And they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and that you teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care about anyone, for you do not look at the face of man.”
Setting the Trap with Polished GreekThis verse opens the famous entrapment scene regarding taxes to Caesar. But before the trap is sprung, the Pharisees and Herodians present their false flattery—and it is crafted with exquisite Greek.… Learn Koine Greek
“And they, having heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, did not believe.”
This verse captures a powerful moment of disbelief from the resurrection narrative, using tightly structured Greek clauses to contrast hearing with rejection: κἀκεῖνοι ἀκούσαντες ὅτι ζῇ καὶ ἐθεάθη ὑπ’ αὐτῆς, ἠπίστησαν from Mark 16:11. The grammar balances participles and indicative verbs to portray the theological tension between testimony and resistance — between resurrection truth and human doubt.
Grammatical Highlights κἀκεῖνοι — crasis of καὶ + ἐκεῖνοι (“and those ones,” i.e., they); subject of the sentence.… Learn Koine GreekLuke 16:11 comes in the aftermath of the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1–9), a notoriously challenging passage in which Jesus commends shrewdness in handling worldly wealth. The surrounding verses (10–13) form a series of sayings about faithfulness, trust, and stewardship. Verse 11 is part of a logical sequence: if one proves unfaithful with lesser, earthly matters, how can one be entrusted with eternal ones? This verse plays a pivotal role in transitioning from the parable to direct ethical and theological application.
Structural Analysisεἰ οὖν ἐν τῷ ἀδίκῳ μαμωνᾷ πιστοὶ οὐκ ἐγένεσθε, τὸ ἀληθινὸν τίς ὑμῖν πιστεύσει;
This is a first-class conditional sentence, with the condition assumed to be true for the sake of argument.… Learn Koine Greek
Romans 16:10 reflects Paul’s deep relational network in the early church. The greetings offered are more than formal—they honor character, affirm identity in Christ, and recognize the church’s spread into diverse social circles. The Greek text communicates precision, respect, and affection in just a few words.
Grammatical Foundationsἀσπάσασθε Ἀπελλῆν τὸν δόκιμον ἐν Χριστῷ—“Greet Apelles, the approved one in Christ.”
ἀσπάσασθε—aorist middle imperative, 2nd person plural from ἀσπάζομαι, meaning “greet,” used here as a formal or affectionate salutation. Ἀπελλῆν—accusative masculine singular proper noun, the name of a Christian in Rome.… Learn Koine GreekGreet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those from the household of Aristobulus.
Personalized Fellowship: Literary and Theological Context of Romans 16:10This verse forms part of Paul’s extended list of personal greetings in Romans 16—a rare and precious window into the relational texture of the early church. Here, grammar serves the theological and communal function of acknowledging believers by name and status. The imperative structure, participial modifiers, and prepositional phrases together establish a tone of warmth, respect, and communal solidarity rooted in union with Christ.
Grammatical Feature Analysis: Imperatives and Participial ModificationEach greeting uses the imperative:
ἀσπάσασθε — aorist middle imperative, 2nd person plural from ἀσπάζομαι (“to greet, to salute, to embrace verbally or physically”).… Learn Koine GreekAnanias says to Saul: ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με, ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου — “the Lord has sent me, the one who appeared to you on the road where you were going.”
This relative clause identifies who sent Ananias. The clause is deeply theological—it ties Ananias’s mission directly to the risen Christ, who appeared to Saul on the Damascus road. The key verb is a divine passive (ὀφθείς) and the clause includes a locative relative construction (ᾗ ἤρχου).
Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με, ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου, ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς, καὶ πλησθῇς Πνεύματος ἁγίου.… Learn Koine GreekIn Acts 9:17, Ananias speaks to Saul (later Paul) with words full of meaning and divine intention: ὁ κύριος… ἀπέσταλκέ με… ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς, καὶ πλησθῇς Πνεύματος ἁγίου.
This clause, introduced by ὅπως, contains two aorist subjunctives—ἀναβλέψῃς and πλησθῇς—joined by καί. The result is a dual-purpose expression: restoration of sight and reception of the Holy Spirit. The grammar reveals that both outcomes are tied together, both miraculous and missional.
Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με, ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου, ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς, καὶ πλησθῇς Πνεύματος ἁγίου.Let us focus on the final purpose clause of Acts 9:17:
ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς, καὶ πλησθῇς Πνεύματος ἁγίου — “so that you may regain sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”… Learn Koine Greek
When Ananias speaks to Saul, he declares: ὁ κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με — “the Lord has sent me.”
This short clause is rich with apostolic significance. The use of the perfect tense in ἀπέσταλκε emphasizes not just the moment of sending, but its ongoing consequence. In biblical Greek, this tense often marks a completed action whose results are still active, making this statement a grammatically encoded assertion of divine authority.… Learn Koine Greek
For a great and effective door has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose.
In this striking verse, Paul describes both opportunity and opposition in one breath: θύρα γάρ μοι ἀνέῳγε μεγάλη καὶ ἐνεργής, καὶ ἀντικείμενοι πολλοί from 1 Corinthians 16:9. Greek grammar reinforces the tension: a perfect verb reveals divine initiative, while asyndeton and adjective-noun constructions convey magnitude and power. Paul sees not a contradiction but a conjunction — one only possible in the grammatical logic of faith.
Grammatical Highlights θύρα — nominative feminine singular; subject of the main verb, metaphorical for opportunity.… Learn Koine GreekBut 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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