The Grammar of Trust and Despise: Setting the Stage for a Parable

In this lesson, we explore a rich and subtle moment of New Testament Greek grammar found in Εἶπε δὲ καὶ πρός τινας τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐφ’ ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι εἰσὶ δίκαιοι, καὶ ἐξουθενοῦντας τοὺς λοιποὺς, τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην· from Luke 18:9. Though the verse may seem like a simple introduction, it reveals intricate grammatical strategies that prepare the audience for a profound lesson through parable. Let us delve into how Greek syntax and tense choices create expectation and moral tension even before the parable itself is spoken.

The Greek Text in Focus

Εἶπε δὲ καὶ πρός τινας τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐφ’ ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι εἰσὶ δίκαιοι, καὶ ἐξουθενοῦντας τοὺς λοιποὺς, τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην· (Luke 18:9)

“And he also spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.”… Learn Koine Greek

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From Jebus to Jerusalem: Apposition, Enumeration, and the Grammar of Inheritance

Καὶ Ιεβους αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ πόλεις καὶ Γαβαωθιαριμ πόλεις τρεῖς καὶ δέκα καὶ αἱ κῶμαι αὐτῶν αὕτη ἡ κληρονομία υἱῶν Βενιαμιν κατὰ δήμους αὐτῶν (Joshua 18:28 LXX) A Tribal Boundary Cast in Syntax

This verse concludes the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin, listing its final city — Jebus (Jerusalem) — and summarizing the total number of cities and villages. The Greek text uses apposition, numeric phrasing, and final summarizing formulas to bind geography with identity and to reflect how tribal inheritance is encoded grammatically.

Καὶ Ιεβους αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ — Naming by Apposition Grammatical Structure: Ιεβους: “Jebus” — the ancient name of the city later known as Jerusalem αὕτη ἐστὶν Ιερουσαλημ: “this is Jerusalem”

This is a classic case of naming through apposition:

αὕτη (“this”) refers back to Ιεβους ἐστὶν is the present indicative of εἰμί Ιερουσαλημ is in the predicate position, renaming the subject Theological Implication:

The grammar identifies Jebus — once a Canaanite stronghold — as Jerusalem, the future capital and spiritual center of Israel.… Learn Koine Greek

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“The Participle That Binds Time: ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν and the Temporal Anchoring of Betrayal”

ᾔδει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν τὸν τόπον, ὅτι πολλάκις συνήχθη καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖ μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ. (John 18:2)

 

A Subtle Web of Time and Identity

At first glance, John 18:2 appears to be a straightforward narrative aside — a simple note about Judas’s knowledge of Jesus’ habitual meeting place. Yet embedded within this brief clause lies a profound syntactic structure that binds temporal logic, identity, and theological irony into a single grammatical thread. The participle ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν, functioning as a substantive, is not merely a title for Judas but a dynamic temporal marker that links his present act of betrayal with the repeated past actions of Jesus.… Learn Koine Greek

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Declensions in Debate: Philosophers, Foreign Gods, and the Grammar of Paul’s Encounter

Τινὲς δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἐπικουρείων καὶ Στωϊκῶν φιλοσόφων συνέβαλλον αὐτῷ, καί τινες ἔλεγον· τί ἂν θέλοι ὁ σπερμολόγος οὗτος λέγειν; οἱ δέ, ξένων δαιμονίων δοκεῖ καταγγελεὺς εἶναι· ὅτι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν εὐηγγελίζετο αὐτοῖς. (Acts 17:18)

And some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were saying, “What might this seed-picker wish to say?” But others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities,” because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection to them.

Declinable Elements That Shape the Scene

Luke’s Greek in Acts 17:18 is full of vivid declinable forms—participles, articles, and nouns—that highlight conflict, identity, and rhetorical nuance in Paul’s encounter with Athenian philosophers.… Learn Koine Greek

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Self-Testimony and Truth: Word Order and Legal Challenge in John 8:13

Εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· σὺ περὶ σεαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς· ἡ μαρτυρία σου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. (John 8:13) The Accusation Framed: Syntax of Confrontation

John 8:13 features a sharp interjection from the Pharisees in response to Jesus’ earlier declaration, “I am the light of the world.” Their rebuttal is legal, grammatical, and tactically arranged. This verse shows how Greek word order, emphatic pronouns, and predicate structure work together to form a challenge rooted in Jewish evidentiary standards (cf. Deut. 19:15).

