New Testament Greek

Ἀπερχομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἀγοράσαι ἦλθεν ὁ νυμφίος, καὶ αἱ ἕτοιμοι εἰσῆλθον μετ’ αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς γάμους, καὶ ἐκλείσθη ἡ θύρα. (Matthew 25:10)

Now while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the ready ones went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

Unpacking the Declined Forms

This powerful verse in the Parable of the Ten Virgins pivots on carefully declined words: articles, nouns, and participles that deepen the narrative with precision and tension. Let’s explore their morphology, syntax, and spiritual weight.

Case-by-Case Insight Greek Word Form & Morphology Case & Function Notes ἀπερχομένων Genitive plural masculine present middle/passive participle of ἀπέρχομαι Genitive absolute Used with αὐτῶν to form a genitive absolute clause: “while they were going away” αὐτῶν Genitive plural masculine personal pronoun Genitive absolute (subject) Refers to the foolish virgins; governs the participle ὁ νυμφίος 2nd declension masculine nominative singular noun with article Subject of ἦλθεν The bridegroom enters the scene at the critical moment αἱ ἕτοιμοι 1st declension feminine nominative plural adjective with article Subject of εἰσῆλθον “The ready ones”—emphatic through article + adjective construction μετ’ αὐτοῦ μετά + genitive pronoun Genitive of accompaniment They go in “with him”—refers to the bridegroom εἰς τοὺς γάμους Preposition + accusative plural masculine noun with article Accusative of motion toward Literal and eschatological: “into the wedding feast” ἡ θύρα 1st declension feminine nominative singular noun with article Subject of passive verb ἐκλείσθη The door becomes its own actor—passively closed Articular Emphasis: Articles That Speak

– ὁ νυμφίος: The definite article stresses identity—this is the bridegroom, not a generic figure.… Learn Koine Greek