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Greek Lessons
- The Grammar of Perception and Presence
- Opened Eyes and Stern Silence: Syntax and Tension in Matthew 9:30
- Shining Like Lightning: Syntax, Transformation, and Prayer in Luke 9:29
- The Syntax of Survival: Postdiluvian Duration in a Simple Sentence
- Confession in the Aorist: Pharaoh’s Syntax of Contrition
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Category
Author Archives: Classical Greek
No More Curse: A Greek Look at Revelation 22:3
Καὶ πᾶν κατάθεμα οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι· καὶ ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀρνίου ἐν αὐτῇ ἔσται, καὶ οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ λατρεύσουσιν αὐτῷ (Revelation 22:3)
And there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in her, and his servants will worship him.
The End of the Curse πᾶν κατάθεμα οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι – “There will no longer be any curse.” The neuter πᾶν (every, all) and the noun κατάθεμα (curse, accursed thing) together refer to the complete removal of anything under divine condemnation. The verb ἔσται (future of εἰμί) with the negative οὐκ and temporal adverb ἔτι (“no longer”) declares the final abolition of the Fall’s effects (cf.… Learn Koine Greek
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Who Tripped You Up? A Grammatical Race Through Galatians 5:7
Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς· τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι;
You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7)
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek Ἐτρέχετε: Imperfect active indicative second person plural of τρέχω (“to run”). The imperfect suggests continuous past action—”you were running”—which builds the metaphor of steady progress before interruption. καλῶς: Adverb meaning “well,” modifying Ἐτρέχετε. Koine often uses positive adverbs to frame moral or spiritual behavior metaphorically. τίς: Interrogative pronoun in the nominative singular, functioning as the subject—”Who?” Koine retains Classical interrogatives with similar placement at the head of the question. ὑμᾶς: Accusative plural pronoun, functioning as the object of ἐνέκοψε (“hindered”).… Learn Koine GreekThe Cry of the Rejected Prophet: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Matthew 23:37
Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἡ ἀποκτείνουσα τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ λιθοβολοῦσα τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους πρὸς αὐτήν, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, ὃν τρόπον ἐπισυνάγει ὄρνις τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε;
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it.
Koine Greek Grammar and Syntax Analysis Ἱερουσαλὴμ Ἱερουσαλήμ — Vocative repetition conveys emotion, urgency, and lament. Common in Hebrew rhetoric, preserved in Koine Greek. ἡ ἀποκτέννουσα… λιθοβολοῦσα — Present active participles in apposition to Ἱερουσαλὴμ.… Learn Koine GreekCrossing Sea and Land for Judgment: Classical and Koine Grammar in Matthew 23:15
Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί, ὅτι περιάγετε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν ποιῆσαι ἕνα προσήλυτον, καὶ ὅταν γένηται, ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν υἱὸν γεέννης διπλότερον ὑμῶν. (Matthew 23:15)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you go around sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes so, you make him a son of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν: Interjection Οὐαὶ (“woe”) followed by dative plural pronoun ὑμῖν (“to you”). A prophetic denunciation formula preserved from Hebrew usage, with the dative marking the recipient of the woe. γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί: Appositional vocatives; γραμματεῖς and Φαρισαῖοι are modified by ὑποκριταί (“hypocrites”).… Learn Koine GreekYou Are Our Letter: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of 2 Corinthians 3:2
ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε, ἐγγεγραμμένη ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν, γινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων.
You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all people. (2 Corinthians 3:2)
Koine Greek Grammar and Syntax Analysis ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν — Nominative singular noun with possessive genitive pronoun “our letter.” The article makes the phrase definite and emphatic. ὑμεῖς ἐστε — Independent pronoun ὑμεῖς (“you”) used for emphasis. ἐστε is present indicative of εἰμί, second person plural: “you are.” ἐγγεγραμμένη — Perfect passive participle of ἐγγράφω, nominative feminine singular, modifying ἐπιστολή: “having been written.” The perfect tense implies a completed action with lasting results.… Learn Koine GreekSelf-Interest vs. Devotion: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Philippians 2:21
Οἱ πάντες γὰρ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ζητοῦσιν, οὐ τὰ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ.
For they all seek their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.
Koine Greek Grammar and Syntax Analysis οἱ πάντες — Nominative masculine plural: “they all.” The article οἱ generalizes the group as a class. γάρ — Causal particle: “for.” Introduces explanation or reason (linked to the preceding verse about Timothy’s unique character). τὰ ἑαυτῶν — Accusative neuter plural: “their own things/interests.” ἑαυτῶν is a reflexive possessive pronoun in the genitive plural. ζητοῦσιν — Present active indicative, 3rd person plural of ζητέω: “they seek.” Ongoing or habitual action. οὐ τὰ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ — Negated parallel clause.… Learn Koine GreekBound by the Spirit: Classical and Koine Grammar in Acts 21:11
καὶ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἄρας τὴν ζώνην τοῦ Παύλου, δήσας τε αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας εἶπε· τάδε λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· τὸν ἄνδρα οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη αὕτη, οὕτω δήσουσιν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ παραδώσουσιν εἰς χεῖρας ἐθνῶν.
And having come to us and taken the belt of Paul, and having bound his feet and hands, he said: “These things says the Holy Spirit: The man to whom this belt belongs—they will bind him in Jerusalem, the Jews, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” (Acts 21:11)
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek ἐλθὼν… ἄρας… δήσας: Aorist active participles (from ἔρχομαι, αἴρω, δέω) used sequentially to provide circumstantial background to the main verb εἶπε.… Learn Koine GreekComparative Greek Analysis: Mark 13:2 in Koine vs. Classical Greek
Καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· βλέπεις ταύτας τὰς μεγάλας οἰκοδομάς; οὐ μὴ ἀφεθῇ ὧδε λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον ὃς οὐ μὴ καταλυθῇ. (Mark 13:2)
And Jesus, having answered, said to him: Do you see these great buildings? There shall certainly not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be torn down.
1. Structural Breakdown: Phrase-by-Phrase Parallel Commentary Phrase Koine Greek Usage Classical Greek Usage Key Insight καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν Typical Koine periphrastic participle construction: ἀποκριθεὶς (aorist passive participle) + εἶπεν (aorist active indicative). Used frequently in narrative Greek to convey action + speech. Classical authors tend to use either the finite verb alone or a simpler construction.… Learn Koine Greek
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Revelation 21:8 and the Greek of Judgment and Exclusion
Τοῖς δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ ἐβδελυγμένοις καὶ φονεῦσι καὶ πόρνοις καὶ φαρμακοῖς καὶ εἰδωλολάτραις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ψευδέσι τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ ἐν πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος. (Revelation 21:8)
But for the cowardly and the unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and the sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Cataloging Condemnation: The Structure of Exclusion τοῖς δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ ἐβδελυγμένοις… This verse begins with a dative plural list of those excluded from the New Jerusalem.… Learn Koine GreekRevelation 5:13 and the Greek of Cosmic Doxology
Καὶ πᾶν κτίσμα ὃ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐστί, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἤκουσα λέγοντας· τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. (Revelation 5:13)
And every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all the things in them, I heard saying: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the power forever and ever.”… Learn Koine Greek
