Greek Grammar Lesson from Luke 18:13

Posted on March 18, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Καὶ ὁ τελώνης μακρόθεν ἑστὼς οὐκ ἤθελεν οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν ἐπᾶραι, ἀλλ’ ἔτυπτεν εἰς τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ λέγων· ὁ Θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ. (Luke 18:13)

And the tax collector, standing far off, was not willing even to lift his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.”

Focus Topic: Periphrastic Construction and Emotional Imperfects

This verse uses vivid tense and mood choices to emphasize humility, unworthiness, and heartfelt prayer. Key features include the perfect participle with stative force, the imperfect for durative emotional action, and a rare optative of entreaty in the prayer.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“You Call Me ‘The Teacher and the Lord’” — A Study in Double Nominatives and Predicate Identity

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Advanced Greek Grammar
Ὑμεῖς φωνεῖτέ με, ὁ διδάσκαλος καὶ ὁ κύριος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γὰρ. (John 13:13)

You call me the teacher and the lord, and you speak well, for I am.

In this luminous fragment of dialogue from the Upper Room Discourse (John 13:13), Jesus responds to his disciples’ respectful address with a quiet theological affirmation. The structure of the verse is deceptively simple, yet it contains a rich grammatical phenomenon that reveals much about how identity and role are linguistically anchored in Koine Greek: the double nominative construction.

This feature—often overlooked by beginning students as mere repetition—is in fact a deliberate syntactic choice that carries both semantic weight and rhetorical emphasis.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Overabundant Longing: Participles, Purpose Clauses, and Pastoral Theology in 1 Thessalonians 3:10

Posted on March 10, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ δεόμενοι εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν ὑμῶν τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ καταρτίσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν; (1 Thessalonians 3:10)

Night and day praying beyond measure to see your face and to supply what is lacking in your faith

The Syntax of Pastoral Burden

In this emotionally charged verse, Paul reveals the unrelenting weight of his apostolic concern. His syntax is not merely informative—it embodies the pastoral heart through grammatical intensity, verbal choice, and structural layering. Every phrase builds toward a deep yearning to complete what is lacking in the faith of the Thessalonians.

This analysis will explore:

The function of the present participle δεόμενοι in sustained supplication The emphatic adverb ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ and its expressive role The articular infinitives εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν and καταρτίσαι as purpose clauses The theological nuance of τὰ ὑστερήματα τῆς πίστεως Night and Day: A Temporal Framework for Prayer

The verse begins with the genitives νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, an idiom for continuous duration, often inverted from the natural order (day and night) to stress the nocturnal burden of intercession.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Exegesis, Grammar, Syntax | Tagged | Leave a comment

The True Circumcision: Identity and Worship in Philippians 3:3

Posted on March 3, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομή, οἱ Πνεύματι Θεοῦ λατρεύοντες καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ πεποιθότες (Philippians 3:3)

For we are the circumcision, who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and do not trust in the flesh.

ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομή: Redefining Covenant Identity

The sentence opens emphatically with ἡμεῖς — “we,” clearly distinguishing Paul and his audience from those he criticizes in the previous verse (the so-called “mutilators of the flesh,” v.2). The verb ἐσμεν (present indicative of εἰμί, “to be”) follows, linking the subject to its surprising predicate: ἡ περιτομή — “the circumcision.”… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Matthew 2:13 and the Greek of Divine Intervention and Urgency

Posted on February 1, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατ’ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ λέγων· ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι· μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό. (Matthew 2:13)

And after they had departed, behold, an angel of the LORD appears in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him.”

Grammatical Precision and Narrative Speed Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν Genitive aorist participle of ἀναχωρέω (“to depart, withdraw”).… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Ancient Greek | Tagged | Leave a comment

By the Sea: Grammatical Transition and Narrative Framing in Matthew 13:1

Posted on January 13, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν· (Matthew 13:1)

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.

Setting for Parables: Literary and Theological Context of Matthew 13:1

This verse introduces the third major discourse in Matthew’s Gospel—the parable discourse (Matthew 13). With restrained but intentional grammar, Matthew shifts the reader’s attention from the private space of the house to the open expanse of the sea, where Jesus delivers a series of parables to the crowds. The syntax employs participial sequencing, narrative aorists, and spatial prepositions to establish both a physical transition and a theological frame for the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar, Theology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Greek Grammar Lesson from John 13:1

Posted on January 1, 2013 by New Testament Greek
Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἐλήλυθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς. (John 13:1)

Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Focus Topic: Circumstantial Participle, Content Clause, and Purpose Clause

This verse serves as a theological preamble to the passion narrative in John. The syntax weaves together a temporal phrase, a perfect participle, a content clause, and a climactic indicative verb expressing the fullness of Jesus’ love.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar, Theology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Faith Among the Honorable: A Greek Look at Acts 17:12

Posted on December 17, 2012 by New Testament Greek
Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπίστευσαν, καὶ τῶν Ἑλληνίδων γυναικῶν τῶν εὐσχημόνων καὶ ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοι. (Acts 17:12)

So then many of them believed, and also not a few of the noble Greek women and men.

The Response of Faith

πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπίστευσαν – “So then many of them believed.”

πολλοὶ – “many,” masculine plural nominative, subject of the verb. μὲν οὖν – a common discourse marker: μὲν signals a contrast to follow; οὖν (“therefore”) links to prior argument or result—here, the result of Paul’s preaching in Beroea (cf. Acts 17:11). ἐξ αὐτῶν – “of them,” referring to the Jews in the synagogue.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Crown of Life: Endurance and the Aorist Reward in James 1:12

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Greek Insights
Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς ὑπομένει πειρασμόν· ὅτι δόκιμος γενόμενος λήψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς, ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Κύριος τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.

Blessed is the man who endures trial, because having become approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the LORD promised to those who love Him.

Blessing for Those Who Endure

James 1:12 delivers a beatitude not for the comfortable, but for the tested. The structure of this verse is shaped around one central figure: the one who ὑπομένει πειρασμόν—“endures testing.” The reward is stunning: the στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς, “the crown of life,” a metaphor for eternal reward. But this promise unfolds through grammatical nuance, where participial timing, future certainty, and verbal agreement reveal that endurance is not the cause of salvation, but its hallmark and evidence.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Exegesis | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Sign Refused: Divine Grief and Human Unbelief in Mark 8:12

Posted on December 8, 2012 by New Testament Greek

Mark 8:12 is located in a section where the Pharisees confront Jesus, demanding a sign from heaven to test him (Mark 8:11). The verse you provided is Jesus’ deeply emotional and solemn response. This marks a turning point in the narrative as Jesus increasingly distances himself from those demanding proof and moves toward his passion. His refusal to give a sign is both judgment and lament.

Structural Analysis

καὶ ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ λέγει· τί ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη σημεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ; ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰ δοθήσεται τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ σημεῖον.

The verse flows in three movements:

ἀναστενάξας τῷ πνεύματι αὐτοῦ — an inner groaning of grief or exasperation.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Exegesis | Tagged | Leave a comment


  1. NT Greek Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 66
  6. 67
  7. 68
  8. 69
  9. 70
  10. 71
  11. 72
  12. ...
  13. 94