OT.filter - rwp legal:

rwp@John:4:17 @{I have no husband} (\ouk ech andra\). The Greek \anr\ means either "man" or "husband." She had her "man," but he was not a legal "husband." Her language veils her deceit. {Thou saidst well} (\kals eipes\). Jesus saw through the double sense of her language and read her heart as he only can do, a supernatural gift of which John often speaks (1:48; strkjv@2:24f.; strkjv@5:20|). {For thou hast had five husbands} (\pente gar andras esches\). "For thou didst have five men." Second aorist (constative) active indicative of \ech\. {Is not thy husband} (\ouk estin sou anr\). In the full and legal sense of \anr\, not a mere "man." {This hast thou said truly} (\touto althes eirkas\). "This a true thing thou hast said." Note absence of article with \althes\ (predicate accusative). Perfect active indicative \eirkas\ here, not aorist \eipes\ (verse 17|).

rwp@Matthew:1:18 @{Betrothed to Joseph} (\Mnsteutheiss ti Isph\). Matthew proceeds to explain his statement in strkjv@1:16| which implied that Joseph, though the legal father of Jesus in the royal line, was not the actual father of Mary's Son. Betrothal with the Jews was a serious matter, not lightly entered into and not lightly broken. The man who betrothed a maiden was legally husband (Genesis:29:21; strkjv@Deuteronomy:22:23f.|) and "an informal cancelling of betrothal was impossible" (McNeile). Though they did not live together as husband and wife till actual marriage, breach of faithfulness on the part of the betrothed was treated as adultery and punished with death. _The New Testament in Braid Scots_ actually has "mairry't till Joseph" for "betrothed to Joseph." Matthew uses the genitive absolute construction here, a very common Greek idiom.

rwp@Romans:4:14 @{Be heirs} (\klronomoi\). No predicate in the Greek (\eisin\). See on ¯Galatians:4:1|. If legalists are heirs of the Messianic promise to Abraham (condition of first class, assumed as true for argument's sake), the faith is emptied of all meaning (\kekentai\, perfect passive indicative of \keno\) and the promise to Abraham is made permanently idle (\katrgtai\).