Paul’s term for enemy is grammatically undecidable between active hater and passive hated

Evidence

Just as theostuges may mean “god-hater” as much as “god-hated” (1:30)3° and the “enemy” in “we were enemies” (po), the word for enemy, echthros, can, in this context, equally be read as active or passive. In other words, enemies-and enemies ofGod, with a double genitive-might be those who actively hate God, or they might be those who are subjected to God’s hate. Paul suggests as much when he establishes a parallel between being weak or powerless (“while we were still weak,” 5:6) and being an enemy (“while we were enemies,” po). There is a crucial distinction to be made, of course, between and within these terms, but it nonetheless remains an undecidable one. — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 102 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Paul’s enemies of God are named only as an unnamed they; The Greek word for enemy in Paul’s letters is grammatically both active and passive — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 102; Pauline messianism divides the enemy into hated and beloved — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 114 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The Greek word for enemy in Paul’s letters is grammatically both active and passive #corroborates (0.98) — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 102
• The word for enemy derives from kinship terms meaning brother or cousin #complicates (0.72)