New Testament Greek

John 4:1 opens with a report of what the Pharisees have heard: “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John.” This comparative construction—πλείονας μαθητὰς… ἢ Ἰωάννης—carries both grammatical precision and narrative tension. The focus of this lesson is the adjective πλείονας, the comparative form of πολύς (“many”), and its function in building a theological contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist.

Let us focus on the important comparative construction near the end of John 4:1:

πλείονας μαθητὰς ποιεῖ καὶ βαπτίζει ἢ Ἰωάννης — “[that] Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John.”… Learn Koine Greek

John 4:1 begins with a simple yet weighty statement: “When the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard…” The verb ἔγνω (“he knew”) governs the entire clause. It is not just a past action—it is a grammatical hinge that conveys divine awareness and decisive movement. The use of ὡς οὖν (“therefore when”) introduces both a cause-effect link and temporal flow, setting the stage for Jesus’ departure from Judea.

Let us now examine the opening clause of John 4:1:

Ὡς οὖν ἔγνω ὁ κύριος ὅτι ἤκουσαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι… —“Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard…”

This clause introduces the narrative with a temporal-subordinating construction, beginning with ὡς and incorporating the aorist active indicative verb ἔγνω from γινώσκω (“to know”).… Learn Koine Greek