Light Giver 18

The phrase ταῦτα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν προσηύχετο (“he prayed these things to his own self”) from the Nestle 1904 and Westcott and Hort 1881 editions suggests a reflective prayer, emphasizing the Separatist's inward focus. The preposition πρὸς (“to”) combined with ἑαυτὸν (“himself”) underscores that he is addressing his prayer to his own self, but it is going nowhere.

However, the textual variant σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο (found in editions like the RP Byzantine Majority Text 2005 and Greek Orthodox Church) shifts the sense subtly to avoid this meaning.

The change in syntax and punctuation across manuscripts — particularly the placement of "πρὸς ἑαυτὸν" — crafts a significant shift. 

The common translation of ἱλάσθητί as "be merciful" is misleading, undertranslated at best. The term derives from ἱλάσκομαι, meaning “to make propitiation” or “to appease wrath,” and is used in contexts of atonement, not mere compassion. It more properly conveys a plea for divine reconciliation or expiation of guilt, akin to the Hebrew כפר (kipper).

παρ' with the accusative, according to LSJ, Bailly, Thayer's, etc. primarily indicates proximity or direction, often denoting physical movement towards or along something (e.g., "near," "alongside"). This usage is seen in expressions like "towards the ships" or "alongside the coast."

However, παρ' can also extend metaphorically, especially when used to convey a sense of comparison, origin, or relation (e.g., "in relation to," "from the side of"). In such cases, the accusative would be used not to mark physical direction, but a figurative or relational reference.

The problem with this lies in the ambiguity and the use of a past tense "he descended rather than" which is simply not a coherent saying. Also, the word "rather" was added in. The fact that translations such as the KJV place "rather" in italics reflects their translators' awareness that the word is not present in the Greek text but is supplied interpretively to reflect what they believe to be the intended sense:

"this man went down to his house justified rather than the other:"

(KJV)

Furthermore, the variant readings of later manuscripts bear witness to the awkwardness — κατέβη οὗτος δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἢ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος — attested in some later manuscripts, shows that early copyists and readers perceived παρ’ ἐκεῖνον as ambiguous or problematic. Problematic enough to change it. This change introduces ἢ γὰρ ("for rather" or "for than"), a construction that makes the contrast unambiguously comparative, likely motivated by the desire to clarify what they assumed the original seemed to imply but did not state overtly.

Textually, the presence of such a gloss reveals that the original reading — while syntactically sound — lacked sufficient clarity for later audiences, prompting them to "correct" it. This in turn provides indirect but strong support for the conclusion that the παρ’ ἐκεῖνον construction was not the most natural or expected way to express a comparative contrast.

To express unambiguously in Greek the sense “this man went down justified and not the other,” the clearest classical or Koine formulation would be:

οὗτος ἔβη δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, οὐχ ὁ ἕτερος.
This one went down to his house justified, not the other.

Alternatively, if one wants to be explicit with syntactic clarity, one would write:

οὗτος ἔβη δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ ἐκείνου.
This one went down to his house justified instead of that one.

This second version introduces the explicit ἀντὶ ἐκείνου — “instead of that one”, a construction well-attested for expressing substitution, exchange, comparison, etc. (cf. LSJ. ἀντί, A.III). This would eliminate ambiguity for both ancient and modern readers.

(cf. Thayer's entry on παρά, and Bailly's treatment of the preposition).

Unfavorably Docked

"δυσ-κόλος"

A compound of δυσ- (bad/poorly) and κόλος. The adjective κόλος, -ος, -ον is primarily used to describe something that is "truncated" or "cut short", "having a part lopped off", "reduced to a stump" with specific applications that extend this meaning to particular objects or features. Here's a detailed explanation of the two primary senses:

General Meaning: "Truncated" or "Cut Short"

• This is the primary and broadest sense of κόλος, used to indicate that something is shortened, incomplete, or lacking part of its original form.
• Example:
  • Homer, Iliad 16.117:
    

    Ἕκτωρ Αἴαντος δόρυ μείλινον ἄγχι παραστὰς πλῆξ᾽ ἄορι μεγάλῳ αἰχμῆς παρὰ καυλὸν ὄπισθεν, ἀντικρὺ δ᾽ ἀπάραξε: τὸ μὲν Τελαμώνιος Αἴας πῆλ᾽ αὔτως ἐν χειρὶ κόλον δόρυ, τῆλε δ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ αἰχμὴ χαλκείη χαμάδις βόμβησε πεσοῦσα.

    “Hector, standing near Ajax’s ashen spear, struck it with a great sword near the socket behind the spearhead, and completely sheared it off. Telamonian Ajax was left holding the truncated [κόλον] spear in his hand as it was, while the bronze spearhead fell far from him, clanging to the ground as it fell.”

    In this passage from Homer’s Iliad (Book 16.114–125), the word κόλος is used to describe the truncated spear of Ajax (“κόλον δόρυ”). Hector strikes Ajax’s spear near its shaft with a great sword, severing the bronze tip and rendering the weapon ineffective. The term κόλον, meaning “truncated” or “mutilated,” vividly illustrates the destruction of the spear and signifies Ajax’s sudden disadvantage in battle.

This is not derived from κόλον meaning the large intestine or colon in anatomy or a clause (in rhetoric), a part of a sentence. Related is the word δυσκολός which used of persons literally means hard to satisfy with food (cf. Ath. 6.262a), and from this are various idiomatic uses such as "unpleasant," "hard to please" or "troublesome." Thus the rendering of "how difficult to enter" is quite inaccurate on the grounds that the proper Greek word for such an expression is χαλεπός, (difficult, hard, grievious, and hardly, with difficulty) which is not used.

(Cf. LSJ, Bailly, A. (2024), Pape, Cunliffe, Autenrieth, Middle Liddell)