Aspect and Negation in Koine Greek: The Case of ἠδυνήθησαν in Hebrews 3:19

Posted on March 19, 2019 by New Testament Greek
Καὶ βλέπομεν ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν εἰσελθεῖν δι’ ἀπιστίαν. (Hebrews 3:19)

And we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

The Grammatical Core: Tense, Aspect, and Voice

This verse contains a compact but theologically loaded statement. The key verb, ἠδυνήθησαν, raises an essential grammatical question about tense, aspect, and negation in Koine Greek. In this article, we will explore how the aorist passive deponent form interacts with negation and how it affects the temporal and aspectual contours of the statement.

Dissecting the Verbs

Let’s examine the two primary verbs in this sentence:

Greek Parsing Meaning βλέπομεν Present active indicative, 1st person plural of βλέπω “We see” — present, continuous action ἠδυνήθησαν Aorist passive deponent indicative, 3rd person plural of δύναμαι “They were not able” — viewed as a whole event What Is a Deponent Passive?… Learn Koine Greek
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From Sleep to Strength: The Aorist Narrative Drive of Judges 16:3 LXX

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Biblical Greek
Καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Σαμψων ἕως τοῦ μεσονυκτίου καὶ ἀνέστη περὶ τὸ μεσονύκτιον καὶ ἐπελάβετο τῶν θυρῶν τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν δύο σταθμῶν καὶ ἀνεβάστασεν αὐτὰς σὺν τῷ μοχλῷ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὤμῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Χεβρων καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὰ ἐκεῖ (Judges 16:3 LXX)

And Samson slept until midnight, and he rose about midnight, and he seized the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and he lifted them up with the bar, and he placed them on his shoulder, and he carried them to the top of the mountain which is opposite Ḥebron, and he set them there.… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Grammar Lesson from 1 Timothy 3:6

Posted on March 1, 2019 by New Testament Greek
Μὴ νεόφυτον, ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρίμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου. (1 Timothy 3:6)

Not a recent convert, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Subjunctive Purpose Clause with Aorist Passive Participle

This verse, part of the qualifications for overseers, demonstrates how Greek syntax expresses caution and consequence. It features a negative command, a purpose clause, and a passive participle indicating a precondition.

Adjective Used Substantivally: νεόφυτον

νεόφυτον (“newly planted,” i.e., a recent convert) is an accusative singular adjective used substantivally. It is the object of an implied verb such as χειροτονείτω (“he must not appoint”) from the broader context.… Learn Koine Greek

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Comparative Greek Analysis: Revelation 22:2 in Koine vs. Classical Greek

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Classical Greek
Ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς, ποιοῦν καρποὺς δώδεκα, κατὰ μῆνα ἕκαστον ἀποδιδοῦν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ φύλλα τοῦ ξύλου εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν. (Revelation 22:2)

In the middle of its street and of the river, on this side and on that, a tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Grammar and Syntax Analysis (Koine Greek) ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ – ἐν μέσῳ: “in the midst (of),” a compound prepositional phrase, frequently found in both Koine and Classical.… Learn Koine Greek
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They Burned the Books: Aorist Verbs and Volitional Finality in Acts 19:19

Posted on February 19, 2019 by New Testament Greek

In ἱκανοὶ δὲ τῶν τὰ περίεργα πραξάντων συνενέγκαντες τὰς βίβλους κατέκαιον ἐνώπιον πάντων· καὶ συνεψήφισαν τὰς τιμὰς αὐτῶν καὶ εὗρον ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε (Acts 19:19), Luke narrates a dramatic turning point in Ephesus. Practitioners of magic renounce their former lives — not just inwardly, but visibly and economically — by publicly burning their spellbooks. The grammar here is ablaze with meaning: a cascade of aorist participles and indicative verbs captures a decisive, irrevocable act. The Greek doesn’t merely report events — it performs their finality.

Morphological Breakdown ἱκανοὶ – Root: ἱκανός Form: nominative masculine plural adjective Lexical Meaning: “many,” “a considerable number” Contextual Notes: Often denotes sufficiency or quantity — “a good number of them.”… Learn Koine Greek
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Hope in the Lord: A Pastoral Heart in Philippians 2:19

Posted on February 19, 2019 by New Testament Greek

Philippians 2:19 begins a new section in which Paul outlines his travel plans and commends his coworkers, especially Timothy and Epaphroditus (vv. 19–30). After his Christological hymn (vv. 6–11) and ethical exhortations (vv. 12–18), Paul turns to practical matters — but his theology saturates even this logistics. Verse 19 reveals both his apostolic concern and his deep pastoral affection for the Philippians.

Structural Analysis

Ἐλπίζω δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Τιμόθεον ταχέως πέμψαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα κἀγὼ εὐψυχῶ γνοὺς τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν·

The verse consists of (1) Paul’s expression of hope, (2) the content of that hope — sending Timothy soon, and (3) the purpose clause introduced by ἵνα, revealing Paul’s motivation: to be encouraged upon hearing news of the Philippians.… Learn Koine Greek

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Seeing No One Else: The Art of Exception Clauses and Partitive Constructions

Posted on January 20, 2019 by New Testament Greek
Ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου. (Galatians 1:19)

But I saw no other of the apostles, except James, the brother of the Lord.

Paul’s Personal Testimony and Apostolic Distinction

This brief verse from Paul’s autobiographical defense in Galatians offers more than a factual statement about his travels — it is a masterclass in Greek syntax. Paul carefully crafts a statement to defend his independence from the Twelve, yet acknowledges one crucial exception: James, the brother of the Lord.

The Greek here demonstrates several elegant syntactic features, especially the partitive genitive, exception clauses with εἰ μή, and apposition.… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Grammar Lesson from Matthew 19:9

Posted on January 19, 2019 by New Testament Greek
Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην, μοιχᾶται· καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσας μοιχᾶται. (Matthew 19:9)

But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Conditional Construction with ἂν and Subjunctive + Present Indicative Result

This verse illustrates a conditional sentence formed with the particle ἂν and a subjunctive verb in the protasis, followed by a present indicative in the apodosis. It also highlights syntactical exceptions and participial usage with theological implications regarding marriage and divorce.… Learn Koine Greek

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Remaining within the Teaching: The Boundary of True Fellowship

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Exegesis & Hermeneutics
Πᾶς ὁ παραβαίνων καὶ μὴ μένων ἐν τῇ διδαχῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Θεὸν οὐκ ἔχει· ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ διδαχῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗτος καὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει. (2 John 1:9)

Everyone who goes beyond and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching of Christ, this one has both the Father and the Son.

Crossing the Line versus Remaining within

In 2 John 1:9, the apostle contrasts two trajectories: “going beyond” and “remaining in.” The participle παραβαίνων (“going beyond,” “transgressing”) is present active, indicating an ongoing or habitual crossing of boundaries.… Learn Koine Greek

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Shipwrecked by Conscience: Greek Grammar in Warnings of Faith

Posted on January 1, 2019 by New Testament Greek
Ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἥν τινες ἀπωσάμενοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν (1 Timothy 1:19)

Having faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.

In this passage, Paul weaves together participles, relative pronouns, and metaphors to issue a stern warning about moral integrity and belief: ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἥν τινες ἀπωσάμενοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν from 1 Timothy 1:19. The grammar mirrors the danger Paul describes — a subtle drifting that leads to spiritual catastrophe. Let us unpack this verse phrase by phrase.

Grammatical Highlights ἔχων — present active participle, masculine singular; describes the subject as “having” both faith and conscience.… Learn Koine Greek
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