-
Greek Lessons
- Reverent Burial and Narrative Simplicity: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Mark 6:29
- The Morning They Found It Razed: Perfect Participles and Sacred Surprises
- Deliverance and Acceptability: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Romans 15:31
- Worry and Growth: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Matthew 6:27
- Seeking the Signs or the Bread? A Grammatical and Stylistic Journey through John 6:26
-
Category
Tag Archives: Philippians 3:8
Gaining Christ, Counting Loss: Verbal Aspect and Theological Exchange in Philippians 3:8
ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα εἶναι ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω. (Philippians 3:8)
The Grammar of Spiritual Recalculation
In Philippians 3:8, Paul intensifies his renunciation of all worldly credentials by placing them in stark contrast with “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.” The Greek text conveys a process of ongoing evaluation and completed loss through a powerful sequence of indicative and infinitive verbs, present and aorist forms, and purpose clauses. The result is not just an accounting metaphor—it is a grammar of spiritual exchange.… Learn Koine Greek
What Is Gain? Present Infinitives, Cognate Accusatives, and the Grammar of Loss and Glory
ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα εἶναι ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω (Philippians 3:8)
Counting Loss to Gain Christ
In Philippians 3:8, Paul declares with emotional intensity and grammatical elegance that everything once considered valuable is now worthless trash — compared to knowing Christ. The Greek sentence is a flowing, layered statement of values transformed by the surpassing knowledge of Jesus.
We are invited into Paul’s spiritual economics — not through abstract prose, but through precise verbal forms, purpose clauses, and vivid idioms. The verse presents a rich study in present infinitives, perfect tense, and the repetition of ἡγοῦμαι (“I consider”), anchoring the text in deliberate, personal valuation.… Learn Koine Greek
