Mark 9 : 42

Greek employs the indefinite relative construction ὃς ἂν (relative pronoun + modal particle); Latin uses the compound indefinite quisquis; Syriac uses the simple relative ܡܢ. All three express the same indefinite sense ('whoever'), but through different grammatical strategies.

Greek uses the partitive genitive construction τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ('of these little ones'); Latin mirrors this with ex his pusillis; Syriac employs ܡܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܙܥܘܪܐ with the demonstrative preceding the adjective, reflecting typical Semitic word order. The semantic content is identical.

The Vulgate inserts a colon after 'in me', creating a stronger syntactic break between the protasis and apodosis. Neither the Greek nor the Peshitta tradition marks this juncture with punctuation, maintaining a smoother syntactic flow.

Greek places the predicate adjective καλόν before the copula ἐστιν, with the dative αὐτῷ following; Latin mirrors this order (bonum est ei); Syriac uses the adjective ܦܩܚ with the enclitic copula ܗܘܐ and pronominal suffix ܠܗ, reflecting typical Syriac syntax. The semantic equivalence is maintained across all three.

Greek μᾶλλον and Latin magis both mean 'rather/more', intensifying the comparative sense. The Peshitta omits an explicit equivalent, allowing the context to carry the comparative force implicitly through the conditional construction.

Greek uses the present middle-passive περίκειται ('is placed around'); Latin uses the imperfect passive subjunctive circumdaretur ('were placed around'); Syriac employs the passive participle ܪܡܝܐ with the perfect copula ܗܘܬ ('had been placed'). The tense-aspect differences reflect each tradition's preferred way of expressing the counterfactual condition.

Greek ὀνικός ('of a donkey') and Latin asinaria ('of a donkey') specify the type of millstone; Syriac ܕܚܡܪܐ likewise means 'of a donkey'. All three traditions agree on this detail, using cognate or equivalent terms for both 'millstone' and 'donkey'.

Greek uses the prepositional phrase περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ ('around his neck') with article and possessive pronoun; Latin uses the simple dative collo ejus ('to/on his neck'); Syriac uses the prepositional phrase ܒܨܘܪܗ ('on his neck') with pronominal suffix. All three express the same locative sense through tradition-specific prepositional constructions.

Greek uses the perfect passive indicative βέβληται ('has been cast'); Latin uses the present passive subjunctive mitteretur ('were cast'); Syriac uses the simple perfect ܫܕܐ ('cast'). The tense-aspect variation reflects each tradition's handling of the counterfactual conditional, with Greek emphasizing the completed state, Latin the hypothetical action, and Syriac the simple perfective.