Mark 13:9 and the Greek of Warning and Witness

Posted on September 13, 2016 by New Testament Greek
Mark 13:9

Βλέπετε δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτούς. παραδώσουσι γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν δαρήσεσθε, καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνων καὶ βασιλέων σταθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς.

Literal English Translation

But watch yourselves. For they will hand you over to councils, and in their synagogues you will be beaten, and before governors and kings you will stand because of me, as a testimony to them.

Imperative Alertness and Legal Threat Βλέπετε δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτούς The present active imperative βλέπετε (“watch, be vigilant”) combined with the reflexive pronoun ἑαυτούς (“yourselves”) gives a strong warning: this is personal, not abstract. The explicit subject ὑμεῖς adds emphasis.… Learn Koine Greek
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Ambition Toward the Invisible: Participles and Purpose in 2 Corinthians 5:9

Posted on September 5, 2016 by New Testament Greek
διὸ καὶ φιλοτιμούμεθα, εἴτε ἐνδημοῦντες εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες, εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι. (2 Corinthians 5:9) Living to Please the Unseen Judge

This verse unfolds Paul’s deepest drive: the desire to be found pleasing to the Lord, whether in life or death, presence or absence. The syntax is deliberate, layered with participial motion and verb-subject dynamics that reveal a life of holy ambition grounded in eschatological accountability.

This study explores:

The middle voice nuance of φιλοτιμούμεθα as sacred ambition The syntactic pairing εἴτε ἐνδημοῦντες εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες as a rhetorical balance The infinitival purpose clause εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι and its theological force φιλοτιμούμεθα – Holy Aspiration in the Middle Voice

The central verb φιλοτιμούμεθα comes from φιλοτιμέομαι, meaning “to aspire,” “to strive eagerly,” or “to consider it an honor.”… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Grammar Lesson from Romans 8:16

Posted on August 16, 2016 by New Testament Greek
Romans 8:16

αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα συμμαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν ὅτι ἐσμὲν τέκνα Θεοῦ.

Focus Topic: Dative of Association and Content Clause with ὅτι

This verse presents a profound theological truth through syntactical precision. It features a present active indicative verb of joint testimony, a dative of association, and a content clause that functions as the message being confirmed.

Emphatic Subject: αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα

αὐτὸ τὸ Πνεῦμα (“the Spirit itself”) is emphatically placed. The use of the neuter form with the article and pronoun intensifies the identity and action of the Holy Spirit. Although neuter, theologically it refers to the personal Spirit of God.… Learn Koine Greek

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Brought In, Carried Out: Verb Morphology and Eternal Perspective

Posted on July 6, 2016 by New Testament Greek
οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, δῆλον ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα· (1 Timothy 6:7)

For we brought nothing into the world; it is clear that we are not able to carry anything out either.

Three Verbs Framing a Life Truth

This compact verse expresses a profound theological truth about human existence and material detachment, using three critical Greek verbs:

εἰσηνέγκαμεν — aorist active indicative, “we brought in” ἐξενεγκεῖν — aorist active infinitive, “to carry out” δυνάμεθα — present middle/passive indicative, “we are able”

Each verb not only serves its syntactic function but also shapes how Paul communicates the transience of material gain and the limits of human power.… Learn Koine Greek

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Matthew 27:3 in Historical Greek Expression

Posted on July 2, 2016 by New Testament Greek
Original Text

Τότε ἰδὼν Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ὅτι κατεκρίθη, μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπέστρεψε τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ πρεσβυτέροις

Literal English Translation

Then Judas, the one who betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, regretted it and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders.

Nuances in Greek Motion and Emotion ἰδὼν… ὅτι κατεκρίθη The aorist participle ἰδών (“having seen”) introduces the cause of his regret. The subordinate clause ὅτι κατεκρίθη uses the aorist passive κατεκρίθη (“he was condemned”), a forensic verb used both in Classical and Koine Greek for legal verdicts. In Plato or Lysias, it often appears in courtroom orations.… Learn Koine Greek
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Mark and Turn Away: Present Participles, Imperatives, and Doctrinal Vigilance

Posted on June 17, 2016 by New Testament Greek
Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, σκοπεῖν τοὺς τὰς διχοστασίας καὶ τὰ σκάνδαλα παρὰ τὴν διδαχὴν ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε ποιοῦντας, καὶ ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ’ αὐτῶν· (Romans 16:17) Guarding the Church through Grammatical Clarity

Romans 16:17 is a pastoral appeal from Paul — not to embrace division, but to watch for it and reject it when it arises. The Greek text gives this warning with striking grammatical urgency: imperatives in the present tense, participles that define behavior, and a call to doctrinal discernment. The syntax supports the call to spiritual vigilance.

1. Pleading with the Church: Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί Παρακαλῶ – Present Active Indicative, 1st Person Singular of παρακαλέω, “I exhort,” “I urge” ὑμᾶς – Accusative 2nd Person Plural, “you all” (direct object) ἀδελφοί – “brothers,” a term of intimate address

The use of παρακαλῶ is warm yet authoritative — a pastoral appeal with moral weight, not just a suggestion.… Learn Koine Greek

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When the Spirit Says No: The Syntax of Divine Prohibition in Acts 16:6

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Advanced Greek Grammar
ἐλθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν, κωλυθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, (Acts 16:6)

In the journey narrative of Acts 16, Luke records a moment that disrupts our expectations of divine guidance. Paul and his companions are traveling through Asia Minor, yet something unusual occurs—not an open door, but a closed one:

ἐλθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν, κωλυθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ.

“And having come to the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the word in Asia.”… Learn Koine Greek

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Divine Redirection: The Spirit’s Guidance in Acts 16:6

Posted on June 1, 2016 by New Testament Greek
διελθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν, κωλυθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ

Acts 16:6 narrates a significant moment when Paul and his companions, while faithfully carrying out their missionary work, are sovereignly redirected by the Holy Spirit. The Greek wording captures both their obedience in movement and their sensitivity to divine intervention.

Grammatical Foundations

διελθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν—”And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian region.”

διελθόντες—aorist active participle, nominative masculine plural from διέρχομαι, meaning “having passed through” or “having traveled through.” δὲ—a mild connective, “and” or “then,” linking the narrative.… Learn Koine Greek
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Hebrews 5:5 and the Language of Appointment and Honor

Posted on May 5, 2016 by New Testament Greek
Hebrews 5:5

οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασε γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερέα, ἀλλ’ ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν· υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε·

Literal English Translation

So also the Anointed One did not glorify himself to become high priest, but the one who spoke to him said: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”

Not Self-Glorified, But God-Spoken οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστός οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασε The phrase opens with οὕτω καὶ (“so also”), drawing an analogy to the preceding priestly principle: no one takes the honor upon himself. ἐδόξασε is aorist active indicative of δοξάζω (“to glorify, honor”), here with a reflexive pronoun ἑαυτὸν.… Learn Koine Greek
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Watch, Persist, Save: The Greek Grammar of Ministerial Perseverance

Posted on April 16, 2016 by New Testament Greek

This powerful instruction to Timothy emphasizes vigilance, teaching, and perseverance with future-oriented results. The verse — ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου from 1 Timothy 4:16 — uses imperative verbs, a present participle, and coordinated accusative objects to show how careful persistence results in both personal and communal salvation.

The Greek Text in Focus

ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου (1 Timothy 4:16)

“Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persist in them. For by doing this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”… Learn Koine Greek

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