19 Λέγω MELDING IN THE SEPTUAGINT AND NEW TESTAMENT PAUL DANOVE This study investigates the grammatical phenomenon, λέγω melding, which arises in particular contexts in which two or three verbs of commu- nication, one of which usually is λέγω, govern the same object complement. The study establishes the syntactic, semantic, and lexical requirements of the verbs of communication that participate in λέγω melding, develops the distinctive characteristics of this phenomenon, and considers its implica- tions for translation and the formulation of lexicon entries for the Greek words of the Septuagint and New Testament.1 1. Syntactic, Semantic, and Lexical Requirements of Verbs that Par- ticipate in λέγω Melding Verbs of communication in the Septuagint and New Testament have multiple usages associated with differing connotations; and each usage imposes on its complements specific syntactic, semantic, and lexical requirements. Most of the frequently occurring verbs of communication have a usage which requires completion by three complements that desig- nate the agent of communication, the experiencer of communication, and the content of communication.2 In the active voice, the subject designates the agent, the indirect object designates the experiencer, and the direct object designates the content. The most common verb with this usage is λέγω (say):3 This study develops topics introduced in P. Danove, Linguistics and Exegesis in the 1 Gospel of Mark: Applications of a Case Frame Analysis and Lexicon (Sheffield 2001) 85-90. A majority of the verbs that have these requirements also have a second usage which 2 requires three complements that designate the agent, the experiencer, and the topic about which something is communicated. Generally this topic receives lexical realization as an accusative case noun phrase (N+acc) or as a prepositional phrase (P). A few of these verbs also have a third usage which requires an agent, an experiencer, and both a topic and con- tent. The second (topic) usage does not participate in λέγω melding. The third (topic plus content) usage twice participates in λέγω melding with respect to the content component; and these are treated under the first usage. The analysis employs A. Rahlfs, Septuaginta (Stuttgart 1935) and K. Aland et al., The 3 Greek New Testament (Stuttgart 1993). Codex Vaticanus [B] serves as the basic text for the LXX; and contributions from other manuscripts [Sinaiticus (S), A, R, V, Syro-hexaplaris (Sy)] are noted when they diverge from B. Filología Neotestamentaria - Vol. XVI - 2003, pp. 19-31 Facultad de Filosofía y Letras - Universidad de Córdoba (España)