but few are chosen - Mat 22:14
Mat 22:14 has the words [in English] “For many are invited, but few are chosen”
Need help in the Greek – Is there any possibility that the reading could be
‘’’’For all are called but few choose [to answer]””
Some of the Greek Lexicons say CHOSEN [as in I was ELECTED to go] but some allow CHOOSE [as in I did SELECT to go]
[It seems to be God that does the inviting [subject to verb] but who does the choosing [subject to verb ]?]
[[per Forum Rules: this thread is to discus only what the words might be and how to use resources in Logos to figure that out and not on what those words might mean]J]
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Good Question
I think the reading goes as: "For 'many' are called, but few are 'chosen.'" BDAG gives the meaning as, "chosen, to being considered best in the course of a selection..." Who does the choosing? I think its God!
Looking forward to see what some scholars in language might suggest
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David Ames said:
Mat 22:14 has the words [in English] “For many are invited, but few are chosen”
Need help in the Greek – Is there any possibility that the reading could be
‘’’’For all are called but few choose [to answer]””
Some of the Greek Lexicons say CHOSEN [as in I was ELECTED to go] but some allow CHOOSE [as in I did SELECT to go]
[It seems to be God that does the inviting [subject to verb] but who does the choosing [subject to verb ]?]
[[per Forum Rules: this thread is to discus only what the words might be and how to use resources in Logos to figure that out and not on what those words might mean]J]
πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί.We have here something of a play on words with KLHTOI and EKLECTOI which would sound somewhat similar. Κλητοί is used of the guests of Adonijah in the LXX of 1 Kg 1.41
Καὶ ἤκουσεν Αδωνιας καὶ πάντες οἱ κλητοὶ αὐτοῦThis is noted in Moulton and Milligan s.v. κλητός, Ἒκλεκτός is an adjective, not a participle so it does not lend itself to an interpretation of "choose [to answer]." I would always recommend consulting BDAG for any word used in the NT and the Fathers (which I will leave for you to do), but LSJ might also be instructive in this regard
ἐκλεκτός
, ή, όν, picked out, select, Ibyc.22, Th.6.100; τὸ τῶν ἐ. δικαστήριον Pl.Lg.938b; ἐ. δικασταί, = Lat. iudices selecti, OGI499.3 (ii a.d.). Adv. -τῶς interpol. in Suid. s.v. ἐπίλεκτος. 2. choice, pure, σμύρνη LxxEx.30.23; βοήθημα Asclep.ap.Aët.9.12; ἀνδρών PRein.43.9 (ii a.d.); ἐκλεκτόν, = corn, Aq.Ps.64(65).14.
II. chosen of God, elect, LxxIs.43.20, Ev.Marc.13.20, etc.george
gfsomselיְמֵי־שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְאִם בִּגְבוּרֹת שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן
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It would seem to be grammatically impossible (or at least very difficult!) to think of it as meaning "few choose" since the word is not a verb but an adjecive, i.e. a word describing what something/someone is like.
Doing a Bible Word Study seems to back this up - always translated as chosen, elect, chosen one, etc.
www.emmanuelecc.org
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Your question is very good. Additionally, we must consider that no statement of Yeshua can or will contradict Hebrew scripture. Thus, let us compare Matthew 22:14 to the following:
1) Ezekiel 18:30-32
2) Deuteronomy 30:19
In relationship to these two points of scripture, it would seem to me that the English translation for Matthew 22:14 might be better translated as "Many are called but few are choiceful." As an adjective, the English word "choiceful" would fit the theological context of Hebrew scripture and considering that the Greek statement is nominative as referring to the subject of the sentence - the many who are chosen - in fact, it makes sense that very few of the many are actually choiceful about the matter at hand. The issue is this: we are all asked to choose life and good (Deuteronomy 30:19) but more often than not, we war against our flesh and agree with the flesh to choose death and bad (evil); see Romans 7:19. This being said, let us remember that in Hebrew "teshuvah" is derived from the Hebrew root that gives us the idea of a reply or a response to something or someone. Therefore, teshuvah or in English "repentance" is really our response or reply to a divine call to turnaround from death and bad (evil) and to turn towards life and good; that is, to turn FROM the etz hada'at tov v'ra (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) and in doing so, turn TO or towards the etz hachayim (the tree of life).
