Author Archives: New Testament Greek

So that their abundance might become your lack, in order that equality might result.

The structure of this verse features a double purpose/result expression — first with ἵνα and then with ὅπως. While both conjunctions introduce result or purpose clauses, ἵνα is often stronger and more direct, whereas ὅπως can nuance intention or ultimate goal. The layering of these two clauses in succession builds rhetorical force and draws attention to the divine ideal of balance among believers.

The noun περίσσευμα means “overflow,” “abundance,” or “surplus.”… Learn Koine Greek

In εὔχομαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς κακὸν μηδέν, οὐχ ἵνα ἡμεῖς δόκιμοι φανῶμεν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ καλὸν ποιῆτε, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἀδόκιμοι ὦμεν (2 Corinthians 13:7), Paul delivers a stunningly paradoxical prayer. Not only is the ethical center of the passage complex — his longing that the Corinthians do good even if it makes him appear disqualified — but the grammar, too, is intricate. The rare optative verb ὦμεν emerges in the final clause, signaling wish, possibility, and rhetorical humility. When Paul employs the optative, he steps into the realm of uncertain volition — a space reserved in Greek for wishes and hypotheticals.… Learn Koine Greek

In Μὴ γίνεσθε ἑτεροζυγοῦντες ἀπίστοις· τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ; τίς δὲ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; (2 Corinthians 6:14), Paul commands separation — not by shouting, but by asking. The verse begins with a direct prohibition and follows with two rhetorical questions that define the heart of the argument. Greek excels at making polarity sharp, and Paul uses grammar here not only to persuade, but to polarize. These are not queries for information; they are instruments of exclusion. The syntax of question becomes the syntax of holiness.