Matt. 5:25

[vir litterarum]

ἰÍ￾σθι εὐνοω̃ν τω̨̃ ἀντιδίκω̨ σου ταχὺ ἑÍ￾ως ὁÍ￾του εἰ̃ μετ' αὐτου̃ ἐν τη̨̃ ὁδω̨̃ μήποτέ σε παÏ￾αδω̨̃ ὁ ἀντίδικος τω̨̃ κÏ￾ιτη̨̃ καὶ ὁ κÏ￾ιτὴς τω̨̃ ὑπηÏ￾έτη̨ καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήση̨
Matt. 5:25

How is "otou" functioning within this verse? I have looked at several translations, and none of them translate it?

[modus.irrealis]

I'd say that εως here is being used as a preposition and οτου refers back to some implied noun meaning "time" or something, so literally εως οτου is something like "[in the time] during which" but it's pretty much equivalent as a whole to "while."

[Bert]

I agree. The word is translated but together with ἕως. Until whichever (time) -> as long as, while.

[vir litterarum]

So it would be a genitive of time at which the clause occurs?

[Bert]

So it would be a genitive of time at which the clause occurs?

No, it is genitive because here ἕως is a preposition that takes its object in the genitive.

[vir litterarum]

Are you sure "ews" can be used as a preposition? I looked my middle LSJ and saw no mention of it.

[modus.irrealis]

Until whichever (time) -> as long as, while.

I translated εως as "during" because the "until which time" --> "while" development makes no sense to me -- do you see how it could happen?

Are you sure "ews" can be used as a preposition? I looked my middle LSJ and saw no mention of it.

It can be a preposition in Koine Greek. If you search the New Testament (a convenient place is http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/gnt/search.html), you'll find lots of examples, e.g. Matt 2:15, και ην εκει εως της τελευτης ΗÏ￾ωδου.

[Bert]

Until whichever (time) -> as long as, while.

I translated εως as "during" because the "until which time" --> "while" development makes no sense to me -- do you see how it could happen?

Yes you are right. In this context, during or while is the correct meaning. With the ὅτου I see it as during whichever (time.) In English you would not need the "which ever time" part. I put it in to try to account for every word. It has become a bit of a stock phrace.

Are you sure "ews" can be used as a preposition? I looked my middle LSJ and saw no mention of it.

It can be a preposition in Koine Greek. If you search the New Testament (a convenient place is http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/gnt/search.html), you'll find lots of examples, e.g. Matt 2:15, και ην εκει εως της τελευτης ΗÏ￾ωδου.

According to BDAG it started to be used as a preposition in the 4th century BC. I looked it up in a small Modern Greek dictionary as well. It still means -as far as- or -until- , but it did not say if it is still used as an adverb. That seems to be how things develop; Adverbs slowly change to prepositions. I learned some koine first and now I am learning Homeric. It took a bit of getting used to to find a "preposition" without an object.