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Greek Lessons
- Grammatical Resistance: Pharaoh’s Syntax of Control in Exodus 10:11
- The Accusation in Quotation: Pauline Perception and Koine Rhetoric
- Healing and Heralding: The Grammar of Kingdom Nearness
- The Word Near You: Syntax, Faith, and the Internalization of Truth in Romans 10:8
- Synonyms: Image and Likeness: εἰκών, ὁμοίωσις, and ὁμοίωμα in the Greek New Testament
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Category
Author Archives: New Testament Greek
Mercy in the Pit: Legal Logic in Luke 14:5
Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε· τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς εἰς φρέαρ ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; (Luke 14:5)
And answering them he said, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”
A Legal Counterquestion: ἀποκριθεὶς… εἶπεThe verse begins with καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε — “and answering to them, he said.” The verb ἀποκριθεὶς is an aorist passive participle of ἀποκρίνομαι, functioning idiomatically as “answering.” Though passive in form, this deponent verb has active meaning in context.
The main verb εἶπε is aorist active indicative — a narrative mainstay in direct discourse.… Learn Koine Greek
The Indignation Within: Interrogating Waste and Worth in Mark 14:4
Mark 14:4 is part of the account of a woman anointing Jesus with costly perfume at Bethany. This act, narrated shortly before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, becomes a flashpoint for conflicting values: generosity vs. waste, worship vs. practicality. In verse 4, a group of bystanders reacts negatively to the woman’s action. Their inner indignation sets the stage for Jesus’ interpretation of the act as a prophetic preparation for his burial (Mark 14:6–9). Thus, the verse acts as a narrative pivot between human judgment and divine commendation.
Structural Analysisἦσαν δέ τινες ἀγανακτοῦντες πρὸς ἑαυτούς λέγοντες· εἰς τί ἡ ἀπώλεια αὕτη τοῦ μύρου γέγονεν;
The verse begins with a circumstantial clause: ἦσαν δέ τινες ἀγανακτοῦντες — “But there were some who were indignant.”… Learn Koine Greek
It Is Not Lawful: Prophetic Confrontation in Matthew 14:4
Ἔλεγεν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης· οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν (Matthew 14:4)
For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Imperfect with Ongoing Force: ἔλεγενThe verb ἔλεγεν is the imperfect active indicative of λέγω — “he was saying.” The imperfect tense indicates repeated, habitual, or ongoing past action. John the Baptist didn’t confront Herod once — he kept telling him. This verb choice reflects prophetic persistence, an ongoing voice of conviction.
γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης: Clarifying Subject and RecipientThe explanatory conjunction γὰρ (“for”) links this statement to the surrounding context — particularly Herod’s troubled conscience.… Learn Koine Greek
The Bond of Perfection: Greek Grammar and the Crown of Love
Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶ σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος (Colossians 3:14)
And above all these, love, which is the bond of perfection.
In this concise yet profound statement, Paul presents love not merely as one virtue among many, but as the cohesive force that perfects all others. The Greek of Colossians 3:14 — ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶ σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος — uses a prepositional phrase, an appositional construction, and an explanatory relative pronoun to declare love as the ultimate unifying element of Christian maturity.
Grammatical Highlights ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις — preposition + dative phrase; “above all these things.”… Learn Koine GreekGrammatical Contrast and Theological Hesitation in Matthew 3:14: Syntax and Voice in John’s Objection
Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με; (Matthew 3:14)
But John was hindering him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
Matthew 3:14 records John the Baptist’s theological resistance to baptizing Jesus. The Greek syntax encapsulates a profound reversal of roles, expressed through tense contrast, passive voice, rhetorical questioning, and emphatic word order. Each grammatical element in this verse serves the narrative’s purpose: to portray John’s astonishment and theological insight regarding Jesus’ superior identity.
Main Clause: Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν– Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης: Nominative subject with definite article and postpositive conjunction.… Learn Koine Greek
Political Discourse and Future Verbal Strategy in Matthew 28:14: A Study in Conditional Syntax and Koine Greek Persuasion
Καὶ ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἡμεῖς πείσομεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀμερίμνους ποιήσομεν. (Matthew 28:14)
And if this is heard by the governor, we will persuade him and make you free from worry.
Matthew 28:14 presents a case of political strategy expressed through conditional syntax and future-oriented verbal constructions. Spoken by the chief priests to the soldiers, this verse contains conditional modality, implied social manipulation, and legal nuance. The Greek grammar reveals a persuasive structure dependent on mood, aspect, and pronoun emphasis. Every clause is economically constructed yet dense with rhetorical power.
Conditional Clause: ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο– The clause begins with ἐὰν, a conditional particle used with the subjunctive to form a third-class (future more probable) condition.… Learn Koine Greek
The One Who Gave Himself: Greek Grammar and the Grammar of Redemption
Ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον, ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων (Titus 2:14)
Who gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people of his own possession, zealous for good works.
This densely packed verse from Paul’s epistle to Titus presents one of the clearest soteriological summaries in the New Testament. Every clause is loaded with purpose and theological intent, and the grammar of Titus 2:14 reflects it: ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον, ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων.… Learn Koine Greek
Greek Grammar and Syntactical Analysis of Matthew 2:1
Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα (Matthew 2:1)
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem.
Genitive Absolute Construction: Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντοςThis opening clause is a classic example of the genitive absolute, a syntactic feature where a genitive noun or pronoun and a genitive participle form a phrase independent of the main clause.
– Τοῦ Ἰησοῦ: genitive singular of Ἰησοῦς (Jesus) – γεννηθέντος: aorist passive participle, genitive singular masculine of γεννάω (to be born)
This construction functions temporally: “when Jesus was born”.… Learn Koine Greek
Greek Grammar Lesson from John 14:1
Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία· πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε. (John 14:1)
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, and believe also in me.
Prohibition with Subjunctive and Ambiguous Indicative-Imperative ParallelThis verse opens Jesus’ farewell discourse with a calm imperative and dual directives for belief. The grammar includes a third-person prohibition with the present subjunctive and two second-person plural present forms that could be read as either imperative or indicative depending on the translation and punctuation.
Prohibition: Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδίαταρασσέσθω is a present passive imperative, 3rd person singular, from ταράσσω (“to be troubled, stirred up”).… Learn Koine Greek
1 Corinthians 13:12 and the Greek of Mystery and Revelation
Βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι’ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
For now we see through a mirror, in a riddle; but then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know, just as I also have been fully known.
Mirror, Riddle, and the Horizon of Knowing βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι’ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι The present indicative βλέπομεν (“we see”) frames perception as current and continuous. The preposition δι’ + genitive ἐσόπτρου (“through a mirror”) suggests indirectness. In Classical usage, ἔσοπτρον refers to polished metal surfaces—not the glass mirrors we think of—often with dim or reversed images (cf.… Learn Koine Greek