In Rom. 9:20, the
value is contrastive; the apostle's remark is meant to counteract the imaginary
interlocutor's objection to God: "Then why do you blame me? For who can
oppose His will?" To this question, Paul answers: "But in fact, who are
you, man, to answer back to God?" According to Caragounis, menounghe
confirms the insignificant character of man, compared to God.
In Romans 10:18, the
argumentation is similar: to the question that would require an answer in the
negative ("Didn't they hear" - μη ουκ ηκουσαν; Paul responds from a
citation from Psalm 18:5 (LXX): "On the contrary, their voice went through
all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.")
In Philippians 3:7-8,
menounghe is used to strengthen a statement. The Apostle Paul says that
what was a gain for him he considered a loss, for Christ. Then, this time with
reference to the present, he adds: “Well still, I count everything as a loss
compared to the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord." (English
translation of Emanuel Conţac, Dilemele fidelităţii: condiţionări culturale
şi teologice în traducerea Bibliei [Cluh-Napoca, Romania: Logos, 2011], 256)
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