Paul builds a house: οἰκοδομέω

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mlinssen
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Paul builds a house: οἰκοδομέω

Post by mlinssen »

One of those mighty puzzling puzzles!

Galatians 2:18 (BGB)

18 εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνιστάνω.


18 For if I build again these things that I had torn down, I prove myself a transgressor.

That's what it says - and Berean is the least bad translation of all. But it's dead wrong of course, or I wouldn't be posting this

οἰκοδομῶ: https://biblehub.com/greek/3618.htm
3618 oikodoméō (from 3624 /oíkos, "a house" and domeō, "to build") – properly, to build a house (home, edifice); (figuratively) to edify – literally, "build someone up," helping them to stand (be strong, "sturdy").
Say what? That is a very awkward interpretation. What does it really say then?

18 εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνιστάνω.


If indeed the-things hyper-released these again I-build-house, cross-stepper myself I-place-together

The extremely literal translation, all others are readily available.
καταλύω gets an odd translation in an effort to stress the kata; the base verb is λύω, https://biblehub.com/greek/3089.htm

Build-house? That is a very particular choice of words, while there must be dozens he could have picked from

Upon a closer look, the word οἰκο occurs 103 times in the NT: master-of-the-house of course (οἰκοδεσπότην), but also buildings (οἰκοδομὰς), builders (οἰκοδομοῦντες), inhabited-world (οἰκουμένη), (house-)manager (οἰκονόμος), home-workers (οἰκουργούς), and even an entity that "is-housing" (οἰκοῦσα)

What an obsession with the word house!
There are a few more, if the root word is reduced to οἰκ.
I know nothing of the NT of course, but has anyone else ever noticed this? Likely
gryan
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Re: Paul builds a house: οἰκοδομέω

Post by gryan »

Cf " ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” Matt 26:61 for another example of this pair of verbs in the context of a first person claim and in the larger context of accusation of transgression.
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