Deliver Us from the Evil One: Syntax and Theology in a Sentence

Posted on June 13, 2013 by New Testament Greek
The Verse in Focus (Matthew 6:13) Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ· ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ ἡ δύναμις, καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοῦς αἰῶνας.

Matthew 6:13 is traditionally recognized as the final petition and doxology of the Lord’s Prayer.

Negative Requests and the Subjunctive: μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς

The verb εἰσενέγκῃς is aorist active subjunctive, second person singular, from εἰσφέρω (“to bring in” or “lead into”). Preceded by μὴ, it forms a prohibition or negative entreaty: “Do not lead us.” The subjunctive mood is used here not to express doubt, but as part of a common construction in Greek prayer language — a polite, reverent request directed toward God.… Learn Koine Greek

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“ἔλεγε πειράζων… ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν”: Testing and Knowing in John 6:6

Posted on June 6, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Introduction: A Test With a Known Answer

After asking Philip where to buy bread (John 6:6), the narrator comments:

Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε πειράζων αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν. “But this he was saying, testing him; for he himself knew what he was about to do.”

This sentence contrasts Jesus’ apparent uncertainty (posing a question) with his actual foreknowledge. It uses an elegant mix of grammatical forms to present Jesus as a teacher who tests, but also a sovereign who knows.

Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε πειράζων αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν.

This verse John 6:6 features a powerful present participle (πειράζων) alongside two imperfect indicative verbs (ἔλεγε and ᾔδει) and a periphrastic future construction (ἔμελλε + infinitive).… Learn Koine Greek

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A Command Before God and the Governor: Witness and Confession

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Classical Greek
Παραγγέλλω σοι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τὰ πάντα καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, (1 Timothy 6:13)

I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

This verse, a solemn apostolic charge, invokes the highest heavenly authority and a poignant earthly moment: the confession of Christ before Pontius Pilate. Paul urges Timothy to live faithfully under the weight of this witness.

Koine Greek Breakdown

Formal and juridical in tone, the sentence contains a compound prepositional phrase, articular participles, and genitive constructions of reverence.… Learn Koine Greek

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The Rock and the Root: A Study in Aspectual Contrast in Matthew 13:5

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Advanced Greek Grammar
ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχε γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλε διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς.

In the parable of the sower, recorded in Matthew 13:5, Jesus uses the familiar imagery of ancient agriculture to reveal profound spiritual realities. This is not merely a lesson about farming—it is a mirror held up to the human heart, exposing how it receives or rejects the Word of the Kingdom.

In this verse, we encounter the second type of soil—the rocky ground:

ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχε γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλε διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς.… Learn Koine Greek

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When the Aorist Participles Speak First: Temporal Nuance and Dramatic Sequence

Posted on May 13, 2013 by New Testament Greek

In the verse ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς ἤρξατο λέγειν αὐτοῖς· βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ (Mark 13:5), we find a classic example of Koine Greek’s capacity to compress action and emotion into finely tuned grammatical structures. The spotlight falls on the use of the aorist participle ἀποκριθεὶς, which precedes the main verb ἤρξατο in a sequence that defies a rigid English rendering. This raises a subtle but crucial grammatical issue: how should we interpret temporal participles in Koine Greek — especially when paired with verbs of speaking and motion?

This isn’t merely an academic curiosity. In Mark’s narrative style — swift, urgent, and often breathless — participles set the stage for action with cinematic immediacy.… Learn Koine Greek

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Apostolic Delegation and Ecclesiastical Order in Titus 1:5: Greek Imperatives for Church Structuring

Posted on May 1, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Τούτου χάριν κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ, ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, καὶ καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην, Purpose Introduction: Τούτου χάριν

– Τούτου: Genitive singular neuter demonstrative pronoun—”of this.” – χάριν: Accusative singular of χάρις, used idiomatically as a preposition meaning “for the sake of.” – Translation: “For this reason” or “On account of this.” – This phrase introduces the rationale behind Paul’s previous action.

