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Εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς ἑαυτούς, Ποῦ οὗτος μέλλει πορεύεσθαι ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐχ εὑρήσομεν αὐτόν; Μὴ εἰς τὴν διασπορὰν τῶν Ἑλλήνων μέλλει πορεύεσθαι, καὶ διδάσκειν τοὺς Ἕλληνας;
RBT Greek Interlinear:
Strongs 2036  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Eipon
Εἶπον
I/they said
V-AIA-3P
Strongs 3767  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
oun
οὖν
therefore
Conj
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
hoi
οἱ
the
Art-NMP
Strongs 2453  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Ioudaioi
Ἰουδαῖοι
Casters
Adj-NMP
Strongs 4314  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
pros
πρὸς
toward
Prep
Strongs 1438  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
heautous
ἑαυτούς
themselves
RefPro-AM3P
Strongs 4226  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Pou
Ποῦ
Where
Adv
Strongs 3778  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
houtos
οὗτος
this one
DPro-NMS
Strongs 3195  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
mellei
μέλλει
is destined
V-PIA-3S
Strongs 4198  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
poreuesthai
πορεύεσθαι
to lead across
V-PNM/P
Strongs 3754  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
hoti
ὅτι
because/that
Conj
Strongs 1473  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
hēmeis
ἡμεῖς
we
PPro-N1P
Strongs 3756  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
ouch
οὐχ
not
Adv
Strongs 2147  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
heurēsomen
εὑρήσομεν
will find
V-FIA-1P
Strongs 846  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
auton
αὐτόν
himself
PPro-AM3S
Strongs 3361  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus

μὴ
not
Adv
Strongs 1519  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
eis
εἰς
into
Prep
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
tēn
τὴν
the
Art-AFS
Strongs 1290  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Diasporan
Διασπορὰν
Dispersion
N-AFS
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
tōn
τῶν
the
Art-GMP
Strongs 1672  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Hellēnōn
Ἑλλήνων
Greeks
N-GMP
Strongs 3195  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
mellei
μέλλει
is destined
V-PIA-3S
Strongs 4198  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
poreuesthai
πορεύεσθαι
to lead across
V-PNM/P
Strongs 2532  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
kai
καὶ
and
Conj
Strongs 1321  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
didaskein
διδάσκειν
to teach
V-PNA
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
tous
τοὺς
the
Art-AMP
Strongs 1672  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Hellēnas
Ἕλληνας
Greeks
N-AMP
RBT Hebrew Literal:
Ἕλληνας - Greeks, Pagans, Heathen, Outsiders
Therefore the Casters said toward their own selves, "Where is this one destined to lead over, because we, ourselves are not finding himself? He's not destined to lead over into the Scattering of the Outsiders and teach the Outsiders!79c
Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
Then said the Jews among themselves, Where is he about to go, that we shall not find him? is he not about to go to the dispersion of the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
LITV Translation:
Then the Jews said amongst themselves, Where is this one about to go that we will not find him? Is he about to go to the Dispersion of the Greeks, and to teach the Greeks?
ESV Translation:
The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?

Footnotes

79c

To the Highways and Byways

Ἕλλην (Hellēn) acquired the religio-cultural meaning of ‘outcast/gentile’ within certain Second Temple and early Christian contexts, especially in Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian literature. 

1. Original Ethnic Meaning:

In archaic and classical Greek, Ἕλλην referred strictly to Greeks—initially a tribe from Thessaly, then all Greek-speaking peoples united by language, religion, and culture.

2. Religious and Cultural Reframing (LXX and NT):

In Septuagint (LXX) and New Testament Greek, Ἕλληνες came to mean Gentiles, i.e., non-Jews. This reflects not merely an ethnic, but a religio-cultural binary:

  • Ἕλληνες vs. Ἰουδαῖοι (Jews) "Casters"

    • Isaiah 9:12 LXX: "The Syrians from the east and the Hellenes from the west..."

    • 1 Maccabees 1–2: Hellenistic customs are associated with apostasy and cultural betrayal.

    • Romans 1:16: "To the Jew first and also to the Gentiles/Greek [Ἕλλην]” – here signifying non-Jews, i.e., pagans.

This binary acquired a moral-religious dimension: The Ἕλλην is not just an outsider ethnically, but spiritually alien, often associated with idolatry, licentiousness, or philosophical pride in early Christian polemic.

3. The Sense of "Outcast/Outsider"

While Ἕλλην was once a title of cultural prestige, in Jewish and early Christian thought, it would carry connotations of foreignness and alienation from divine covenant and moral distance from Jewish law or Christian gospel. In some Christian fathers: "Hellene" = unbeliever, pagan, idolater, to be distinguished from the "community of the faithful."

Thus, in this religious reconfiguration, Ἕλλην functioned semi-synonymously with:

  • ἔθνη (the nations)

  • ἀλλόφυλος (foreign tribes)

  • ἀνόσιος (unholy)

Overall, it religiously and culturally marked a person as “outside” the "elect community."