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David Ames said:
Is there any possibility that the reading could be
‘’’’For all are called but few choose [to answer]””
[quote]Polloi
The Greek term polloi does mean “many”; however, it can be a Semitizing use of the word, and the parable itself suggests it means “all.”
See D. Hagner, Matthew (WBC; Nashville: Nelson Reference, 1995), 632.
Ben Witherington III, Matthew, ed. P. Keith Gammons and R. Alan Culpepper, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2006), 409.[quote]
A matter of some importance is how literally to take the ‘many’ (πολλοί)/‘few’ (ὀλίγοι) language. Meyer37 has offered an attractive case for reading the language against a Semitic background and giving a comparative force to each: ‘More are called [indeed all], but fewer are chosen’.38 If he is right, as I think he is likely to be, we should probably take ὀλίγοι in 7:14 as meaning ‘fewer’ as well, but the two texts do not need to be handled tightly together.
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 891.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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David Ames said:
Mat 22:14 has the words [in English] “For many are invited, but few are chosen”
Need help in the Greek – Is there any possibility that the reading could be
‘’’’For all are called but few choose [to answer]””
Hey David, fwiw, when I have questions like this I take them to the Biblical Hermeneutics Stack exchange site. Great place to ask technical questions like this without needing to worry about forum rules. Hope you find your answer.
Carpe verbum.
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Liam & Abi Maguire said:David Ames said:
Mat 22:14 has the words [in English] “For many are invited, but few are chosen”
Need help in the Greek – Is there any possibility that the reading could be
‘’’’For all are called but few choose [to answer]””
Hey David, fwiw, when I have questions like this I take them to the Biblical Hermeneutics Stack exchange site. Great place to ask technical questions like this without needing to worry about forum rules. Hope you find your answer.
Liam
Thanks for sharing this useful link.[Y]
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Jonathan West said:
It would seem to be grammatically impossible (or at least very difficult!) to think of it as meaning "few choose" since the word is not a verb but an adjective, i.e. a word describing what something/someone is like.
Maybe "few are choosers" making the word describe the person as one who chooses - maybe
Jonathan West said:Doing a Bible Word Study seems to back this up - always translated as chosen, elect, chosen one, etc.
The problem here is that it takes a lot for a translator to step out and say that all the rest were wrong. [Am not saying that the rest were wrong just that if one translator saw a different take on this or any other 'reading' how would the 'establishment' react. Look what happened to Dean Burgon back in the 1880s]
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Liam & Abi Maguire said:
Hey David, fwiw, when I have questions like this I take them to the Biblical Hermeneutics Stack exchange site. Great place to ask technical questions like this without needing to worry about forum rules. Hope you find your answer.
Thanks for the link. will have to examine that site and learn how to search it. [And where were you 9 years ago? ]
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The elect/chosen of whosoever will...God still chooses, but he won’t force you 👍😁👌
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David and David, you are most welcome.
Carpe verbum.
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George Somsel said:
πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί
It is also important not to miss the parallelism of the saying which is characteristic of many of the wisdom-prophetic pronouncements of Jesus. The striking (proverb like) structure of these statements rests on the parallelism. This has implications at the semantic level as well: polloi (many) corresponds to oligoi (few) and kletoi (called) corresponds to ekklectoi (chosen). In other words, the form and meaning of the two words are interconnected and one cannot mean "called" but the other "choose." The parallelism would require either call/choose (which is unsustainable) or called/chosen.
I hope this makes sense.
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