Conditionals in the New Testament: Interpretation and Translation

Abstract

There are over six hundred conditional sentences in the Greek New Testament, defined as sentences consisting of two clauses, one of which contains the conjunction εἰ or ἐάν and expresses the condition under which the other clause holds. The conditions which εἰ and ἐάν introduce encompass a wide range of meanings, which are unlikely to be expressed by any single conjunction, particle, or construction in another language. Understanding the range of meanings associated with Greek conditional constructions is therefore an essential first step in translating them appropriately. This paper describes the various constructions that are used in New Testament Greek to express conditionality (following the traditional classification of conditionals), demonstrating that the form of each construction does not entirely determine how it should be interpreted. The paper also looks at constructions containing εἰ or ἐάν that express specific meanings, which may be more or less conditional in nature.