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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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Category
Author Archives: Biblical Greek
The Ark at Ararat: Resting on the 27th Day
Καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνός ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ Αραρατ (Genesis 8:4 LXX)
Landing in Language: The Aorist of ἐκάθισεν
The verse begins with ἐκάθισεν — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular of καθίζω, meaning “to sit,” “to rest,” or “to settle.” – The aorist tense here emphasizes a completed historical event — the ark definitively came to rest. – It marks a crucial turning point: no more wandering upon the waters.
This verb sets the tone for the passage — one of finality, divine control, and geographical rootedness.
A Precise Moment: 27th Day of the 7th Month– ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ = “in the seventh month” 17th – ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι = literally “seventh and twenty,” that is, the twenty-seventh day
Clarification of the Numerical Error: Earlier interpretations misread this as the seventeenth day due to a confusion with the Masoretic Hebrew text (which says בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר = seventeenth).… Learn Koine Greek
If It Touches and Eats: Conditional Clauses and the Syntax of Sacred Separation
Καὶ ψυχή ἣ ἂν ἅψηται παντὸς πράγματος ἀκαθάρτου ἢ ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσίας ἀνθρώπου ἢ τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἢ παντὸς βδελύγματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φάγῃ ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν τῆς θυσίας τοῦ σωτηρίου ὅ ἐστιν κυρίου ἀπολεῖται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς (Leviticus 7:21 LXX)
A Law of Boundaries
Leviticus 7:21 LXX sets strict boundaries around ritual purity and participation in sacred meals. The verse’s intricate Greek syntax reflects its seriousness: it is a finely structured conditional law, involving relative clauses, modal particles, and a strong apodosis of judgment. The syntax does not merely prohibit — it guards the holiness of the covenant community.… Learn Koine Greek
Fifteen Cubits Above: Passive Elevation and the Grammar of Submersion
Δέκα πέντε πήχεις ἐπάνω ὑψώθη τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν πάντα τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλά (Genesis 7:20 LXX)
Overview: The Flood’s Final Reach
Genesis 7:20 LXX captures the climax of divine judgment in the flood narrative — the point at which even the highest mountains vanish beneath the rising waters. This brief but potent verse is constructed with precision of measurement, a divine passive, and a telling combination of accusative objects that mark the totality of submersion.
Δέκα πέντε πήχεις ἐπάνω ὑψώθη τὸ ὕδωρ: Passive Elevation Beyond Earth Literal Rendering:“Fifteen cubits above the water was raised.”
Grammatical Components:– δέκα πέντε πήχεις: “fifteen cubits” — accusative plural, measurement of length – ἐπάνω: “above” — functioning adverbially, denoting vertical distance – ὑψώθη: aorist passive indicative, 3rd person singular, from ὑψόω (“to lift up, raise”) – τὸ ὕδωρ: nominative subject — “the water”
Syntax and Semantics:– Though δέκα πέντε πήχεις appears first, it modifies the verb ὑψώθη by indicating the degree of elevation.… Learn Koine Greek
The Waters Took Dominion: Imperfect Verbs and the Theology of Rising Judgment
Καὶ ἐπεκράτει τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐπληθύνετο σφόδρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπεφέρετο ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος (Genesis 7:18 LXX)
A Triple Ascent in the Flood Narrative
Genesis 7:18 LXX presents the crescendo of the flood: rising water, multiplying force, and the ark lifted from the earth. The verse is a rhythmic triplet of imperfect verbs, each building a sense of motion, dominance, and theological weight. The grammar does more than describe — it carries the narrative upward.
Imperfect Verbs of Motion and ContinuityAll three main verbs are imperfect indicatives, conveying continuous or progressive action in the past — fitting for a scene where increase, expansion, and floating define the visual frame.… Learn Koine Greek
Declensions in the Shade: Grammatical Depth in Ecclesiastes 7:12
Ὅτι ἐν σκιᾷ αὐτῆς ἡ σοφία ὡς σκιὰ τοῦ ἀργυρίου, καὶ περισσεία γνώσεως τῆς σοφίας ζωοποιήσει τὸν παρ᾽ αὐτῆς. (Ecclesiastes 7:12 LXX)
For in its shadow wisdom is like the shadow of silver, and the abundance of knowledge of wisdom will give life to the one who is from her.