The Subject Speaks: εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι

εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι “So the Pharisees said to him”

εἶπον – aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural of λέγω, introducing direct speech.… Learn Koine Greek
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When Grammar Cuts Deep: Commands and Consequences

Today’s exploration of New Testament Greek grammar centers on a dramatic and powerful teaching found in εἰ δὲ ἡ χείρ σου ἢ ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὰ καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· καλόν σοί ἐστιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν χωλόν ἢ κυλλὸν, ἢ δύο χεῖρας ἢ δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον from Matthew 18:8. This intense imagery is packed with grammatical forms that sharpen the urgency of the message, including conditional sentences, imperatives, and infinitives of purpose and result.

The Greek Text in Focus

Εἰ δὲ ἡ χείρ σου ἢ ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὰ καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· καλόν σοί ἐστιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν χωλόν ἢ κυλλὸν, ἢ δύο χεῖρας ἢ δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον.… Learn Koine Greek

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The Double Cave Before Mamre: Ownership, Memory, and Genitive Layers in Genesis 49:30

Ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν τῇ γῇ Χανααν ὃ ἐκτήσατο Αβρααμ τὸ σπήλαιον παρὰ Εφρων τοῦ Χετταίου ἐν κτήσει μνημείου (Genesis 49:30 LXX) Introductory Reflection

This verse from the Greek Septuagint encapsulates the burial site of the patriarchs — the Cave of Machpelah, in the land of Kenaʿan, purchased by Abraham. The sentence is a tapestry of articular participles, genitive chains, and prepositional phrases that embody the deep themes of inheritance, death, and ownership.

Location Layers: Nested Prepositional Phrases ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν: locative preposition — “in” τῷ σπηλαίῳ: “the cave” — dative singular, the object of location τῷ διπλῷ: “the double” — adjective modifying “cave”; Machpelah = “double cave” τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη: “which is opposite Mamre”

This pile-up of three articular phrases with shared gender, number, and case (dative singular neuter) forms a stacked attributive structure:

“in the double cave, the one opposite Mamre”

Such layering emphasizes specificity — not just any cave, but the exact one, tied to memory, geography, and history.… Learn Koine Greek

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Declensions of Arrogance and Retribution: The Grammar of Revelation 18:7

Ὅσα ἐδόξασεν αὑτὴν καὶ ἐστρηνίασε, τοσοῦτον δότε αὐτῇ βασανισμὸν καὶ πένθος. ὅτι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς λέγει, ὅτι κάθημαι καθὼς βασίλισσα καὶ χήρα οὐκ εἰμὶ καὶ πένθος οὐ μὴ ἴδω, (Revelation 18:7)

As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give her that much torment and mourning. For in her heart she says, “I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and I will never see mourning.”

How Case Usage Frames Judgment

This verse is a judicial pronouncement against Babylon, whose self-glorification is matched in measure by her judgment. The Greek declensions carefully frame the proportion (“ὅσα… τοσοῦτον”), the pronoun references, and the internal monologue of pride.… Learn Koine Greek

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Gestures and Grammar: Sequential Aorists in Exodus 18:7 LXX

Ἐξῆλθεν δὲ Μωυσῆς εἰς συνάντησιν τῷ γαμβρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐφίλησεν αὐτόν καὶ ἠσπάσαντο ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σκηνήν (Exodus 18:7 LXX)

And Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed to him, and he kissed him, and they greeted one another, and he brought him into the tent.

Hospitality in Five Movements

This verse records a warm meeting between Moshe and his father-in-law. The narrative is driven by a chain of aorist verbs, each presenting a distinct and complete action. The result is a step-by-step portrayal of Middle Eastern greeting customs, where movement, gesture, and speech follow a time-honored sequence.… Learn Koine Greek

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Will God Not Bring Justice? Grammar Shifts in Luke 18:7

Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ μακροθυμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς; (Luke 18:7)

Modern Greek Pronunciation: o de Theós ou mí piísi tin ekdíkisin ton eklektón aftú ton voónton pros aftón iméras ke nyktós, ke makrothimón ep’ aftís?

Literal English Translation: And will not God do justice for His chosen ones, the ones crying out to Him day and night, while He is patient with them?

Koine Greek Morphology ὁ δὲ Θεὸς – ὁ: article, nom. masc. sing.; Θεὸς: noun, nom. masc. sing. – subject. οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ – emphatic negation (οὐ μὴ) + verb ποιήσῃ: aorist subjunctive, 3rd sing.,… Learn Koine Greek
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