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας εἰσῆλθε Νῶε εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν,
[39]καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ἕως ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
[40]τότε δύο ἔσονται ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὁ εἷς παραλαμβάνεται καὶ ὁ εἷς ἀφίεται·
[41]δύο ἀλήθουσαι ἐν τῷ μυλῶνι, μία παραλαμβάνεται καὶ μία ἀφίεται.
[42]γρηγορεῖτε οὖν, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ Κύριος ὑμῶν ἔρχεται.
[43]᾿Εκεῖνο δὲ γινώσκετε ὅτι εἰ ᾔδει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης ποίᾳ φυλακῇ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται, ἐγρηγόρησεν ἂν καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴασε διορυγῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ.
[44]διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὑμεῖς γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι, ὅτι ᾗ ὥρᾳ οὐ δοκεῖτε ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται.
Comments
Two verbs that mean ‘I know’ are noticeable. The ‘prophetic present’ (also found in cl. Gk) occurs alongside the ordinary future tense in the pericope. There is no doubt whatever that the Lord will come (lit., ‘is coming’) in vv. 42 and 44.
[36] οἶδεν: οἶδα, ‘I know, am acquainted with’ (Hom., cl. Gk; koine: LSJ & Bauer-Danker s.v., 1B), c. acc. rei. Sometimes the vb shades into the meaning ‘know by reflection’ in cl. Gk and koine. Cf. v. 42, οὐκ οἴδατε, ‘you do not know’.
ὁ πατήρ μου μόνος: ‘my father ALONE’; the placement of the adj. μόνος at the very end of the sentence is emphatic. Only the Father knows.
[39]ἔγνωσαν: 3rd pers. pl., 2nd aor. γινώσκω (koine form of γιγνώσκω), ‘come to know, perceive; in past tenses, know’ (LSJ s.v., I.1). In koine, as in cl. Gk, the meaning of the vb can sometimes shade into ‘know by observation, notice’ (Bauer-Danker s.v., 4). This nuance suits this verse, but not v. 43, Εκεῖνο δὲ γινώσκετε, etc.
[40] ὁ εἷς παραλαμβάνεται καὶ ὁ εἷς ἀφίεται: in cl. Gk, the syntax would be ὁ εἷς μὲν, ὁ εἷς δὲ, ‘(the) οne… the other’ (a minor point). What is important is the prophetic present tense of both vbs, which expresses an absolute certainty in the future (lit., ‘one is taken, the other is left’). So also the same vbs in v. 41 are prophetic, as is ἔρχεται, ‘(your Lord) is coming’ in vv. 42 and 44.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 