Wisdom, Wealth, and the Power to Give LifeThis poetic LXX verse intertwines metaphor and syntax, showing wisdom as both protective and life-giving. The verse revolves around a contrast between wisdom and silver, expressed through careful declension patterns: genitives of comparison, nominatives of identity, and accusatives of effect. Let’s explore how these forms illuminate the theology and imagery.… Learn Koine Greek
Equal Portions at the Altar: Perfect Participles and Distributive Justice
Καὶ πᾶσα θυσία ἀναπεποιημένη ἐν ἐλαίῳ καὶ μὴ ἀναπεποιημένη πᾶσι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ααρων ἔσται ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴσον (Leviticus 7:10 LXX)
A Ritual of Sharing: Syntax as Sacred Equity
Leviticus 7:10 LXX prescribes the priestly handling of grain offerings — whether mixed with oil or dry — and decrees their equal distribution among Aaron’s sons. Though brief, this verse hinges on two grammatical pillars: perfect participles and a distributive formula that encodes ritual equality. It is not just priestly regulation — it is grammar woven into justice.
Perfect Participles: Completed Preparation with Ongoing StateTwo participles anchor the first half of the verse:
ἀναπεποιημένη — “having been prepared” or “having been mixed” μὴ ἀναπεποιημένη — “not having been prepared” Grammatical Analysis Both are perfect passive participles, feminine nominative singular, agreeing with θυσία (“sacrifice” or “offering”).… Learn Koine GreekInto the Ark Two by Two: Distributive Numerals, Gendered Pairs, and Obedient Syntax
Δύο δύο εἰσῆλθον πρὸς Νωε εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ καθὰ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ ὁ θεός (Genesis 7:9 LXX)
The Structure of the Saving Procession
This compact verse from the Septuagint vividly captures the entrance of animals into Noah’s ark. The beauty of its grammar lies in repetition, distribution, and obedience, with every phrase tightly packed with theological and syntactic meaning. The central grammar revolves around distributive numerals, gender distinction, and a divinely commanded action.
δύο δύο εἰσῆλθον: Distributive RepetitionThe phrase δύο δύο (“two by two”) is an example of distributive numerals — a construction where repetition emphasizes pairing and order.… Learn Koine Greek
The Gift of Tongues as Known Languages: Witness of the Early Church Fathers
The testimony of the early Church Fathers confirms that the original understanding of “speaking in tongues” was the miraculous ability to speak real, intelligible human languages previously unknown to the speaker. Fathers such as Irenaeus, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine clearly describe the gift as Spirit-empowered speech meant for evangelism and as a sign to unbelievers, not as ecstatic or incoherent utterance. While figures like Tertullian and Justin Martyr are less explicit or remain ambiguous, the broader patristic consensus aligns with the apostolic depiction found in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14. Tongues, in this view, were practical and missional—expressions of divine communication meant to spread the gospel across linguistic boundaries.… Learn Koine Greek
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Speaking in Tongues in the Bible
The biblical expression “speaking in tongues” refers to the miraculous use of real, known human languages rather than ecstatic or unintelligible speech. A close study of key Greek terms in passages like Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 shows that the speech involved recognizable dialects understood by listeners, with Paul emphasizing clarity and interpretability in church gatherings. Even when described as “new tongues,” the term indicates languages unfamiliar to the speaker but still meaningful. Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word γλῶσσα consistently denotes either the physical tongue or an actual language, never incoherent utterance, underscoring that the phenomenon served to communicate God’s message intelligibly and constructively.… Learn Koine Greek
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The Morning They Found It Razed: Perfect Participles and Sacred Surprises
καὶ ὤρθρισαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ κατεσκαμμένον τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Βααλ καὶ τὸ ἄλσος τὸ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ ἐκκεκομμένον καὶ ὁ μόσχος ὁ σιτευτὸς ἀνηνεγμένος εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ᾠκοδομημένον (Judges 6:28 LXX)
Setting the Scene with a Historical Present
The verse opens with καὶ ὤρθρισαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρωί — “And the men of the city rose early in the morning.” The aorist verb ὤρθρισαν (from ὀρθρίζω) sets the temporal and narrative pace. But the drama unfolds not in the main verb — but in a cascade of perfect participles that follow.
What they found is expressed not in straightforward narrative verbs, but in an overwhelming grammar of completion: participles in the perfect tense, each one loaded with theological and rhetorical force.… Learn Koine Greek
