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Greek Lessons
- NT Greek Quiz for Beginners: Vocabulary, Parsing & Grammar
- How Greek Uses Repeated Participles to Create a Living Vision
- How Greek Expands the Meaning of the Church Through Layered Apposition
- How Greek Suspends the Decision Between Life and Desire
- How Greek Uses Simple Movement to Expand the Journey
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Category
Tag Archives: Matthew 12:31
How Greek Uses Repetition to Create a Solemn Contrast
Matthew 12:31
Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις·
A Sentence Built Around One Repeated VerbThis verse sounds solemn because Greek repeats the same verb twice.
First the sentence speaks about forgiveness. Then it repeats the same wording with one crucial difference:
will be forgiven → will not be forgiven
Greek creates the force of the statement not through complicated grammar, but through careful repetition and contrast.
TransliterationDia touto legō hymin, pasa hamartia kai blasphēmia aphethēsetai tois anthrōpois, hē de tou Pneumatos blasphēmia ouk aphethēsetai tois anthrōpois
Literal Translation“Because of this I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven to people.”… Learn Koine Greek
