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Greek Lessons
- Measuring the Unmeasured: Sacred Distance and Prophetic Syntax in Revelation 11:2
- When the Teacher Moves On: The Rhythm of Instruction and Mission
- Stones in Their Hands: The Escalation of Hostility in the Presence of Truth
- When Heaven Draws Near: Cornelius and the Intersection of Prayer, Fasting, and Revelation
- Providence in the Smallest Places: Seeing the Father in the Fall of a Sparrow
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Category
Category Archives: Ancient Greek
Self-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
Comparative Greek Analysis: Hebrews 12:2 in Koine vs. Classical Greek
Ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας, ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικεν. (Hebrews 12:2)
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Grammar and Syntax Analysis (Koine Greek) ἀφορῶντες εἰς – Present active participle, nominative masculine plural, from ἀφοράω (“to look away to,” “to fix one’s gaze upon”). A uniquely Koine construction—Classical Greek prefers βλέπω or ὁρῶ for “look.”… Learn Koine GreekA Kiss of Fellowship: Classical and Koine Greek in 1 Corinthians 16:20
Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες. ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι. (1 Corinthians 16:20)
All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a kiss.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek ἀσπάζονται: Present middle indicative third person plural of ἀσπάζομαι (“to greet”). Koine often uses the middle for reflexive or reciprocal social actions like greetings, blessings, or farewells. ὑμᾶς: Accusative plural pronoun serving as the object of ἀσπάζονται. Koine tends to explicitly include pronouns for clarity and emphasis in community-focused exhortations. οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες: Subject phrase with definite article and adjective. Koine often places the adjective after the noun for emphasis—“the brothers, all of them.”… Learn Koine GreekThe Folded Cloth: Classical and Koine Greek in John 20:7
Καὶ τὸ σουδάριον, ὃ ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, οὐ μετὰ τῶν ὀθονίων κείμενον, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἐντετυλιγμένον εἰς ἕνα τόπον. (John 20:7)
And the face cloth, which had been upon his head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but folded separately in one place.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek τὸ σουδάριον: Neuter singular noun with article; σουδάριον is a loanword (Latin sudarium, “face cloth”). Koine frequently incorporates such Latinisms in narrative vocabulary, especially in Roman contexts. ὃ ἦν: Relative pronoun ὃ introducing a relative clause with the imperfect indicative of εἰμί (“it was”). The imperfect ἦν expresses past continuous location or condition.… Learn Koine GreekGodliness and Gain: Koine Urgency versus Classical Eloquence
Διαπαρατριβαὶ διεφθαρμένων ἀνθρώπων τὸν νοῦν καὶ ἀπεστερημένων τῆς ἀληθείας, νομιζόντων πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν· ἀφίστασο ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων. (1 Timothy 6:5)
Constant disputes of corrupted men in mind and deprived of the truth, supposing godliness to be a means of gain; withdraw yourself from such as these.
Koine Greek Grammar and Syntax BreakdownThe verse begins with διαπαρατριβαί (“constant disputes”), a rare compound noun intensifying the sense of useless wrangling. It is qualified by a genitive participial phrase, διεφθαρμένων ἀνθρώπων (“of corrupted men”), further described as ἀπεστερημένων τῆς ἀληθείας (“deprived of the truth”), where the perfect passive participle emphasizes a completed and ongoing state of moral blindness.… Learn Koine Greek
Great and Least: Syntax, Status, and the Kingdom in Matthew 5:19
Ὃς ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων καὶ διδάξῃ οὕτως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὃς δ’ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. (Matthew 5:19)
Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, this one will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
This verse from the Sermon on the Mount is not just a theological assertion—it is a linguistic masterpiece. It balances two parallel clauses about the “least” and the “great” in the Kingdom of Heaven, using carefully chosen moods, conjunctions, and rhetorical structure to elevate moral responsibility.… Learn Koine Greek
