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Greek Lessons
- Vindicated at the Table: How Speech Condemns and Grammar Acquits
- Carried, Not Carrying: The Grammar That Topples Boasting
- Spliced into Abundance: The Grammar of Displacement and Participation in ἐνεκεντρίσθης
- When the Heart Expands Toward Ruin: The Grammar of Self-Watchfulness
- Living, Begetting, Dying: The Grammar of Time and Continuity
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Category
Monthly Archives: June 2021
Crasis in New Testament Greek
Definition of Crasis
Crasis (Greek: κρᾶσις) is a linguistic phenomenon in Greek where two adjacent words, especially when one ends in a vowel and the next begins with a vowel, combine to form a single word. The term itself means “mixing” or “blending,” which captures the essence of this contraction process. Crasis primarily occurs to simplify pronunciation, creating a smoother flow of speech by avoiding the need to articulate two consecutive vowel sounds. In New Testament Greek, crasis is most commonly seen with the conjunction καὶ (“and”) blending with pronouns, articles, or particles that begin with vowels.
Function and Importance in New Testament GreekThe presence of crasis in New Testament Greek helps to streamline phrases, making them easier to say and, in some cases, more efficient to write.… Learn Koine Greek
Anchoring in Ptolemais: The Movement and Fellowship of Acts 21:7
Ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν πλοῦν διανύσαντες ἀπὸ Τύρου κατηντήσαμεν εἰς Πτολεμαΐδα, καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐμείναμεν ἡμέραν μίαν παρ’ αὐτοῖς (Acts 21:7)
And we, having completed the voyage from Tyre, arrived at Ptolemais; and having greeted the brothers, we stayed one day with them.
Acts 21:7 doesn’t dwell on drama or detail, but its Greek quietly communicates movement, completion, and the warmth of Christian fellowship. From the ship’s journey to the greeting of the brothers, the sentence is rhythmically tight—narrating transitions both geographical and relational.
Grammatical FoundationsThe participle διανύσαντες (having completed the voyage) comes from διανύω, a compound verb stressing completion through or across something.… Learn Koine Greek
Gentle Restoration: Syntax, Subjunctive Contingency, and Spiritual Vigilance in Galatians 6:1
Ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν καὶ προληφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐν πνεύματι πρᾳότητος σκοπῶν σεαυτόν, μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς. (Galatians 6:1)
Brothers, even if a person is caught in some transgression, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, watching yourself, lest you also be tempted.
Conditional Compassion Through GrammarGalatians 6:1 opens Paul’s concluding ethical exhortations by urging believers to restore the fallen with gentleness. The verse is a rich example of how Koine Greek syntax combines conditional structure, participial reasoning, and reflexive admonition. A conditional sentence governs the whole thought, embedding within it a call to action and self-awareness.… Learn Koine Greek
