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Greek Lessons
- Verbal Aspect in New Testament Greek: Imperfective vs. Perfective
- Chiasmus, Inclusio, and Anaphora in New Testament Greek
- Numbered and Named: Genitive Constructions and Enumerated Tribes in Revelation 7:7
- Semantic Range of Greek Verbs in the New Testament: A Case Study on ἀγαπάω and φιλέω
- Released to Serve Anew: Aorist Passives, Participles, and the Tension of Transformation in Romans 7:6
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Category
Monthly Archives: August 2024
If God Is For Us: Rhetorical Questions and the Syntax of Assurance in Romans 8:31
Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα; εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ’ ἡμῶν;
When Grammar Carries Confidence
Romans 8:31 is not merely a theological summary—it is a thunderclap of rhetorical defiance spoken in the syntax of salvation. Paul poses two rhetorical questions that are grammatically simple but spiritually seismic. Each question is structured to provoke faith, not furnish new information. Through a conditional construction and carefully ordered prepositions, this verse teaches believers how to stand in unshakable assurance: not by what they say, but by understanding what is already true because of who God is.
Grammatical Focus: First-Class Condition and Rhetorical InterrogativeThe central clause—εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν—uses a first-class conditional structure.… Learn Koine Greek
Gaining Christ, Counting Loss: Verbal Aspect and Theological Exchange in Philippians 3:8
ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα εἶναι ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω. (Philippians 3:8)
The Grammar of Spiritual Recalculation
In Philippians 3:8, Paul intensifies his renunciation of all worldly credentials by placing them in stark contrast with “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” The Greek text conveys a process of ongoing evaluation and completed loss through a powerful sequence of indicative and infinitive verbs, present and aorist forms, and purpose clauses. The result is not just an accounting metaphor—it is a grammar of spiritual exchange.… Learn Koine Greek
Hebrews 8:4 and the Greek of Priesthood and Legal Qualification
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐδ’ ἂν ἦν ἱερεύς, ὄντων τῶν ἱερέων τῶν προσφερόντων κατὰ τὸν νόμον τὰ δῶρα,
For if indeed he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there are priests offering the gifts according to the law. (Hebrews 8:4)
Conditional Clauses and Theological Logic εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐπὶ γῆς This is the protasis of a second-class (contrary-to-fact) conditional clause. εἰ (“if”) with imperfect ἦν (“he were”) implies a hypothetical scenario contrary to reality: Christ is not on earth. The phrase ἐπὶ γῆς (“on earth”) contrasts with his heavenly ministry (cf. Heb. 8:1–2).… Learn Koine Greek