Mark 6 : 20

Greek ἐφοβεῖτο is a synthetic imperfect middle-passive; the Peshitta renders durative aspect periphrastically with ܕܚܠ ܗܘܐ (perfect + enclitic ܗܘܐ), the standard Syriac means of expressing past continuous action. The Latin metuebat collapses this into a single imperfect, matching the Greek morphology.

Greek marks the object of fearing with the accusative τὸν Ἰωάννην and Latin likewise uses the bare accusative Joannem; Syriac introduces the object with the preposition ܡܢ ('from'), reflecting the idiom ܕܚܠ ܡܢ ('to be afraid of') in which the verb of fearing governs its object prepositionally.

Greek and Latin use a perfect/present participle (εἰδώς / sciens, 'knowing'); the Peshitta converts the circumstantial participle into a causal subordinate clause introduced by ܥܠ ܕ ('because that') with the periphrastic past ܝܕܥ ܗܘܐ, an idiomatic Syriac means of representing the participial cause.

Greek and Latin express the predicate of the indirect statement with a bare accusative noun (ἄνδρα / virum, 'a man'); the Peshitta uses a full nominal clause ܕܓܒܪܐ ܗܘ ('that he is a man') with the relative particle ܕ and the third-person enclitic pronoun ܗܘ functioning as copula, a syntactically distinct but semantically equivalent rendering.

The Clementine Vulgate inserts a colon after sanctum, marking the close of the participial clause and the resumption of the main narrative. This editorial punctuation has no counterpart in the unpointed Greek or Syriac textual base.

Greek συνετήρει and Latin custodiebat are synthetic imperfects ('he protected/kept safe'); the Peshitta again employs the periphrastic past ܡܢܛܪ ܗܘܐ to convey the same durative force, consistent with its handling of ἐφοβεῖτο above.

Greek and Latin open the new clause with the connective καί / et followed by the participle of hearing; the Syriac fuses the connective into the prefixed ܘ of ܘܣܓܝܐܬܐ, placing the adverbial 'much' immediately after the conjunction, a reordering of the clause head.

A significant textual divergence: the NA28 reads ἠπόρει ('he was perplexed/at a loss'), supported by א B L; the Latin faciebat and the Peshitta ܘܥܒܕ ('and he did/acted') reflect the Byzantine variant ἐποίει ('he did [many things]'). The Vulgate and Peshitta therefore agree against the critical Greek text in attesting the 'doing' reading.

Greek ἤκουεν and Latin audiebat are synthetic imperfects; the Peshitta closes the verse with its third periphrastic past construction ܫܡܥ ܗܘܐ, maintaining its consistent strategy for representing Greek imperfective aspect throughout this verse.