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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
Category Archives: Exegesis
When a Question Becomes an Abyss: The Interrogative Edge of ὁ ἐρχόμενος
Εἶπεν αὐτῷ· σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἢ ἕτερον προσδοκῶμεν; (Matthew 11:3)
He said to him, you are the coming one, or another are we expecting;
The Clause as a Suspended Horizon: Syntax Shaping an Existential InterrogationThe structure of this brief yet charged sentence presents a compact interrogation whose form compresses a remarkable density of semantic tension, and each element contributes to an atmosphere in which certainty fractures under grammatical pressure. The opening verb εἶπεν introduces a narrative report that quickly gives way to direct discourse, and this shift from narration to direct address forms a syntactic hinge that positions the question as an event rather than merely reported speech.… Learn Koine Greek
When the Teacher Moves On: The Rhythm of Instruction and Mission
Ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς διατάσσων τοῖς δώδεκα μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, μετέβη ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ διδάσκειν καὶ κηρύσσειν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν. (Matthew 11:1)
And it happened that when Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to proclaim in their cities.
The Completion of InstructionIn Matthew 11:1, the narrative transitions from Jesus’ commissioning discourse to His continued public ministry. The verse begins with a formula familiar in Matthew: ἐγένετο ὅτε (“and it happened when”). This temporal phrase introduces a significant shift in activity. The aorist verb ἐτέλεσεν (“He finished”) signals the completion of a defined body of instruction.… Learn Koine Greek
Stones in Their Hands: The Escalation of Hostility in the Presence of Truth
Ἐβάστασαν οὖν πάλιν λίθους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἵνα λιθάσωσιν αὐτόν. (John 10:31)
Therefore the Jews again picked up stones in order to stone Him.
The Force of the “Again”In John 10:31, a dramatic tension erupts with the simple yet weighty phrase πάλιν (“again”). This small adverb signals repetition, not a spontaneous outburst. The hostility toward Jesus has become cyclical, predictable, and increasingly volatile. The verb Ἐβάστασαν (aorist active of βαστάζω) means “they picked up,” “they carried,” or “they lifted.” It conveys deliberate physical action, not impulsive reaction. The narrative shows a collective response: οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι — a group unified by shared outrage.… Learn Koine Greek
When Heaven Draws Near: Cornelius and the Intersection of Prayer, Fasting, and Revelation
Καὶ ὁ Κορνήλιος ἔφη· ἀπὸ τετάρτης ἡμέρας μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ὥρας ἤμην νηστεύων, καὶ τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν προσευχόμενος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἔστη ἐνώπιόν μου ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ (Acts 10:30)
And Cornelius said, “From the fourth day until this hour I have been fasting, and at the ninth hour I was praying in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.”
The Posture of a Seeking HeartIn Acts 10:30, Cornelius recounts the circumstances leading to the angelic visitation that will open the door of the gospel to the Gentiles. His testimony begins with the phrase ἀπὸ τετάρτης ἡμέρας μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ὥρας (“From the fourth day until this very hour”), This temporal expression conveys careful remembrance and highlights the significance of the moment.… Learn Koine Greek
Providence in the Smallest Places: Seeing the Father in the Fall of a Sparrow
Οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται; καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν. (Matthew 10:29)
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
Value Measured by the Father, Not the MarketIn Matthew 10:29, Jesus frames divine providence through the language of ordinary commerce: οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται; (“Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion?”). The ἀσσάριον was a minimal, almost trivial copper coin, underscoring how little these birds were worth in economic terms. Sparrows, common and inexpensive, symbolized things easily dismissed by human society.… Learn Koine Greek
Provoking the Lord: The Peril of Presumption
Ἢ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν; (1 Corinthians 10:22)
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
The Rhetorical Force of the QuestionIn 1 Corinthians 10:22, Paul concludes a solemn warning with two piercing rhetorical questions: ἢ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; and μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν;. The particle ἢ (“or”) connects this verse to the preceding admonitions about idolatry, forcing the reader to confront the logical consequence of participating in pagan rituals. The verb παραζηλοῦμεν (present active indicative of παραζηλόω) means “to provoke to jealousy,” recalling Old Testament language where Israel’s idolatry stirred YHWH’s jealousy (cf.… Learn Koine Greek
The Great Priest Over God’s House: The Foundation of Confident Access
Καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, (Hebrews 10:21)
And having a great priest over the house of God,
The Context of a Completed WorkIn Hebrews 10:21, the author continues a chain of dependent clauses that began in verse 19, forming part of a single, magnificent argument for Christian assurance. The phrase καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν (“and [having] a great priest”) completes the dual foundation of confidence — first, free access to the holy place through Christ’s blood, and second, His enduring priesthood. The adjective μέγαν (“great”) carries both qualitative and hierarchical weight. This is not merely a high-ranking priest but the supreme one, surpassing all others in dignity and function.… Learn Koine Greek
The Inner Circumcision: Grammar as the Call to Transformation
Καὶ περιτεμεῖσθε τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν καὶ τὸν τράχηλον ὑμῶν οὐ σκληρυνεῖτε ἔτι (Δευτερονόμιον 10:16 LXX)
And you shall circumcise the hardness of your heart, and your neck you shall not harden any longer.
Grammatical InsightThe verse of Deuteronomy 10:16 in the Septuagint compresses profound theology into the tight syntax of command. The verb περιτεμεῖσθε (future middle indicative, second person plural of περιτέμνω) conveys an imperative nuance, functioning as a “prophetic future.” It invites the hearers not merely to perform a ritual but to participate in an inward transformation. The accusative object τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν (“the hardness of your heart”) personifies resistance to divine will, making grammar a vessel of moral anatomy.… Learn Koine Greek
The Grammar of Offering: Eternal Ordinance in the Syntax of Service
Τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἀφαιρέματος καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον τοῦ ἀφορίσματος ἐπὶ τῶν καρπωμάτων τῶν στεάτων προσοίσουσιν ἀφόρισμα ἀφορίσαι ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ἔσται σοὶ καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς σου καὶ ταῖς θυγατράσιν σου μετὰ σοῦ νόμιμον αἰώνιον ὃν τρόπον συνέταξεν Κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ (Λευιτικόν 10:15 LXX)
The arm of the removal and the breast of the separation they shall bring upon the offerings of the fat portions as a separation to separate before the Lord, and it shall be for you and for your sons and for your daughters with you as a perpetual statute, as the LORD commanded Moshe.
Grammatical InsightThe verse of Leviticus 10:15 in the Septuagint is a masterclass in priestly syntax, revealing how grammatical structure mirrors sacred hierarchy.… Learn Koine Greek
Peace That Moves: Conditional Syntax and the Return of Blessing
Καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἀξία, ἐλθέτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτήν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἀξία, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπιστραφήτω. (Matthew 10:13)
And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Two Conditions, One PeaceIn Matthew 10:13, Jesus gives his disciples a striking instruction about the transferability of peace. The sentence is built on two parallel conditional clauses—one positive and one negative—each governed by the particle ἐάν and the subjunctive of εἰμί (ᾖ). The syntax enacts the teaching: peace goes forth, yet peace returns.… Learn Koine Greek