Main Action: κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ

– κατέλιπον: Aorist active indicative, 1st person singular of καταλείπω, “I left behind.” – σε: Accusative singular 2nd person pronoun—”you.” – ἐν Κρήτῃ: Prepositional phrase with ἐν + dative singular—”in Crete.”… Learn Koine Greek

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The Fragrance of Generosity: Paul’s Language of Worship and Gift

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Greek Insights
Ἀπέχω δὲ πάντα καὶ περισσεύω· πεπλήρωμαι δεξάμενος παρὰ Ἐπαφροδίτου τὰ παρ’ ὑμῶν, ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας, θυσίαν δεκτήν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ. (Philippians 4:18)

But I have received everything and I abound; I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the things from you, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

Apostolic Gratitude and Liturgical Language

This verse is Paul’s beautifully stylized thank-you note, expressed not in transactional terms but in sacrificial and liturgical imagery. He speaks not only of receiving a material gift but of a spiritual act that rises to God.

ἀπέχω δὲ πάντα καὶ περισσεύω – “I have received everything and abound.”… Learn Koine Greek
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Declensions and Authority: Case Roles in Romans 13:4

Posted on April 13, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστι σοὶ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. ἐὰν δὲ τὸ κακὸν ποιῇς, φοβοῦ· οὐ γὰρ εἰκῇ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ· Θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν εἰς ὀργὴν, ἔκδικος τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι. (Romans 13:4)

For he is a servant of God for your good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to the one who practices evil.

Declension Analysis Table Greek Form Morphology Case & Syntactic Role Notes Θεοῦ 2nd declension masculine singular Genitive singular, genitive of possession Marks God as the one to whom the servant belongs; repeated twice for emphasis.… Learn Koine Greek
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Declensions in Exhortation: Morphology in 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Posted on April 9, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Τὸ λοιπὸν οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, καθὼς παρελάβετε παρ’ ἡμῶν τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ ἀρέσκειν Θεῷ, ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον· (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Finally then, brothers, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, just as you received from us how it is necessary for you to walk and to please God, that you may abound more.

Declension Analysis Table Greek Word Morphology Case & Syntactic Role Notes ἀδελφοί Noun, vocative masculine plural Direct address Sets a fraternal, pastoral tone ὑμᾶς (first occurrence) 2nd person pronoun, accusative plural Accusative direct object of ἐρωτῶμεν and παρακαλοῦμεν The audience of the appeal κυρίῳ Noun, dative masculine singular with article Dative of sphere or respect Marks the sphere in which the appeal is made — “in the Lord” Ἰησοῦ Proper noun, genitive masculine singular Genitive of relationship Identifies the Lord as Jesus ἡμῶν 1st person pronoun, genitive plural Genitive of source Indicates from whom the teaching was received ὑμᾶς (second occurrence) 2nd person pronoun, accusative plural Subject of infinitives περιπατεῖν and ἀρέσκειν Accusative of reference with infinitives Θεῷ Noun, dative masculine singular Dative of advantage Marks God as the one pleased by the believers’ walk Vocatives Framing Pastoral Appeal

The vocative ἀδελφοί places the audience in a relationship of familial warmth and shared faith, setting the tone for exhortation.… Learn Koine Greek

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Arming the Mind: Suffering and Transformation in 1 Peter 4:1

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Biblical Greek
Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σαρκὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔννοιαν ὁπλίσασθε, ὅτι ὁ παθὼν ἐν σαρκὶ πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας

This line from 1 Peter 4:1 blends theology and exhortation in compressed, military imagery. It opens with a clause about Christ’s suffering and then moves to a call for believers to “arm themselves” with the same way of thinking. The Greek is crisp, loaded with participles, and unafraid of paradox. Suffering becomes not just endurance, but transformation.

Grammatical Foundations

παθόντος is an aorist active participle in the genitive, modifying Χριστοῦ. It describes a completed event—Christ suffered. The phrase ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν (on behalf of us) emphasizes substitution, while σαρκὶ (in flesh) grounds the suffering in human experience.… Learn Koine Greek

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