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Greek Lessons
- You Are the Light: Visibility and Vocation in Matthew 5:14
- Before the Law: The Logic of Sin in Romans 5:13
- The Optative Mood and Supplication: A Grammar of Hope in Luke 5:12
- Subjunctive Chains in Koine Greek: Coordinated Volition and Unfolding Persecution in Matthew 5:11
- Before the Judgment Seat: Greek Grammar in Eschatological Clarity
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Category
Greek Grammar Lesson from John 3:16
Verse in Greek
Οὕτω γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
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Hear and Understand: A Call to Discernment in Matthew 15:10
καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἀκούετε καὶ συνίετε
In Matthew 15:10, Jesus turns from confrontation with the Pharisees to address the gathered crowd directly. The Greek text captures both a shift in focus and a summons to Study more .....
You Are the Light: Visibility and Vocation in Matthew 5:14
Matthew 5:14 is part of the Sermon on the Mount, immediately following the Beatitudes. In verses 13–16, Jesus uses metaphors to describe the disciples’ role in the world. After calling them the “salt of the earth,” he declares: “You are the light of the world.” This verse introduces the imagery Study more .....
Before the Law: The Logic of Sin in Romans 5:13
Romans 5:13 belongs to Paul’s broader argument in Romans 5:12–21, where he contrasts Adam and Christ. Verse 12 declares that sin entered the world through one man and death through sin. Verse 13 qualifies this claim by addressing the time before the Mosaic Law. Paul’s aim is to show that sin was Study more .....
The Optative Mood and Supplication: A Grammar of Hope in Luke 5:12
Text in Focus: Luke 5:12
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας· καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ λέγων· Study more .....
Subjunctive Chains in Koine Greek: Coordinated Volition and Unfolding Persecution in Matthew 5:11
Text in Focus: Matthew 5:11
μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ’ ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ·
Literal Translation
Blessed are you when they insult Study more .....
Before the Judgment Seat: Greek Grammar in Eschatological Clarity
In this sobering verse, Paul lays out the universality and purpose of final judgment using precise Greek constructions: τοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος Study more .....
Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Divine Sonship and Reconciliation in Matthew 5:9
Matthew 5:9 is the seventh of the Beatitudes that open the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–12). These declarations of blessing set the ethical and spiritual tone for Jesus’ teaching, describing the character of those who belong to the kingdom of heaven. In this verse, Jesus praises not passive peace-lovers Study more .....
Worse Than an Unbeliever: Conditional Grammar and Denied Faith
This verse delivers one of the strongest rebukes in the Pastoral Epistles, using a conditional sentence and comparative structure to express the moral gravity of neglecting one's family: εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα τῶν οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν Study more .....
When Darkness Cries Out: The Fear of Holiness in Mark 5:7
Mark 5:7 occurs in the account of Jesus’ confrontation with the Gerasene demoniac — a man possessed by a legion of unclean spirits (Mark 5:1–20). After running to Jesus and falling before Him, the possessed man (or rather the spirit within him) speaks. This verse captures the moment of spiritual Study more .....
Nets at the Breaking Point: Obedience and Overflow in Luke 5:6
Luke 5:6 belongs to the account of the miraculous catch of fish — a pivotal moment in Jesus’ early Galilean ministry. After teaching from Simon’s boat, Jesus instructs him to let down the nets. Though the disciples had caught nothing all night, they obey — and the result is overwhelming. This Study more .....
The Future Passive and the Inheritance of the Earth
Few verses in the New Testament glow with the serene promise and grammatical richness of μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν (Matthew 5:5). Nestled in the Beatitudes, this verse delivers its reward through a future indicative passive Study more .....
The Parable Begins: Greek Imagery and Eschatological Invitation in Matthew 25:1
Matthew 25:1 opens the final block of Jesus’ eschatological discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, often called the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25). The verse introduces the parable of the ten virgins — a narrative exclusive to Matthew — which follows warnings about the suddenness and unpredictability Study more .....
Why Have You Lied to God? Divine Ownership and Integrity in Acts 5:4
οὐχὶ μένον σοι ἔμενε καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχε; τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο; οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ
In this solemn confrontation Study more .....
Boasting in Affliction: A Greek Look at Romans 5:3
Romans 5:3
οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν, εἰδότες ὅτι ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται,
And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance,
From Study more .....
Posted in Ancient Greek
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The Stillness Before the Call: Greek Grammar in a Moment of Transition
In this scene from the calling of the first disciples, Luke captures a quiet but significant moment by the lakeshore using vivid participles, perfect tenses, and spatial prepositions: καὶ εἶδε δύο πλοῖα ἑστῶτα παρὰ τὴν λίμνην· οἱ δὲ ἁλιεῖς ἀποβάντες Study more .....
Ascending to Teach: Grammatical Setting and Theological Foreshadowing in Matthew 5:1
The Mountain Scene: Literary and Theological Context of Matthew 5:1
Matthew 5:1 — Ἰδὼν δὲ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος· καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ·
(“And seeing the crowds, Study more .....
Rhetorical Inquiry and Comparative Teaching in Mark 4:30: Hortatory Subjunctives and Parabolic Framing in Greek Narrative
καὶ ἔλεγε· πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἐν τίνι παραβολῇ παραβάλωμεν αὐτὴν; (Mark 4:30)
Introduction to Teaching Discourse: καὶ ἔλεγε
- καὶ: Coordinating conjunction—"and," linking to Study more .....
The Quiet Escape: Classical and Koine Greek Meet in Luke 4:30
Luke 4:30
αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο.
Literal Translation: But he, passing through their midst, was going his way.
1. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek
αὐτὸς δὲ: The explicit subject pronoun αὐτὸς ("he himself") Study more .....
Grant Boldness: Grammatical Petition and Apostolic Courage in Acts 4:29
Prayer Under Threat: Literary and Theological Context of Acts 4:29
Acts 4:29 — καὶ τὰ νῦν, Κύριε, ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὰς ἀπειλὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ δὸς τοῖς δούλοις σου μετὰ παρρησίας πάσης λαλεῖν τὸν λόγον Study more .....
Posted in Grammar, Theology
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Fury in the Synagogue: A Sudden Turn in Luke 4:28
καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες θυμοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ ἀκούοντες ταῦτα
Luke 4:28 captures the dramatic moment when a congregation's admiration turns into explosive anger. The Greek structure vividly portrays a collective emotional reaction, showing how Study more .....
Unseen Growth: The Mysterious Working of the Kingdom in Mark 4:27
καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστάνῃ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός
Mark 4:27 continues the parable of the seed, emphasizing the mystery of growth independent of human Study more .....
