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Greek Lessons
- Declensions of Blessing: Case Usage in Matthew 10:12
- 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
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Category
Author Archives: Biblical Greek
The Double Cave Before Mamre: Ownership, Memory, and Genitive Layers in Genesis 49:30
Ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν τῇ γῇ Χανααν ὃ ἐκτήσατο Αβρααμ τὸ σπήλαιον παρὰ Εφρων τοῦ Χετταίου ἐν κτήσει μνημείου (Genesis 49:30 LXX)
Introductory Reflection
This verse from the Greek Septuagint encapsulates the burial site of the patriarchs — the Cave of Machpelah, in the land of Kenaʿan, purchased by Abraham. The sentence is a tapestry of articular participles, genitive chains, and prepositional phrases that embody the deep themes of inheritance, death, and ownership.
Location Layers: Nested Prepositional Phrases ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν: locative preposition — “in” τῷ σπηλαίῳ: “the cave” — dative singular, the object of location τῷ διπλῷ: “the double” — adjective modifying “cave”; Machpelah = “double cave” τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη: “which is opposite Mamre”This pile-up of three articular phrases with shared gender, number, and case (dative singular neuter) forms a stacked attributive structure:
“in the double cave, the one opposite Mamre”
Such layering emphasizes specificity — not just any cave, but the exact one, tied to memory, geography, and history.… Learn Koine Greek
Gestures and Grammar: Sequential Aorists in Exodus 18:7 LXX
Ἐξῆλθεν δὲ Μωυσῆς εἰς συνάντησιν τῷ γαμβρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐφίλησεν αὐτόν καὶ ἠσπάσαντο ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σκηνήν (Exodus 18:7 LXX)
And Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed to him, and he kissed him, and they greeted one another, and he brought him into the tent.
Hospitality in Five MovementsThis verse records a warm meeting between Moshe and his father-in-law. The narrative is driven by a chain of aorist verbs, each presenting a distinct and complete action. The result is a step-by-step portrayal of Middle Eastern greeting customs, where movement, gesture, and speech follow a time-honored sequence.… Learn Koine Greek
Hearing, Seeing, Setting: The Imperative Symphony of Ezekiel 44:5
Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρός με υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου τάξον εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ ἰδὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ τοῖς ὠσίν σου ἄκουε πάντα ὅσα ἐγὼ λαλῶ μετὰ σοῦ κατὰ πάντα τὰ προστάγματα οἴκου Κυρίου καὶ κατὰ πάντα τὰ νόμιμα αὐτοῦ καὶ τάξεις τὴν καρδίαν σου εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τοῦ οἴκου κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἐξόδους αὐτοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις (Ezekiel 44:5 LXX)
A Verse of Triple Command
In this verse, the prophet is addressed with a striking triad of imperatives: τάξον (“set”), ἰδὲ (“see”), and ἄκουε (“listen”). These are not merely random commands; they form a deliberate rhetorical and grammatical pattern.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Ancient Greek, Septuagint Greek, Theology
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“The Land They Sojourned In”: Grammatical Roots of Covenant Memory in Exodus 6:4
Καὶ ἔστησα τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὥστε δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὴν γῆν τῶν Χαναναίων τὴν γῆν ἣν παρῳκήκασιν ἐν ᾗ καὶ παρῴκησαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς (Exodus 6:4 LXX)
Divine Covenant as a Grammatical Act
The verse begins with divine initiative in the perfect tense: καὶ ἔστησα τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτοὺς — “And I established my covenant with them”
ἔστησα: aorist active indicative of ἵστημι — “I set up, I established” The covenant is not fluid or metaphorical — it is a fixed, grounded structure in time. τὴν διαθήκην μου: “my covenant” — a legal, enduring agreement πρὸς αὐτοὺς: toward them — shows directionality and personal relationshipThis is a grammatical declaration of divine will, anchoring the covenant in past action with continuing implications.… Learn Koine Greek
As Olives Cling to the Top: Conditional Syntax and the Rhetoric of Remnant
Καὶ καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ καλάμη ἢ ὡς ῥῶγες ἐλαίας δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἐπ᾽ ἄκρου μετεώρου ἢ τέσσαρες ἢ πέντε ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων αὐτῶν καταλειφθῇ τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ισραηλ (Isaiah 17:6 LXX)
A Remnant in the Branches
Isaiah 17:6 LXX presents a vivid agricultural metaphor — scattered olives left clinging to high branches — as an image of the surviving remnant after judgment. The Greek grammar delicately balances conditional syntax, comparative imagery, and divine speech formula, capturing the tension between devastation and hope.
