The Fiery Dragon Appears: A Greek Look at Revelation 12:3

Καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ δράκων πυρρὸς μέγας, ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήματα, (Revelation 12:3)

And another sign was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.

A Sign in the Sky

καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ – “And another sign appeared in heaven.”

ὤφθη – aorist passive of ὁράω, “to see,” meaning “was seen” or “appeared.” A divine, visionary passive. ἄλλο σημεῖον – “another sign.” σημεῖον refers to a symbolic vision, not a literal entity.… Learn Koine Greek
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Visions and Revelations: A Costly Boast in 2 Corinthians 12:1

Καυχᾶσθαι δὴ οὐ συμφέρει μοι· ἐλεύσομαι γὰρ εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις κυρίου (2 Corinthians 12:1)

To boast indeed is not profitable for me, for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord

Καυχᾶσθαι δὴ οὐ συμφέρει μοι: Boasting Is Not Profitable

The opening clause is a powerful mix of honesty and irony:

– Καυχᾶσθαι is the present middle infinitive of καυχάομαι, meaning “to boast” or “to glory.” – δὴ is a particle that adds emphasis or urgency — “indeed,” “certainly,” or “now.” – οὐ συμφέρει is a present active indicative of συμφέρω, “it is beneficial,” here negated — “it is not profitable.”… Learn Koine Greek

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“Παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη, καὶ ἔστιν θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν;”: Quoted Marvel and Divine Origin in Mark 12:11

Mark 12:11 quotes Psalm 118:23 (LXX) but in a distinctly Markan narrative context, applied by Jesus to His rejection and vindication. This line forms part of Jesus’ quotation following the parable of the vineyard, where He applies the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone to Himself. The Greek construction here captures divine initiative, completed action, and perceptual astonishment—with grammatical precision.

Quoting the Cornerstone

In Mark 12:11, Jesus concludes His citation of Psalm 118:22–23 with these words:

Παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη, καὶ ἔστιν θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν; “From the Lord this came to be, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”

Here, Jesus reinforces that the unexpected exaltation of the rejected one (Himself) is entirely God’s work.… Learn Koine Greek

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The Will and the Timing: Apollos’ Delay in 1 Corinthians 16:12

1 Corinthians 16:12 appears near the close of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. After addressing matters of doctrine, ethics, and worship, Paul turns to personal and logistical concerns (ch. 16). In this verse, he explains the situation with Apollos — a respected teacher in Corinth (cf. 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4–6). Some Corinthians evidently wanted Apollos to return. Paul clarifies that while he urged Apollos to visit, Apollos chose not to do so at the present time, intending to come later when opportunity allowed.

Structural Analysis

Περὶ δὲ Ἀπολλῶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πολλὰ παρεκάλεσα αὐτὸν ἵνα ἔλθῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν· καὶ πάντως οὐκ ἦν θέλημα ἵνα νῦν ἔλθῃ, ἐλεύσεται δὲ ὅταν εὐκαιρήσῃ.… Learn Koine Greek

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Plotting the Death of a Sign: Classical and Koine Grammar in John 12:10

Ἐβουλεύσαντο δὲ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἵνα καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον ἀποκτείνωσιν, (John 12:10)

But the chief priests deliberated that they might also kill Lazarus.

1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek ἐβουλεύσαντο: Aorist middle indicative third person plural of βουλεύομαι (“to plan, deliberate”). The middle voice reflects internal deliberation or joint decision-making, common in Koine narrative to depict collaborative intent. δὲ: Postpositive conjunction used here to contrast the priests’ new plot with previous narrative developments. Koine retains δὲ frequently but uses it more loosely than Classical Greek. οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς: Nominative definite article with plural noun ἀρχιερεῖς (“chief priests”) marks the grammatical subject. Koine uses articles more consistently and extensively than Classical Greek.… Learn Koine Greek
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Matthew 12:10 and the Greek of Challenge and Strategy

Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἐκεῖ τὴν χεῖρα ἔχων ξηράν· καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· εἰ ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασι θεραπεύειν; ἵνα κατηγορήσωσιν αὐτοῦ. (Matthew 12:10)

And behold, there was a man there having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbaths?”—so that they might accuse him.

