Thursday, December 17, 2020

"And all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33)

Greek: ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.

Translation (KJV): "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

CSB:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

Byington's Bible in Living English: 
"But seek first the Reign, and his righteousness, and you will have all this added."

I will focus on the latter part of the verse:


Henry Alford's Greek Testament:
ταῦτα πάντα, these things, all of them—the emphasis being on the genus—all such things: πάντα ταῦτα, all these things—‘the whole of the things mentioned’—the emphasis being on πάντα,—the fact that all without exception are included. See Winer, § 18. 4.

Johann A. Bengel thinks
ταῦτα is an instance of litotes. Litotes is a rhetorical term, which Dictionary.com defines as "understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in 'not bad at all.' "

Smyth defines litotes in this way:

3032. Litotes (λι_τότης plainness, simplicity) is understatement so as to intensify, affirmation expressed by the negative of the contrary. Cp. 2694. Meiōsis (μείωσις lessening) is ordinarily the same as litotes. Thus: “One of the few immortal names That were not born to die”: Halleck.

Bengel also uses the term, extenuatio, which has the rhetorical denotation of "lessening" or "diminution."

R.T. France (NICNT on Matthew):  " 'All these other things' refers to the material needs which are not to be the object of worry (v. 31). Following immediately after the priority given to 'God’s kingship and righteousness,' the passive 'will be given you' is most naturally understood as the Semitic 'divine passive': the Father who knows your needs and whose way you seek to follow will himself supply those needs. Perhaps we should note, however, that it is these things (basic material needs) which are to be supplied, not 'all things' as in one MS of Luke! The disciple is promised survival, not affluence; this is no carte blanche."

προστεθήσεται-future passive indicative 3rd person singular of προστίθημι

Hans D. Betz (Sermon on the Mount, p. 483) believes
προστεθήσεται has a "special" meaning in this verse: he takes issue with Christian Maurer (TDNT 8.168) and BAGD (now BDAG).

BAGD Remarks Pertaining to Matthew 6:33 and
προστίθημι:

2. provide, give, grant, do (X., Cyr. 2, 2, 18 τὰς τιμὰς ἑκάστῳ; PRyl. 153, 27) τινί τι someth. to someone πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν grant us faith Lk 17:5. W. dat. of the thing προσέθηκε τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ἔργον καλόν he did good work in the vineyard Hs 5, 2, 7.—Pass. ταῦτα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31. Cf. Agr 10a, b (JoachJeremias, The Unknown Sayings of Jesus, tr. Fuller, ’57, 87-9). M-M.

William Mounce translates: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."










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