Acts 7:46

Dear all,

Is there a way to tell when a dative form of X is used with the meaning “for X”? I have always taken it to be “to X” by default when used as an adverb of a verb unless the verb does not allow “to X”. Does the meaning of such a dative depend on the verb alone? An example would be Acts 7:46-49: “… and requested to find [a] tabernacle for the God of Jacob, but Solomon builded for him [a] house … the heaven [is] [a] throne for me … what house will you build for me?”

David Lim

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2 thoughts on “Acts 7:46

  1. Mark Lightman says:

    Hi, David,

    Indeed there is. In the award winning formulation of Mr. George Somsel, Context is King, here, there, and everywhere.

    < I have always taken it to be "to X" by default when used as an adverb of a verb unless the verb does not allow "to X".>

    Your rule implies that “to X” is the more common sense of the dative as opposed to “for X” or “to the disadvantage of X” or “as far as X goes” or “by means of X” or “along with X” or a million other ways to construe this case. You may be right. I haven’t counted up the numbers. But it seems to me that a better rule is “Context is King.”

    ερρωσο

    Mark L Φωσφορος

    FWSFOROS MARKOS

    ________________________________ Sent: Fri, April 8, 2011 10:35:47 PM

    Dear all,

    Is there a way to tell when a dative form of X is used with the meaning “for X”? I have always taken it to be “to X” by default when used as an adverb of a verb unless the verb does not allow “to X”. Does the meaning of such a dative depend on the verb alone? An example would be Acts 7:46-49: “… and requested to find [a] tabernacle for the God of Jacob, but Solomon builded for him [a] house … the heaven [is] [a] throne for me … what house will you build for me?”

    David Lim

  2. Mark Lightman says:

    Hi, David,

    Indeed there is. In the award winning formulation of Mr. George Somsel, Context is King, here, there, and everywhere.

    < I have always taken it to be "to X" by default when used as an adverb of a verb unless the verb does not allow "to X".>

    Your rule implies that “to X” is the more common sense of the dative as opposed to “for X” or “to the disadvantage of X” or “as far as X goes” or “by means of X” or “along with X” or a million other ways to construe this case. You may be right. I haven’t counted up the numbers. But it seems to me that a better rule is “Context is King.”

    ερρωσο

    Mark L Φωσφορος

    FWSFOROS MARKOS

    ________________________________ Sent: Fri, April 8, 2011 10:35:47 PM

    Dear all,

    Is there a way to tell when a dative form of X is used with the meaning “for X”? I have always taken it to be “to X” by default when used as an adverb of a verb unless the verb does not allow “to X”. Does the meaning of such a dative depend on the verb alone? An example would be Acts 7:46-49: “… and requested to find [a] tabernacle for the God of Jacob, but Solomon builded for him [a] house … the heaven [is] [a] throne for me … what house will you build for me?”

    David Lim

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