1 Corinthians 16:20
ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες. ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι.
Literal Translation: All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a kiss.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek
- ἀσπάζονται: Present middle indicative third person plural of ἀσπάζομαι (“to greet”). Koine often uses the middle for reflexive or reciprocal social actions like greetings, blessings, or farewells.
- ὑμᾶς: Accusative plural pronoun serving as the object of ἀσπάζονται. Koine tends to explicitly include pronouns for clarity and emphasis in community-focused exhortations.
- οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες: Subject phrase with definite article and adjective. Koine often places the adjective after the noun for emphasis—“the brothers, all of them.”
- ἀσπάσασθε: Aorist middle imperative second person plural of ἀσπάζομαι (“greet!”). Aorist imperative used in Koine for general or complete action, often to convey moral or ritual finality.
- ἀλλήλους: Reciprocal pronoun in the accusative (“one another”). Very common in Koine ethical and ecclesial instructions emphasizing mutual care.
- ἐν φιλήματι: Preposition ἐν + dative singular of φίλημα (“kiss”). Indicates means or manner—“with a kiss.” The phrase likely connotes the ritual or communal “holy kiss.”
2. Classical Greek Grammar Comparison
- Middle Voice: Classical Greek uses the middle voice more sparingly and with greater nuance. In Koine, the middle is increasingly used in fixed expressions like ἀσπάζομαι where the sense is inherently mutual or reflexive.
- Pronoun Clarity: Classical Greek often omits object pronouns when context suffices. Koine prefers their inclusion for relational and rhetorical force, as in ὑμᾶς.
- Word Order: οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες in Classical Greek might appear as πάντες οἱ ἀδελφοί depending on emphasis. Koine often places the adjective at the end of the phrase to highlight it.
- Imperative Usage: Both Classical and Koine use the aorist imperative, but Koine simplifies the range of imperatives and often favors the aorist for collective or ritual exhortation, such as ἀσπάσασθε.
- Ritual Expressions: Phrases like ἐν φιλήματι gain specific liturgical meaning in Koine (especially in Paul’s letters), whereas Classical Greek would use a more neutral or descriptive phrase for gestures of affection.
3. Syntactic and Structural Differences
- Elliptical Parallelism: The structure ἀσπάζονται… ἀσπάσασθε creates a rhetorical mirror: “They greet you—so greet one another.” Koine favors such balanced imperatives to structure communal instruction.
- Reciprocity Emphasis: The use of ἀλλήλους in command form reinforces early Christian emphasis on communal mutuality. Classical Greek uses such constructions but less frequently in imperative chains.
- Simplified Clause Style: Koine expresses warmth and command in simple, uncluttered clauses. Classical Greek would often embed such sentiments into more formally developed compound sentences.
4. Phonological Notes
- Middle Endings: Verbs like ἀσπάζονται would be pronounced with clearer final syllables in Classical Greek. Koine flattens -ονται to [onde] or [ote] phonetically.
- Iotacism: The ει in φιλήματι was once distinct ([ei̯]) but pronounced as [i] in Koine Greek, contributing to sound convergence across forms.
- Accent Shift: Pitch-based stress in Classical Greek (e.g., ἀσπάζονται with melodic movement) became stress-based in Koine, highlighting the accented syllable only.
5. Summary Table of Grammatical Evolution
| Feature | Classical Greek | Koine Greek |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Voice Use | More selective, nuanced | Frequent in social expressions |
| Reciprocal Pronouns | Less frequent in imperatives | Common in ethical exhortations |
| Word Order | More flexible, varied | Adjective often post-nominal |
| Imperative Tense Preference | Present vs. Aorist aspect-sensitive | Aorist for decisive, full action |
| Liturgical Formulae | Absent | ἐν φιλήματι gains ritual connotation |
6. What This Verse Tells Us About the Evolution of Greek
1 Corinthians 16:20 is a simple yet deeply communal Koine moment. The aorist imperative ἀσπάσασθε paired with ἀλλήλους distills the Christian ethos of mutual recognition into a grammatically succinct ritual: the kiss of peace. It’s action-driven storytelling applied to community life.
Classical Greek would have shaped such a farewell differently—more indirectly, perhaps embedded in a larger sentence. But Koine speaks plainly, directly, warmly. It is the language of shared life, relational grammar, and love with lips and syntax alike.
