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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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Author Archives: New Testament Greek
“ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα”: The Spiritual Sequence of Endurance (Romans 5:4)
From Endurance to Hope
In Romans 5:3–4, Paul outlines a logical and spiritual progression that turns affliction into character and hope:
ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα “And endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.”
These two clauses form part of a spiritual sequence: θλῖψις → ὑπομονὴ → δοκιμή → ἐλπίς Paul presents this not merely as moral development, but as God’s transformative work in suffering.
ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα Morphological Breakdown ἡ {hē} – Form: nominative feminine singular definite article; Refers to: each subject noun (first ὑπομονὴ, then δοκιμὴ). δὲ {de} – Form: coordinating conjunction; Meaning: “and,” “but”; Usage: links logical or sequential steps—here, marking movement from one stage to another.… Learn Koine Greek
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The Fellowship of the Journey: A Missionary Team in Acts 20:4
Acts 20:4 lists the companions of Paul as he journeys through Macedonia and prepares to return to Asia. This verse comes after Paul has encouraged believers in the region and is heading toward Jerusalem with the collection for the saints. The travel narrative subtly underscores the unity and diversity of Paul’s ministry partners, drawing from different churches and regions — a living portrait of the universal Church.
Structural Analysisσυνείπετο δὲ αὐτῷ ἄχρι τῆς Ἀσίας Σώπατρος Βεροιαῖος, Θεσσαλονικέων δὲ Ἀρίσταρχος καὶ Σεκοῦνδος, καὶ Γάϊος Δερβαῖος καὶ Τιμόθεος, Ἀσιανοὶ δὲ Τυχικὸς καὶ Τρόφιμος.
The main verb συνείπετο (“was accompanying”) governs the whole verse.… Learn Koine Greek
The Stirred Waters: Imperfects, Participles, and the Rhythm of Healing
Ἄγγελος γὰρ κατὰ καιρὸν κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ, καὶ ἐταράσσετο τὸ ὕδωρ· ὁ οὖν πρῶτος ἐμβὰς μετὰ τὴν ταραχὴν τοῦ ὕδατος ὑγιὴς ἐγίνετο ᾧ δήποτε κατείχετο νοσήματι. (John 5:4)
For an angel would come down at a certain time into the pool, and the water would be stirred. Then the first who stepped in after the stirring of the water would become healthy, whatever disease he was held by.
A Verse in QuestionJohn 5:4, though absent from the earliest manuscripts, reflects a well-known tradition about the pool of Bethesda: an angel would periodically descend, stir the waters, and the first person to enter would be healed.… Learn Koine Greek
The Perfect Tense Crucified: Verbal Aspect and Mystical Union in Galatians 2:20
In Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ (Galatians 2:20), Paul proclaims one of the most profound expressions of Christian identity — but he does so through the perfect passive indicative of συνεσταύρωμαι. This isn’t just a tense. It is theology. In Greek, the perfect describes a past action with present results. Paul’s crucifixion with Christ isn’t merely a historical event — it is an ongoing identity. The grammar itself sustains the mystical union he declares.… Learn Koine Greek
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Shepherding the Flock: Greek Imperatives of Willing Oversight in 1 Peter 5:2
1 Peter 5:2 opens the final chapter of the letter with exhortations to elders, those tasked with guiding the Christian community during times of persecution and internal tension. The verse sits in a section that transitions from suffering to leadership, showing how shepherds are to model Christ’s care amidst communal trials. The shift from external suffering (chapter 4) to internal shepherding (chapter 5) marks a pastoral turn in the epistle’s trajectory.
Structural AnalysisThe verse contains a main imperative and two participial expansions structured around a triple contrast:
ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπισκοποῦντες (modifying ποιμάνατε) μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, ἀλλ’ ἑκουσίως μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς, ἀλλὰ προθύμως
The command ποιμάνατε (“shepherd!”)… Learn Koine Greek
“διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων”: Participial Genitive of Means in Mark 16:20
Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἐκήρυξαν πανταχοῦ,
τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων. (Mark 16:20)
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.
Signs That FollowThe longer ending of Mark concludes with a beautiful note of divine validation:
τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων “confirming the word through the signs that followed.”
The prepositional phrase διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων functions to express the means by which the word was being confirmed. The participle ἐπακολουθούντων is present active genitive plural, emphasizing that these signs were not isolated miracles, but ongoing accompaniment—a continual aftermath of faithful preaching.… Learn Koine Greek
“βεβαιοῦντος”: Present Participial Confirmation of the Word in Mark 16:20
Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἐκήρυξαν πανταχοῦ,
τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων. (Mark 16:20)
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.
A Gospel ConfirmedThe final line of Mark’s Gospel (long ending) says:
τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων “…the Lord working with them, and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”
The participle βεβαιοῦντος {veveoúndos} is a present active genitive singular participle from βεβαιόω. It belongs to the second half of a double genitive absolute and describes God’s continuous, active confirmation of the apostolic message by supernatural means.… Learn Koine Greek
“τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος…”: Genitive Absolute and Divine Participation in Mark 16:20
Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἐκήρυξαν πανταχοῦ,
τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος, καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων. (Mark 16:20)
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.
Signs of a Cooperative KingdomMark 16:20 concludes with a profound description of divine activity.
The phrase τοῦ κυρίου συνεργοῦντος… καὶ… βεβαιοῦντος is a classic genitive absolute construction, independent from the main clause. It describes what God was doing concurrently with the apostles’ mission. This grammatical construction teaches that the spread of the gospel was not merely human effort—but divine-human synergy, empowered and authenticated by God Himself.… Learn Koine Greek
The Appointed Time: Grammatical Revelation and Apostolic Commission in Titus 1:3
Ἐφανέρωσε δὲ καιροῖς ἰδίοις τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐν κηρύγματι ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, (Titus 1:3)
But he revealed his word at the proper times through preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our Savior.
God’s Word Revealed: Literary and Theological Context of Titus 1:3This verse continues Paul’s tightly constructed theological introduction to the letter to Titus. It connects God’s eternal purpose (v. 2) with the historical manifestation of that purpose through apostolic proclamation. The grammar balances aorist revelation, dative means, relative clauses, and prepositional agency to present a compact theology of preaching: God’s word is made visible through the divinely appointed mission of proclamation.… Learn Koine Greek
Three Kinds of Eunuchs: Greek Grammar and the Call to the Kingdom
Εἰσὶ γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτω· καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνουχίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν χωρείτω (Matthew 19:12)
For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.
This verse from Jesus’ response to his disciples reveals a deeply layered teaching about singleness, sacrifice, and the kingdom of heaven.… Learn Koine Greek
