How Jesus's Meaning is Lost: 3 Syntax

The destruction of Jesus's syntax, that is, his order of words, adds to the problems of using the wrong vocabulary. Because of this lack of syntax, we cannot see the humor, drama, entertainment and poetic value in Jesus's words.

Word order is more important in Greek than English because ancient Greek allows for a greater variety of arranging words. It does not have the "subject-verb-object" syntax of English. Jesus often saves his keywords until the end. In linguistics, this is known as "end focus."  It is used in all languages. In Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, a book about English, it is captured by Strunk's final rule, "Put the emphatic words in a sentence at the end."  Of course, putting the keyword at the end is also a key feature of humor, when the end word or phrase is a surprise. Jesus understood this rule, but sadly his biblical translators don’t.

Jesus's end focus is routinely and even systematically destroyed in translation. Gospel translators want to put every verse into the "subject-verb-object" syntax of English, destroying this end focus. Of course, rearranging words is often useful to prevent Jesus from sounding like Yoda, for example, the last sentence in Luke 12:56:  How not  you have learned to evaluate?" But rearranging the words entirely to correct such problems destroys the syntactical meaning. Here is Luke 12:56:

NIV: Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

This places the emphasis on “this present time,” but this is not where Jesus put it.

Listeners Heard: You actors! The roles of the earth and the sky you have learned to evaluate. The season here, however? Why haven't you learned to evaluate it?

As you can see, calling his opponents “actors” sets up the idea of his opponents being able to evaluate “roles.” The focus is on their ability or inability to evaluate these roles. This ability to evaluate is the point, not the present time.

Interest from Suspense

In studying Jesus, our focus should be on meaning, that is, its logos. The order of its words gives a sentence its syntactical meaning. Sentences can be divided into a subject and predicate. The subject is what the sentence's proposition is about, the subject noun or pronoun. Predicates are the verbs which can link the subject to a modifier or describe an action.

A sentence that consists of a subject next to its predicate at the beginning is known as a "loose sentence". A sentence that ends with the key information, sometimes, the subject and predicate, is known as a suspensive sentence because it creates suspense for the listener. Aspects of the subject and predicate are described before the sentence get to the key actor and action. Listeners are caught up by a suspensive sentence as they wait to hear how it ends.

A loose sentence is "He was hung on the gallows in the morning." A suspensive sentence is "In the morning, on the gallows, he was hung." As a reader or a listener, the technical meaning is the same, but the emotional meaning is completely different. The loose sentence is matter-of-fact. The suspensive sentence is more subjective because it brings the listener or reader into the scene before revealing it.

Jesus speaks most often in suspensive sentences. He intentionally created drama and surprise for those listening to him. However, he is almost always translated into loose sentences. The drama and surprise are destroyed. In doing so, much of his meaning and the impact of his words is lost. His purpose was often dramatic or humorous. However, he is almost always translated in loose sentences, as if he was reciting facts than trying to create emotions.

For example, we have Mark 14:30:

NLT: I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

This starts with some suspense, the night, the rooster, but then this suspense is deflated midway through. Here is the way Jesus actually said it:

Listeners Heard: Amen, I  tell you that you yourself, on this day, this very night, sooner than a cock wants to sound twice, thrice, you will deny me yourself.

The “you will deny me yourself” is a phrase in English, but in Greek it is one word, the verb. Look at all the work Jesus does to create suspense. It isn’t until the final word that we get the subject and predicate: “you will deny me yourself.” That is how a master story teller does it.

Run-On Sentences