The Love That Names: Intimacy in John 11:5

Posted on May 1, 2011 by New Testament Greek
The Verse in Focus (John 11:5)

ἠγάπα δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν Μάρθαν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον

ἠγάπα: A Love of Choice and Commitment

The verb ἠγάπα is the imperfect active indicative of ἀγαπάω, meaning “to love.” The imperfect tense indicates ongoing or repeated past action — “Jesus was loving” or “Jesus loved continually.” This is not a fleeting emotion; it is a consistent, enduring relationship. The choice of ἀγαπάω — rather than φιλέω — emphasizes a committed, intentional love rather than mere affection.

This verse comes just before the account of Lazarus’s death and resurrection, and the imperfect form prepares the reader: Jesus’ love was not negated by delay or suffering — it was always present.… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Grammar Lesson from Matthew 4:11

Posted on April 11, 2011 by New Testament Greek
Verse in Greek

Τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελοι προσῆλθον καὶ διηκόνουν αὐτῷ.

Focus Topic: Dramatic Present and Historical Narrative Tense Shifts

This verse contains a stylistic mixture of verb tenses — the historical present and the aorist — that heightens the drama and underscores the transition from temptation to divine comfort. We also observe the imperfect tense describing continued action.

Historical Present: ἀφίησιν

ἀφίησιν is present active indicative, 3rd person singular, from ἀφίημι (“he leaves, releases”). Though the action is past, the present tense is used here to create vividness, a common technique in narrative Greek known as the historical present.… Learn Koine Greek

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Grammatical Analysis of Hebrews 11:4

Posted on April 11, 2011 by New Testament Greek
Πίστει πλείονα θυσίαν Ἄβελ παρὰ Κάϊν προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ, δι’ ἧς ἐμαρτυρήθη εἶναι δίκαιος, μαρτυροῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δι’ αὐτῆς ἀποθανὼν ἔτι λαλεῖται. Word Breakdown Greek Word Transliteration Gloss Grammatical Analysis Πίστει pistei by faith Noun, Dative Singular Feminine πλείονα pleiona more Adjective, Accusative Singular Feminine (Comparative) θυσίαν thysian sacrifice Noun, Accusative Singular Feminine Ἄβελ Abel Abel Proper Noun, Nominative Singular Masculine παρὰ para than Preposition + Accusative (Comparative) Κάϊν Kain Cain Proper Noun, Accusative Singular Masculine προσήνεγκε prosēnenke offered Verb, Aorist Active Indicative, 3rd Person Singular τῷ Θεῷ tō Theō to God Article + Noun, Dative Singular Masculine δι’ di’ through Preposition (διὰ) + Genitive ἧς hēs which Relative Pronoun, Genitive Singular Feminine ἐμαρτυρήθη emartyrēthē was testified Verb, Aorist Passive Indicative, 3rd Person Singular εἶναι einai to be Verb, Present Infinitive δίκαιος dikaios righteous Adjective, Nominative Singular Masculine μαρτυροῦντος martyrountos bearing witness Participle, Present Active Genitive Singular Masculine ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις epi tois dōrois concerning the gifts Preposition + Article + Noun, Dative Plural Neuter αὐτοῦ autou his Pronoun, Genitive Singular Masculine τοῦ Θεοῦ tou Theou of God Article + Noun, Genitive Singular Masculine καὶ kai and Conjunction δι’ αὐτῆς di’ autēs through it Preposition + Pronoun, Genitive Singular Feminine ἀποθανὼν apothanōn having died Participle, Aorist Active Nominative Singular Masculine ἔτι eti still Adverb λαλεῖται laleitai is spoken (of) Verb, Present Passive Indicative, 3rd Person Singular Syntactical Analysis Πίστει is a dative of means: “by faith”.… Learn Koine Greek
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NT Greek Substantive, Adjective & Adverbs

Posted on March 28, 2011 by New Testament Greek

(1) The parts of speech are connected with each other more or less. It is simply mechanical to think of anything else. Adverbs bulk largely in furnishing various parts of speech in the development of language, such as prepositions, conjunctions, particles, etc. The higher organization of speech calls for fine distinctions which are made of possible by new uses of adverbs. Adverbs themselves have various origins as verbs, substantive, adjective, pronouns. As a rule, adverbs is the fixed case-form like χαριν(freely), which also is used as preposition with genitive. In itself it is merely the accusative of χαρις. But compare ομολογουμενως and even νουνεχως.… Learn Koine Greek

