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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: Grammar
The Optative That Prays: Volition, Irony, and Ethical Grammar in 2 Corinthians 13:7
In εὔχομαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς κακὸν μηδέν, οὐχ ἵνα ἡμεῖς δόκιμοι φανῶμεν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ καλὸν ποιῆτε, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἀδόκιμοι ὦμεν (2 Corinthians 13:7), Paul delivers a stunningly paradoxical prayer. Not only is the ethical center of the passage complex — his longing that the Corinthians do good even if it makes him appear disqualified — but the grammar, too, is intricate. The rare optative verb ὦμεν emerges in the final clause, signaling wish, possibility, and rhetorical humility. When Paul employs the optative, he steps into the realm of uncertain volition — a space reserved in Greek for wishes and hypotheticals.… Learn Koine Greek
Seventy-Five Souls: Syntax and History in Acts 7:14
Ἀποστείλας δὲ Ἰωσὴφ μετεκαλέσατο τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε (Acts 7:14)
Then Joseph sent and summoned his father Jacob and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.
The Aorist Participle: ἀποστείλαςThe participle ἀποστείλας comes from the verb ἀποστέλλω, meaning “to send.” It is an aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular, agreeing with Ἰωσὴφ — “Joseph.” In Greek, the aorist participle often conveys an action prior to the main verb. Thus, “having sent” introduces the cause or means for what follows.
Joseph, having sent a message or delegation, performs the next action: he summons.… Learn Koine Greek
Questions That Divide: Syntax of Rhetorical Polarization in 2 Corinthians 6:14
In Μὴ γίνεσθε ἑτεροζυγοῦντες ἀπίστοις· τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀνομίᾳ; τίς δὲ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; (2 Corinthians 6:14), Paul commands separation — not by shouting, but by asking. The verse begins with a direct prohibition and follows with two rhetorical questions that define the heart of the argument. Greek excels at making polarity sharp, and Paul uses grammar here not only to persuade, but to polarize. These are not queries for information; they are instruments of exclusion. The syntax of question becomes the syntax of holiness.
Morphological Breakdown Μὴ γίνεσθε – Root: γίνομαι Form: present middle/passive imperative, 2nd person plural + negative particle Lexical Meaning: “do not become” Contextual Notes: Present imperative with μή expresses a general prohibition; not just a momentary action but an enduring identity to be avoided.… Learn Koine GreekA Beautiful Work: Defending Devotion in Mark 14:6
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· ἄφετε αὐτήν· τί αὐτῇ κόπους παρέχετε; καλὸν ἔργον εἰργάσατο ἐν ἐμοί (Mark 14:6)
But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you cause her trouble? She has done a good work for me.”
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: The Teacher RespondsThis narrative begins with the subject and verb in classical sequence: ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς (“but Jesus”) followed by εἶπεν (“said”). The conjunction δὲ introduces contrast, showing Jesus’ reply in response to previous indignation. The use of the aorist verb εἶπεν presents the statement as a complete, decisive utterance.
Ἄφετε αὐτήν: A Sharp ImperativeThe verb ἄφετε is a second person plural aorist active imperative of ἀφίημι — “let go,” “release,” or “permit.”… Learn Koine Greek
The Value of Devotion: Passive Verbs and Misguided Indignation
Ἠδύνατο γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ μύρον πραθῆναι ἐπάνω τριακοσίων δηναρίων καὶ δοθῆναι τοῖς πτωχοῖς· καὶ ἐνεβριμῶντο αὐτῇ. (Mark 14:5)
For this perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.
The Grammatical Voice of Economic CritiqueIn Mark 14:5, we encounter a moment charged with tension—devotion misjudged as waste. The grammar of this verse features two striking passive infinitives, a weighty monetary reference, and a final emotional verb that echoes with rebuke. The structure reflects not only economic reasoning but also reveals how linguistic choices can dramatize the blindness of human judgment when faced with divine acts of love.… Learn Koine Greek
Mercy in the Pit: Legal Logic in Luke 14:5
Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε· τίνος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ἢ βοῦς εἰς φρέαρ ἐμπεσεῖται, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἀνασπάσει αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου; (Luke 14:5)
And answering them he said, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”
A Legal Counterquestion: ἀποκριθεὶς… εἶπεThe verse begins with καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε — “and answering to them, he said.” The verb ἀποκριθεὶς is an aorist passive participle of ἀποκρίνομαι, functioning idiomatically as “answering.” Though passive in form, this deponent verb has active meaning in context.
The main verb εἶπε is aorist active indicative — a narrative mainstay in direct discourse.… Learn Koine Greek
It Is Not Lawful: Prophetic Confrontation in Matthew 14:4
Ἔλεγεν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης· οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν (Matthew 14:4)
For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Imperfect with Ongoing Force: ἔλεγενThe verb ἔλεγεν is the imperfect active indicative of λέγω — “he was saying.” The imperfect tense indicates repeated, habitual, or ongoing past action. John the Baptist didn’t confront Herod once — he kept telling him. This verb choice reflects prophetic persistence, an ongoing voice of conviction.
γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης: Clarifying Subject and RecipientThe explanatory conjunction γὰρ (“for”) links this statement to the surrounding context — particularly Herod’s troubled conscience.… Learn Koine Greek
The Bond of Perfection: Greek Grammar and the Crown of Love
Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶ σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος (Colossians 3:14)
And above all these, love, which is the bond of perfection.
In this concise yet profound statement, Paul presents love not merely as one virtue among many, but as the cohesive force that perfects all others. The Greek of Colossians 3:14 — ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶ σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος — uses a prepositional phrase, an appositional construction, and an explanatory relative pronoun to declare love as the ultimate unifying element of Christian maturity.
Grammatical Highlights ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις — preposition + dative phrase; “above all these things.”… Learn Koine GreekGrammatical Contrast and Theological Hesitation in Matthew 3:14: Syntax and Voice in John’s Objection
Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με; (Matthew 3:14)
But John was hindering him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
Matthew 3:14 records John the Baptist’s theological resistance to baptizing Jesus. The Greek syntax encapsulates a profound reversal of roles, expressed through tense contrast, passive voice, rhetorical questioning, and emphatic word order. Each grammatical element in this verse serves the narrative’s purpose: to portray John’s astonishment and theological insight regarding Jesus’ superior identity.
Main Clause: Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν– Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης: Nominative subject with definite article and postpositive conjunction.… Learn Koine Greek
Political Discourse and Future Verbal Strategy in Matthew 28:14: A Study in Conditional Syntax and Koine Greek Persuasion
Καὶ ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἡμεῖς πείσομεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀμερίμνους ποιήσομεν. (Matthew 28:14)
And if this is heard by the governor, we will persuade him and make you free from worry.
Matthew 28:14 presents a case of political strategy expressed through conditional syntax and future-oriented verbal constructions. Spoken by the chief priests to the soldiers, this verse contains conditional modality, implied social manipulation, and legal nuance. The Greek grammar reveals a persuasive structure dependent on mood, aspect, and pronoun emphasis. Every clause is economically constructed yet dense with rhetorical power.
Conditional Clause: ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο– The clause begins with ἐὰν, a conditional particle used with the subjunctive to form a third-class (future more probable) condition.… Learn Koine Greek
