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Greek Lessons
- The Question of Eternal Life: Syntax of Testing and Inquiry in Luke 10:25
- The Grammar of Astonishment and Difficulty
- The Urgency of Flight: Syntax, Eschatology, and the Grammar of Mission in Matthew 10:23
- Provoking the Lord: The Peril of Presumption
- The Great Priest Over God’s House: The Foundation of Confident Access
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Category
Category Archives: Grammar
God as Witness: Oaths, Participles, and Verbal Force in 2 Corinthians 11:31
Ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι. (2 Corinthians 11:31)
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
Paul’s Solemn AppealIn 2 Corinthians 11:31, Paul concludes a section of boasting in weakness with an oath before God. The verse reads: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.” The syntax combines a solemn witness formula (οἶδεν), a relative clause identifying God (ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς), and a content clause (ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι) that affirms Paul’s truthfulness.… Learn Koine Greek
Greek Grammatical and Syntactic Analysis of 2 John 1:11
ὁ γὰρ λέγων αὐτῷ χαίρειν κοινωνεῖ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ τοῖς πονηροῖς.
Definite Article and Articular Participle: ὁ λέγων
– ὁ λέγων: nominative masculine singular articular present active participle of λέγω, meaning “the one who says” or “he who says”
The article ὁ with the participle λέγων forms a substantival participial phrase, functioning as the subject of the main verb κοινωνεῖ. This construction allows the participle to stand on its own as a noun phrase.
γάρ as a Coordinating Conjunction– γάρ: explanatory coordinating conjunction, “for” or “because”
It introduces the reason for the preceding command (i.e., not to greet or receive someone who does not bring the true doctrine).… Learn Koine Greek
“ἐχάρησαν”: The Second Aorist Passive Deponent of Joy in Matthew 2:10
The Grammar of Overwhelming Joy
As the magi finally see the star—confirmation of divine guidance—the text states: “they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” The Greek verb ἐχάρησαν {echarēsan} is a grammatical paradox: passive in form, but active in function. It is a second aorist passive deponent of χαίρω {chairō}, “to rejoice.”
This moment captures the fulfillment of hope and divine direction, but the grammar does more than narrate emotion—it intensifies, structures, and highlights it. The deponent nature of the verb, combined with an emphatic cognate accusative, constructs a vivid theological and literary crescendo.
Ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην σφόδρα.… Learn Koine GreekSeeing but Not Hearing: Grammatical Discrepancy and Narrative Tension in Acts 22:9
Οἱ δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ ὄντες τὸ μὲν φῶς ἐθεάσαντο καὶ ἔμφοβοι ἐγένοντο, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν τοῦ λαλοῦντός μοι. (Acts 22:9)
Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me.
Witnesses to Glory: Literary and Theological Context of Acts 22:9In Acts 22:9, Paul recounts his Damascus road experience before a hostile crowd in Jerusalem. This verse highlights the partial perception of those accompanying him—they saw the light, were terrified, but did not hear the voice. The grammar creates both narrative tension and theological significance, particularly in comparison with Acts 9:7, which presents the same event with different emphasis.… Learn Koine Greek
Not from Ourselves: Sufficiency, Reflexives, and Aorist Infinitives in Paul’s Theology of Ministry
Οὐχ ὅτι ἱκανοί ἐσμεν ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ’ ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, (2 Corinthians 3:5)
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
Where Does Competence Come From?In this reflective and theologically rich verse, Paul addresses the very heart of ministry: the source of one’s adequacy. Using reflexive pronouns, a powerful aorist infinitive, and a bold contrast marked by ἀλλά, Paul distances himself and his coworkers from self-sufficiency and attributes all sufficiency to God.
Let us unpack this verse grammatically and spiritually to see how Paul builds his case not just with logic, but with syntax that humbles the minister and glorifies God.… Learn Koine Greek
Unveiling the Middle Voice: Agency, Reciprocity, and Subject Involvement in Koine Greek
Τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς ἀληθείας διὰ Πνεύματος εἰς φιλαδελφίαν ἀνυπόκριτον, ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας ἀλλήλους ἀγαπήσατε ἐκτενῶς, (1 Peter 1:22)
Having purified your souls in obedience to the truth through the Spirit for genuine brotherly love, love one another fervently from the pure heart.
The Middle Voice: What Lies Between Active and Passive?The Greek middle voice stands between the active and passive voices, indicating that the subject of the verb participates in or is affected by the action. In Koine Greek, particularly in the New Testament, the middle voice often conveys:
– Reflexivity: the subject acts upon itself.… Learn Koine Greek
Conscience and Construction: The Future Passive in 1 Corinthians 8:10
Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σε, τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον, οὐχὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν; (1 Corinthians 8:10)
For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, reclining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, being weak, be built up to eat things sacrificed to idols?
The Ethics of VisibilityThis verse explores a scenario of moral influence and perception: what happens when a believer with “knowledge” is seen by a weaker brother engaging in questionable behavior? The grammar plays a crucial role in conveying Paul’s concern. A conditional structure, participles, and a rare use of the future passive come together to create a rhetorical question that warns of the unintended consequences of liberty exercised without love.… Learn Koine Greek
The Prepared Banquet and the Unworthy Called: A Greek Exegesis of Matthew 22:8
Matthew 22:8 is spoken within the parable of the wedding feast — a climactic parable told by Jesus in Jerusalem, following his triumphal entry and escalating confrontations with the religious authorities. The parable (Matthew 22:1–14) portrays a king preparing a wedding banquet for his son. After the invited guests refuse to come — even violently rejecting his messengers — the king delivers this pronouncement to his servants. Verse 8 marks a dramatic narrative turn, opening the way for new guests to enter. Theologically, this verse serves as both judgment and invitation.
Structural Analysisτότε λέγει τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ· ὁ μὲν γάμος ἕτοιμός ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ κεκλημένοι οὐκ ἦσαν ἄξιοι·
The verse opens with the temporal adverb τότε (“then”), situating the speech in the aftermath of rejection.… Learn Koine Greek
Falling and Hearing: Grammatical Encounter and Divine Address in Acts 22:7
Ἔπεσόν τε εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς λεγούσης μοι· Σαοὺλ, Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; (Acts 22:7)
And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
The Voice on the Road: Literary and Theological Context of Acts 22:7This verse is Paul’s retelling of his Damascus road experience to a hostile Jewish crowd in Jerusalem. It portrays the dramatic moment of divine interruption—physical collapse and personal address—through coordinated aorists and a genitive construction that introduces a moment of divine speech. The Greek grammar intensifies the theological shock of the moment: a persecutor is arrested by the voice of the one he is harming, and the narrative tension builds through verbal and participial sequencing.… Learn Koine Greek
Educated in Egypt: Passive Voice and Descriptive Contrast in Acts 7:22
Καὶ ἐπαιδεύθη Μωϋσῆς πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων, ἦν δὲ δυνατὸς ἐν λόγοις καὶ ἐν ἔργοις. (Acts 7:22)
And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in deeds.
The Grammar of Formation and PowerStephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin offers a rare insight into the early Christian view of Moses’ upbringing and abilities. Acts 7:22 presents Moses not merely as a Hebrew, but as someone shaped by the wisdom of Egypt and gifted with remarkable influence. The Greek grammar balances a divine passive with a descriptive contrast, giving us both the process of education and the character it produced.… Learn Koine Greek
