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Greek Lessons
- “What to Us and to You?”: Demonic Recognition and Eschatological Grammar in Matthew 8:29
- Whispers of Identity: From Prophets to Pronouns in Mark 8:28
- The Field of Blood: Passive Voice and Temporal Clauses in Matthew 27:8
- Declensions in the Storm: Case Usage in Matthew 8:26
- Testimony on the Road: Aorist Participles and Mission Grammar in Acts 8:25
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Category
Category Archives: Grammar
Scripture and Wages: A Greek Look at 1 Timothy 5:18
Λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· βοῦν ἀλοῶντα οὐ φιμώσεις· καί· ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ. (1 Timothy 5:18)
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
Introducing Scriptural Authorityλέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή – “For the Scripture says.”
λέγει – present active indicative of λέγω, “says.” The present tense emphasizes Scripture’s enduring speech—it is still speaking. ἡ γραφή – “the Scripture,” a feminine singular noun used here as the subject of divine authority. By attributing speech to Scripture, Paul attributes divine voice to the text.… Learn Koine GreekNot to Abolish, But to Fulfill: Greek Grammar and the Mission of the Messiah
Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι (Matthew 5:17)
Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
In one of the most important programmatic statements of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the nature of His relationship to the Law and the Prophets. The grammar of Matthew 5:17 — Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι — is rich in negative imperatives, complementary infinitives, and parallel contrast. The syntax not only clarifies His intent but builds tension and resolution through repetition and emphasis.… Learn Koine Greek
Not Like the Sin, but Greater: Greek Grammar and the Gift of Grace
Καὶ οὐχ ὡς δι’ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήσαντος τὸ δώρημα· τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρίμα ἐξ ἑνὸς εἰς κατάκριμα, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων εἰς δικαίωμα (Romans 5:16)
“And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned; for the judgment came from one offense, resulting in condemnation, but the gracious gift came from many transgressions, resulting in justification.”
In Romans 5:16, Paul deepens the contrast between Adam and Christ by carefully juxtaposing legal and gracious outcomes. The verse — καὶ οὐχ ὡς δι’ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήσαντος τὸ δώρημα· τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρίμα ἐξ ἑνὸς εἰς κατάκριμα, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα ἐκ πολλῶν παραπτωμάτων εἰς δικαίωμα — uses parallel syntax, particles of contrast, and genitive modifiers to show that the gift of grace far surpasses the condemnation brought by one man’s sin.… Learn Koine Greek
The More It Spread: Greek Grammar and the Rising Fame of the Healer
Διήρχετο δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνήρχοντο ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἀκούειν καὶ θεραπεύεσθαι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσθενειῶν αὐτῶν (Luke 5:15)
But the report about him was spreading all the more, and large crowds were gathering to hear and to be healed by him from their diseases.
This verse from the Gospel of Luke captures the growing fame of Jesus and the response of the people using intensifying adverbs, imperfect verbs, and purpose-driven infinitives. The full verse reads: διήρχετο δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνήρχοντο ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἀκούειν καὶ θεραπεύεσθαι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσθενειῶν αὐτῶν from Luke 5:15.… Learn Koine Greek
The Optative Mood and Supplication: A Grammar of Hope in Luke 5:12
Text in Focus: Luke 5:12
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας· καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ λέγων· κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς, δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι.
Literal TranslationAnd it happened while He was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy; and seeing Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me.”
The Grammar of Possibility and Will: Exploring δύνασαί and ἐὰν θέλῃςThis passage from Luke is a rich tapestry of grammatical nuances, but one thread stands out: the use of subjunctive and indicative mood in a context of supplication, where in Classical Greek we might expect an optative mood.… Learn Koine Greek
Subjunctive Chains in Koine Greek: Coordinated Volition and Unfolding Persecution in Matthew 5:11
Text in Focus: Matthew 5:11
μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ’ ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ·
Literal TranslationBlessed are you when they insult you, and persecute you, and say every evil thing against you, falsely, on account of Me.
The Power of Coordinated SubjunctivesThis Beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount is a prime example of subjunctive chaining — a series of aorist subjunctive verbs joined by conjunctions, expressing future potential scenarios unified by a single temporal cue: ὅταν (“whenever” or “when”).
This construction emphasizes patterned persecution, unfolding in coordinated steps, all introduced under the umbrella of a conditional time marker.… Learn Koine Greek
Before the Judgment Seat: Greek Grammar in Eschatological Clarity
In this sobering verse, Paul lays out the universality and purpose of final judgment using precise Greek constructions: τοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακὸν from 2 Corinthians 5:10. This passage contains an impersonal verb of necessity, a subjunctive purpose clause, and an aorist indicative of past action — all working together to portray divine judgment as inevitable, personal, and righteous.
The Greek Text in Focusτοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακὸν (2 Corinthians 5:10)
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”… Learn Koine Greek
Worse Than an Unbeliever: Conditional Grammar and Denied Faith
This verse delivers one of the strongest rebukes in the Pastoral Epistles, using a conditional sentence and comparative structure to express the moral gravity of neglecting one’s family: εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα τῶν οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων from 1 Timothy 5:8. The grammar is forceful and deliberate, linking provision with faith, and contrasting the believer’s failure with even the moral baseline of the unbeliever.
The Greek Text in Focusεἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα τῶν οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων (1 Timothy 5:8)
“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”… Learn Koine Greek
The Future Passive and the Inheritance of the Earth
Few verses in the New Testament glow with the serene promise and grammatical richness of μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν (Matthew 5:5). Nestled in the Beatitudes, this verse delivers its reward through a future indicative passive verb — κληρονομήσουσιν — that demands more attention than its soft rhythm might suggest. Beyond the comfort of divine blessing lies a grammatical nuance: the future indicative in Koine Greek can subtly encode both volition and divine appointment, often through passive forms that retain an active meaning. This phenomenon opens a door into the linguistic theology of the Gospel, where agency and passivity converge in sacred inheritance.… Learn Koine Greek
Why Have You Lied to God? Divine Ownership and Integrity in Acts 5:4
οὐχὶ μένον σοι ἔμενε καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχε; τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο; οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ
In this solemn confrontation from Acts 5:4, Peter rebukes Ananias for his deception—not merely against people, but against God. The Greek phrasing draws attention to both the freedom Ananias had and the severity of his decision to misrepresent his gift. This verse emphasizes personal responsibility, divine sovereignty, and the weight of spiritual hypocrisy.
Grammatical Foundationsοὐχὶ μένον σοι ἔμενε—“While it remained, did it not remain yours?”
οὐχὶ—emphatic form of οὐ, introducing a rhetorical question expecting a “yes.”… Learn Koine Greek