Main Structure: A Conditional + Declarative OracleThe verse consists of:
A conditional-like participial construction: καὶ καταλειφθῇ… — “and if there should be left…” A simile: ὡς ῥῶγες ἐλαίας… — “like olive berries…” A prophetic declaration: τάδε λέγει κύριος…This creates a flow:
Consequence of judgment (few left) Visual metaphor (scattered olives) Divine authentication (YHWH’s voice) καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ καλάμη — The Leftover Stalk Verb: καταλειφθῇ: aorist passive subjunctive, 3rd singular of καταλείπω — “might be left behind” The subjunctive form suggests possibility, or a conditional potential: “if it should be left…” Subject: καλάμη: “stalk” or “stubble” — singular feminine nominative, likely subject of καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ: “in it” — referring to the land/city implied from the context Syntactic Note:This opening conditional clause sets the tone: only a stalk, not a harvest, remains — a remnant, not abundance.… Learn Koine Greek
Placed Before the Holy: Future Imperatives and Sacred Space in Leviticus 16:7 LXX
Καὶ λήμψεται τοὺς δύο χιμάρους καὶ στήσει αὐτοὺς ἔναντι Κυρίου παρὰ τὴν θύραν τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου (Leviticus 16:7)
And he will take the two goats and he will set them before the LORD beside the door of the tent of the testimony.
A Quick OrientationThis verse stands at the heart of the Day of Atonement ritual: the priest “takes” and “sets” the two goats in a precise location. The grammar does more than narrate; it legislates. The future indicative forms function like commands, while the prepositional phrases choreograph sacred space with exactness.
Q&A with a Student of the LXX Q1.… Learn Koine GreekThe Echo of Obedience: Participial Structure and Divine Sequencing in Exodus 34:4
Καὶ ἐλάξευσεν δύο πλάκας λιθίνας καθάπερ καὶ αἱ πρῶται· καὶ ὀρθρίσας Μωυσῆς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινα καθότι συνέταξεν αὐτῷ Κύριος, καὶ ἔλαβεν Μωυσῆς τὰς δύο πλάκας τὰς λιθίνας. (Exodus 34:4 LXX)
Setting the Scene: When Grammar Frames Covenant Renewal
The verse before us is a moment of restoration — Mosheh, at the LORD’s command, carves new stone tablets after the first were shattered. But the narrative is not merely historical. It is grammatically rich, loaded with participial texture that orders time, purpose, and faithful obedience. By examining the participle ὀρθρίσας and the surrounding syntax, we uncover how the Septuagint subtly conveys the heart of covenantal response.… Learn Koine Greek
Testing the Spirits: Discernment and False Prophets in 1 John 4:1
Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα εἰ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον
1 John 4:1 steps into the tension between faith and discernment. The call is urgent and pastoral: don’t trust every spirit. This isn’t just about skepticism—it’s about spiritual vigilance. The Greek packs rhetorical rhythm and doctrinal weight into a series of imperatives and perfect verbs. The author doesn’t simply warn—he equips.
Grammatical FoundationsThe first imperative is negative: μὴ πιστεύετε—“do not believe.” It’s a present active imperative in the second person plural, implying ongoing rejection: stop believing every spirit indiscriminately.… Learn Koine Greek
In the Midst of the Measure: Spatial Genitives and the Grammar of Sacred Geometry
Καὶ μετρήσεις ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τὸ κλίτος τὸ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς δισχιλίους πήχεις καὶ τὸ κλίτος τὸ πρὸς λίβα δισχιλίους πήχεις καὶ τὸ κλίτος τὸ πρὸς θάλασσαν δισχιλίους πήχεις καὶ τὸ κλίτος τὸ πρὸς βορρᾶν δισχιλίους πήχεις καὶ ἡ πόλις μέσον τούτου ἔσται ὑμῖν καὶ τὰ ὅμορα τῶν πόλεων (Numbers 35:5 LXX)
The Verse as a Blueprint
Numbers 35:5 LXX records YHWH’s precise instructions for measuring the pasturelands (or suburbs) of the Levitical cities. But beneath its spatial details lies a rich tapestry of directional syntax, adjectival structure, and genitive constructions that reveal a deeply ordered cosmos — one where grammar maps holiness.… Learn Koine Greek
Near with Lips, Far in Heart: Hypocrisy Exposed in Matthew 15:8 (citing Isaiah 29:13 LXX)
ἐγγίζει μοι λαὸς οὗτος τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ
Matthew 15:8 presents Jesus’ quotation of Isaiah 29:13 in the Septuagint. The Greek is sharp, poetic, and cutting. It reveals the tension between outward appearance and inner reality, and the structure intensifies the contrast. This verse is not a gentle observation—it’s a prophetic rebuke, wrapped in precise parallelism and dissonance between mouth and heart.
Grammatical FoundationsThe opening clause ἐγγίζει μοι λαὸς οὗτος means “This people draws near to me.” The verb ἐγγίζει is present active indicative, 3rd person singular, from ἐγγίζω—to approach or come near.… Learn Koine Greek
