NN

To Susanna #70
A great many things said, and I think that a point-by-point response would be excessively long and the more critical bits could be lost. Instead, I shall keep this to a few core responses.

Every study of this word (hupotasso) which I have ever read and those I know who are actually scholars of ancient Greek have all told me that this word is primarily military in origin and early usage. Other usage such as “to append to” in literary usage, or “to be associated near & under” as used by a Greek playwright (I think it was Aeschylus) were later expansions upon its original usage. If you have some further information on this I would be interested to hear it – but all of my research on that topic to date has been entirely agreed on this point.

Its use in conjunction with an implied unfriendly command can be clearly seen in Luke 10:17,19&20. Since it refers to a command by the disciples to “devils” which the devils are unable to disobey; I would hardly call this a friendship or voluntary situation.

On hupakouoe, the most common usage for this word was “to obey” and it was the word used by Paul to instruct both children and slaves in obedience. To “hearken” or “listen with intent to respond” is another possible translation with the same general object in mind. But the passage says that “Sarah” “hupatasso”-ed Abram [by] “hupakouoe”-ing him and calling him lord/sir (kurios). So we have a word most commonly used for submission (literally “to arrange under”) coupled to a word most commonly used for obedience (literally “to listen with intent to respond/act”) included with her using a title of respect (however exactly you want to translate it – your comment itself indicates that its usage in this passage is one of reverance). Even if you think that the word should not technically be translated obey but stated that Sarai “submitted” by “listening attentively with intent to respond” and by considering her husband respectfully; the implications of the passage are still quite clear.

On the use of hupotasso & God, there are others in which the verb is indirect in its use of us with respect to the things of God (His law, His righteousness,… I don’t recall with exactitude at the moment).