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What Is Biblical Greek

Posted on March 18, 2011 by New Testament Greek

The isolated position of the Greek found in the Septuagint and the New Testament has been the problem dividing grammatical students of this literature for generations past. That the Greek Scriptures, and the small body of writings which in language go with them, were written in the Κοινή, the “common” or “Hellenistic Greek” that superseded the dialects of the Classical period was well enough known. But was most obviously different from the literary Κοινή of the period. It could not be adequately paralleled from Plutarch or Arrian, and the Jewish writers Philo and Josephus were no more helpful than their “profane” comtemporaries.… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Pronouns

Posted on March 15, 2011 by New Testament Greek
Personal Pronouns   First Personal Pronoun   Second Personal Pronoun     Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative εγω, I ημεις, we συ, you υμεις, you Genitive εμου or μου ημων σου υμων Dative εμοι or μοι ημιν σοι υμιν Accusative εμε or με ημας σε υμας

For the third personal pronoun, he, she, it, the three genders of an adjective-pronoun are employed: αυτος, self.

  Singular     Plural       Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter Nominative αυτος αυτη αυτο αυτοι αυται αυτα Genitive αυτου αυτης αυτου αυτων αυτων αυτων Dative αυτω αυτη αυτω αυτοις αυταις αυτοις Accusative αυτον αυτην αυτο αυτους αυτας αυτα Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns combine the personal pronouns with the oblique cases of αυτος.… Learn Koine Greek

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Punctuation In The Greek New Testament

Posted on March 10, 2011 by New Testament Greek

In the edition of the New Testament down to that of Griesbach inclusive, the punctuation was not only deficient in uniformity, but was also excessive. To make the meaning clearer, editors introduced a profusion of stops, especially commas; and in doing this often intruded on the text their own interpretation of it. Knapp was the first who bestowed closer attention on the subject, and attempted to reduce it to fixed principles. Schulz, Lachmann, and Tischendorf (who usually agrees with Lachmann), have followed in the same track, but with still greater reserve: no one of these however, has given a general exposition of his principles.… Learn Koine Greek

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The Origin of the Greek Definite Article

Posted on March 5, 2011 by New Testament Greek

The Sanskrit and Latin did not develop any article at all, and the Greek never developed the indefinite usage to any extent. Moreover, the Greek was slow in creating the definite article, though in Homer we do have the beginning of the article. The forms ο, η, το are occasionally used in Homer with the force of “the,” chiefly with adjectives, proper names, or for contrast. It is just in Homer that we see the evolution of the article, for this same form ο, η, το is very common here as a demonstrative and appears also as a relative. Hence ο is originally a demonstrative that was gradually weakened to the article or heightened to the relative.… Learn Koine Greek

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The Indefinite Article In Greek

Posted on March 2, 2011 by New Testament Greek

The Latin had no article, as the Greek has no indefinite article. Not even in the modern Greek has the indefinite article of the Teutonic and Roman tounges developed, though occasionally εις or τις is used with little more force than the English a (an). Even in the New Testament we see traces of this use of εις in Mat 8:19 where εις γραμματευς is equivalent to “a” in English

Matthew 8:19 και προσελθων εις γραμματευς ειπεν αυτω διδασκαλε ακολουθησω σοι οπου εαν απερχη

and a certain scribe having come, said to him, `Teacher, I will follow thee wherever thou mayest go

In fact, the English one, Scotch ane, French un, German ein is simply the cardinal “one” adapted to this very usage.… Learn Koine Greek

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Comparison of Adjectives

Posted on March 1, 2011 by New Testament Greek

There are two general forms.

(1) First Form

Comparative -τερος -τερα -τερον

Superlative -τατος -τατη -τατον

(a) These terminations are added to the adjective stem. Thus:-

πιστος faithful

πιστοτερος πιστοτερα πιστοτερον – more faithful

ευγενης noble

ευγενεστερος ευγενετερα ευγενετερον – more noble

Βαθυς – deep

Βαθυτερος Βαθυτερα Βαθυτερον – deeper

and :-

πιστοτατος πιστοτατη πιστοτατον – most faithful

ευγενεστατος ευγενεστατη ευγενεστατον – most noble

Βαθυτατος Βαθυτατη Βαθυτατον – deepest

(b) The stem-ending ο (in the First Form of adjectives) when preceded by a short vowel, is changed in the comparative and superlative into ω. Thus:-

σοφος wise

σοφωτερος σοφωτερα σοφωτερον – wiser

σοφωτατος σοφωτατη σοφωτατον – wisest

νεος new

νεωτερος νεωτερα νεωτερον newer

νεωτατος νεωτατη νεωτατον newest

(c) The declension of the First form of comparative and superltive follows that of the First Form of the adjectives.… Learn Koine Greek

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