Visual Setup and Legal Ambush καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἐκεῖ τὴν χεῖρα ἔχων ξηράν The interjection ἰδοὺ marks narrative alertness—“look!” or “behold!” The imperfect verb ἦν establishes the background: “there was a man.” τὴν χεῖρα ἔχων ξηράν is a participial phrase modifying the man: “having a withered hand.” ξηρά (“withered”) implies paralysis or muscular atrophy, a detail that draws attention to physical disability.… Learn Koine Greek
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Greek Grammar Lesson from Mark 9:12

Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἠλίας μὲν ἐλθὼν πρῶτον ἀποκαθιστᾷ πάντα· καὶ πῶς γέγραπται ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἵνα πολλὰ πάθῃ καὶ ἐξουδενωθῇ; (Mark 9:12)

But answering, He said to them, ‘Elijah indeed comes first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He should suffer many things and be despised?'”

Focus Topic: Contrast with μὲν… καί, Aorist and Present Participles, and Purpose Clause with ἵνα

This verse captures a moment of Christological teaching in response to the disciples’ question about Elijah. It uses contrast, rhetorical questioning, and a purpose clause to highlight the paradox of the suffering Son of Man despite the promised restoration.… Learn Koine Greek

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Declensions That Call and Cleanse: The Grammar of Divine Approach in James 4:8

Ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. καθαρίσατε χεῖρας ἁμαρτωλοί καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας δίψυχοι. (James 4:8)

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners, and purify hearts, double-minded ones.

Grammatical Structure and Spiritual Urgency

This piercing exhortation from the epistle of James combines imperative verbs with powerfully declined nouns and vocatives. Through dative, accusative, and vocative cases, the verse calls for decisive, inward and outward repentance, grounding its message in formal syntactic clarity. The declensions not only identify who is being addressed—but what kind of transformation they need.

Declinable Elements: A Closer Look Greek Word Morphology Case & Syntactic Role Notes τῷ Θεῷ 2nd declension masculine dative singular noun with article Dative of direction (“toward”) “Draw near to God” — the indirect object of nearness and communion ὑμῖν 2nd person personal pronoun, dative plural Dative of advantage (indirect object) “He will draw near to you” — reciprocal action marked by case parallel χεῖρας 3rd declension feminine accusative plural noun Accusative direct object of καθαρίσατε Outward deeds symbolized — the hands to be cleansed ἁμαρτωλοί 2nd declension masculine vocative plural adjective Vocative of direct address A wake-up call — identifying the audience as sinners καρδίας 1st declension feminine accusative plural noun Accusative direct object of ἁγνίσατε Symbolic of inner life — hearts must be purified δίψυχοι 2nd declension masculine vocative plural adjective Vocative of direct address Literally “double-souled” — denotes wavering loyalty Case Patterns and Theological Force

– The dative τῷ Θεῷ and ὑμῖν frame a mutual approach: you move toward God, and He moves toward you.… Learn Koine Greek

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Greek Grammar Lesson from John 12:8

Τοὺς πτωχοὺς γὰρ πάντοτε ἔχετε μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν, ἐμὲ δὲ οὐ πάντοτε ἔχετε. (John 12:8)

For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Focus Topic: Parallel Clauses with Emphatic Word Order and Temporal Contrast

This verse contains two parallel clauses with identical verbal structure but contrasting objects and adverbials. The grammar emphasizes the continual presence of the poor versus the temporary presence of Jesus through careful word order and placement of temporal adverbs.

Verb in Both Clauses: ἔχετε

ἔχετε — present active indicative, 2nd person plural, from ἔχω (“to have, to possess”). Used here relationally: “you have [with you].”… Learn Koine Greek

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Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece 28th Edition

This is the 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28), a standard edition of the Greek New Testament used by New Testament scholars and Bible translators.

What’s New In Nestle-Aland 28th Edition Critical apparatus revised and easier to use . Papyrii 117-127 included for the first time . In-depth revision of the Catholic Epistles, with more than 30 changes to the upper text. Scripture references systematically reviewed for accuracy.

The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament that comes with this edition was prepared by Barclay M. Newman.

Textual Revisions and Methodology

The Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, commonly referred to as NA28, introduces 34 textual changes within the Catholic Epistles.… Learn Koine Greek

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