Luke 4:42

When it was day (genomenh hmera). Genitive absolute with aorist middle participle. Mark 1:35 notes it was "a great while before day" (which see for discussion) when Jesus rose up to go after a restless night. No doubt, because of the excitement of the previous sabbath in Capernaum. He went out to pray ( Mark 1:35 ). Sought after him (epezhtoun auton). Imperfect active indicative. The multitudes kept at it until "they came unto him" (hlqon ew autou, aorist active indicative). They accomplished their purpose, ew autou, right up to him. Would have stayed him (kateicon auton). Better, They tried to hinder him. The conative imperfect active of katecw, an old and common verb. It means either to hold fast ( Luke 8:15 ), to take, get possession of ( Luke 14:9 ) or to hold back, to retain, to restrain ( Philemon 1:13 ; Romans 1:18 ; Romans 7:6 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:6 ; Luke 4:42 ). In this passage it is followed by the ablative case. That he should not go from them (tou mh poreuesqai ap autwn). Literally, "from going away from them." The use of mh (not) after kateicon is the neat Greek idiom of the redundant negative after a verb of hindering like the French ne (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1171) .