Repeated Negation; or, Many Noes
Repeated Negation; or, Many Noes
The Repetition of divers Negatives
This seems to deserve a place by itself, though the Greeks did not classify it, or name it. They used it, however, and this is the all-important point.
It is a special form of Synonymia, the synonyms being negatives of different kinds heaped together for a special purpose.
Negatives are repeated even in English to strengthen and increase the emphasis: just as we say No, no, No, I will not. But in the Greek this is done much more emphatically. Two or more negatives are used to strengthen the assertion.
These negatives are (ou) and (mee), which both equally mean no or not.
As we are now considering their combined use we need not too closely define their separate use. Otherwise we might enlarge on the fact that the one, (ou), denies absolutely what is a matter of fact, and negatives an affirmation: the other (mee) denies hypothetically what is implied, and negatives a supposition.
This difference may be seen in such passages as 1Co 2:14 (). Joh 3:18, where we have in the first sentence, and (both times) in the second.
Mat 22:29.-Ye do err not (, mee), knowing the Scriptures. Here the (mee) denies subjectively, not absolutely, implying that though they did actually know the letter, they did not wish to know their truth.
When however they and their compounds, (oude mee), and (oude ou mee), are used together, this difference is sunk, and the combination produces a most solemn and emphatic asseveration.
Indeed, so strong is it, that whenever man used it the result always belied it. See:-
Mat 16:22 : where Peter says This shall not be unto thee. But it was.
Joh 13:8 : Peter says again, Thou shalt never wash my feet. But Christ did.
Mat 26:35 : where Peter affirms I will not deny thee. But he did.
Joh 20:25 : Thomas says, Except I shall see, etc., I will not believe. But he did.
On the other hand, our Lord often used this figure: and, whenever He did so, He always made it good:-
Mat 5:18.-Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle* [Note: This is a little ornament something like a fleur-de-lis over certain letters. The Hebrew name for this is Taag, or little crown (plural Taagim). The Greek is (keraia), a little horn, which is exactly what the Taag is. See The Massorah, by the same author and publisher, One Shilling. The jot or yod is the smallest letter of the alphabet. For full information on this subject see Dr. Ginsburgs Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, published by the Trinitarian Bible Society.] shall in no wise pass from the law, etc. Here we have the certainty of Divine Truth.
Mat 5:20.-Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Here we have the absolute necessity of Divine righteousness.
Mat 5:26.-Thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Here we have the inflexibility of Divine justice.
Mat 13:14.-As in Act 28:26, we have here the solemn announcement concerning Israels judicial blindness, emphasising and strengthening its certainty.
Mat 16:28.-The certainty of His promise as to the manifestation of His coming glory (see 17:1-5, and 2Pe 1:16-18).
Mat 18:3.-The absolute necessity of conversion.
Mat 23:39.-The certainty of His words concerning the conditions as to His return.
Mat 24:2.-Completeness of the overthrow and dismemberment of the Temple.
Mat 24:21.-The greatness of the tribulation.
Mat 24:34.-The fact that when once these things begin to come to pass (, not , compare Luk 21:24; Luk 21:32), that generation which sees the abomination of desolation set up (verse 15) shall see all these things come to pass.
Mat 24:35.-The inviolability of Christs words.
Mat 26:29.-The certitude of Christs pledge (Mar 14:25. Luk 22:18).
Luk 6:37.-The certainty of divers promises. So Luk 10:19.
Luk 18:7.-The speediness of the Divine avenging.
Luk 18:30.-The certainty of the future recompense.
Luk 21:18.-The perfectness of Divine protection.
Luk 22:67-68.-The accuracy of the Lords foreknowledge.
Joh 4:14.-The satisfying power of the Divine gifts.
Joh 4:48.-The obstinacy of unbelief.
Joh 6:35.-The satisfying power of the bread of life.
Joh 8:12.-The perfection of the Divine light.
Joh 8:51-52.-Eternal security for the keepers of Christs sayings.
Joh 10:5.-The miraculous power of His sheeps spiritual instinct.
Joh 10:28.-The Divine preservation of Christs sheep.
Joh 11:26.-The certainty of being changed in a moment for those who are alive and remain till His coming.
Once this repeated negation was used by an angel-Gabriel, in Luk 1:15, of John the Baptist, that he shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And this was perfectly fulfilled (Mat 11:18).
But there is one more use of the figure by Christ, so blessed and so important that we have reserved it to the last:-
Joh 6:37.-All ( , pan ho, everything) that the Father giveth me shall come to (, heexei, will reach) me; and him that cometh ( , ton erchomenon, he who is on his way to) to me I will in no wise cast out.
The repeated not in the Greek is thus beautifully rendered, and George Keith effectively sums it up in his hymn on Heb 13:5 : I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, where we have the in both clauses:-
The soul that on Jesus has fled for repose,
He cannot, He will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
Hell never, no never, no never forsake.
4. Repetition of Sentences and phrases
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