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Greek Lessons
- Freedom from Decay: The Passive Voice of Hope
- Money into Perdition: Optatives, Infinitives, and the Value of the Gift
- Following the Teacher: Aorist Participles, Future Intentions, and Conditional Clauses
- Two Witnesses: Pronouns, Participles, and Present Tense in John 8:18
- Blind Minds and Hardened Hearts: Koine Simplicity versus Classical Subtlety
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Category
Tag Archives: Luke 16:14
Tracing Grammatical Evolution from Koine to Modern Greek in Luke 16:1
Among the more linguistically layered passages in the New Testament, Luke 16:1 provides an excellent point of comparison for the grammatical and lexical trajectories that have shaped the Greek language over time. The verse introduces the Parable of the Unjust Steward and, in doing so, encapsulates several hallmark features of Koine syntax—particularly participial construction, aspectual nuance, and case usage. When placed beside its Modern Greek rendering, this single verse quietly narrates centuries of linguistic refinement.
Koine Greek: Ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς αὐτοῦ· Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος, ὃς εἶχεν οἰκονόμον, καὶ οὗτος διεβλήθη αὐτῷ ὡς διασκορπίζων τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ.
Modern Greek: Και είπε και προς τους μαθητές του: Κάποιος άνθρωπος ήταν πλούσιος και είχε έναν διαχειριστή, και αυτός κατηγορήθηκε μπροστά του ότι σπαταλούσε την περιουσία του.… Learn Koine Greek
Declensions That Reveal the Heart: Grammatical Exposure in Luke 16:14
Ἤκουον δὲ ταῦτα πάντα οἱ Φαρισαῖοι φιλάργυροι ὑπάρχοντες, καὶ ἐξεμυκτήριζον αὐτόν.
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and they were ridiculing him. (Luke 16:14)
How Grammar Discloses CharacterLuke 16:14 exposes the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus’ teachings on money and faithfulness. But this revelation isn’t only in the content—it’s also in the grammar. The participles, pronouns, and declined nouns carry narrative weight. Greek declensions subtly reveal who the Pharisees are and what drives them.
Declension Analysis Table Greek Word Morphology Case & Syntactic Role Notes ταῦτα πάντα Demonstrative + adjective, accusative neuter plural Direct object of ἤκουον “All these things”—refers to Jesus’ prior teaching οἱ Φαρισαῖοι 2nd declension masculine nominative plural noun with article Subject of ἤκουον and ἐξεμυκτήριζον The religious group in view, cast in grammatically definite terms φιλάργυροι 2nd declension masculine nominative plural adjective Predicate adjective modifying οἱ Φαρισαῖοι “Lovers of money”—not incidental, but grammatically attached to their identity ὑπάρχοντες Present participle, nominative masculine plural Circumstantial participle modifying οἱ Φαρισαῖοι “Being” or “existing as” lovers of money—adds a continuous state of character αὐτόν 3rd person singular masculine personal pronoun, accusative Direct object of ἐξεμυκτήριζον Refers to Jesus—“they were ridiculing him” Nominative Chain: Layering Identity through DeclensionLuke doesn’t simply say, “The Pharisees heard and mocked.”… Learn Koine Greek
