abruptness

ἀπο-κοπή, ἡ, ([etym.] ἀποκόπτω)

A cutting off,

κρατός A.Supp. 841

, cf. Hp.Mochl.34; lopping off a shoot for grafting, M.Ant.11.8: Medic., amputation, Archig. ap. Orib.47.13.3; stoppage,

ἐμμηίνων Sor.1.26

.

2 πεδίων ἀ., prob.their abrupt terminations, Plu.Phil.4, cf. Gp.12.41.1.

3 φωνῆς ἀ. loss of voice, Dsc.2.120, cf. Gal.13.31.

II ἀποκοπαζ χρεῶν cancelling of all debts, And.1.88, Pl.R. 566a, Jusj. ap. D.24.149, etc.

III abruptness, esp. of literary style, Demetr.Eloc. 238; ἀ. ῥυθμοῦ broken rhythm, ib.6;

ἐξ ἀποκοπῆς

abruptly,

D.H.Th.52

; also of disease, ἐξ ἀ. λυθῆναι to be suddenly cured, Gal.7.441.

IV section, extract,

λόγου Tryph.Trop.7

.

V in Gramm., apocope, cutting off of one or more letters, esp. at the end of a word, Arist.Po. 1458b2 (pl.), cf. A.D.Synt.6.11;

κατ' ἀποκοπήν Str.8.5.3

; also of elliptical expressions, such as νὴ τόν, Ph.2.271.

συντέμνω pf. συντέτμηκα. Pass.: aor. 3 pl. συνετμήθησαν Da 9:24 Theod.; pf. 3 sg. συντέτμηται Da 5:27; ptc. συντετμημένος to put a limit to someth., freq. w. implication of abruptness, cut short, shorten, limit (Aeschyl., Thu. et al.; PCairZen 577, 11 [II B.C.]; LXX) of time (Philippides [Com. Att. III 308 Kock] 25 [IV/III B.C.] ὁ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν συντεμὼν εἰς μῆνʼ ἕνα; Da 5:26–28 LXX; 9:24 Theod.; Jos., Ant. 1, 152) τοὺς καιρούς B 4:3. A passage not only of uncertain interpretation, but fraught w. textual difficulties as well, is λόγον συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων ποιήσει ὁ κύριος Ro 9:28 (Is 10:22b–23; these two compounds of συν-are also combined in Da 5:26–28 LXX; sim. Da 9:24 Theod.) the Lord will act by accomplishing (συντελέω 2) his word and by shortening or cutting off; in this case the shortening is thought of as referring either to God’s promise to Israel, which will be fulfilled only to a limited degree (RLipsius, BWeiss), or to the Israelite nation, which is to enter into salvation trimmed and cut down, as a (vs. 27) ‘remnant’ (Jülicher, Sickenberger). Others take it to mean: The Lord will act by closing the account and shortening (the time), i.e. God will not prolong indefinitely the period of divine patience (Zahn; sim. also Hofmann and Althaus; cp. the NRSV ‘the Lord will execute his sentence … quickly and decisively’—Mnesimachus [Com. Att. II 436 Kock] 3, 4 [IV B.C.] σύντεμνε=‘make it short, come to the point’; Musonius p. 87, 6 ἵνα συντεμὼν εἴπω=‘in short’; Psellus p. 232, 31 συντεμὼν τὸν λόγον=I will speak concisely; Philostrat., Vi. Apollon. 7, 14 p. 268, 16 λόγους ξυντεμεῖν πάντας=‘bring the speech to a sudden close’. S. CClassen, WienerStud 107/108, ’94/95, 330f on qu. of rhetorical aspect.).—M-M.