Tag Archives: Luke 21:2

Εἶδε δέ τινα χήραν πενιχρὰν βάλλουσαν ἐκεῖ λεπτὰ δύο, (Luke 21:2)

And he saw a certain poor widow putting in two small coins there.

Object-Complement Structure and Present Participle in Action Description

This short narrative clause captures an act of humble generosity using a combination of accusative objects and a participle of simultaneous action. The grammar tightly links identity, character, and activity through elegant syntax.

Main Verb: εἶδε

εἶδε is aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular, from ὁράω (“he saw”). It introduces the entire observation — Jesus sees a specific person doing a specific act.

Accusative Direct Object: τινα χήραν πενιχράν

This phrase serves as the object of the verb εἶδε (“he saw”):

Phrase Form Translation τινα Accusative feminine singular of τις (indefinite) “a certain” χήραν πενιχράν Noun + adjective in accusative “poor widow”

The word order places πενιχράν (“poor”) after the noun for emphasis — this widow is identified not just by status but by her poverty.… Learn Koine Greek