1. Verse Reference : Mark 3:5
καὶ περιβλεψάμενος αὐτοὺς μετ’ ὀργῆς, συλλυπούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ· Ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου. καὶ ἐξέτεινε, καὶ ἀποκατεστάθη ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιὴς ὡς ἡ ἄλλη.
Literal Translation: And having looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their heart, he says to the man: “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored—healthy like the other.
2. Key Grammatical Features in Koine Greek
- Aorist Participles in Narrative: περιβλεψάμενος and συλλυπούμενος show how Koine uses participles to convey attendant circumstances or background emotion. These add narrative richness, replacing more complex Classical structures.
- μετ’ ὀργῆς: Preposition + genitive expressing emotion accompaniment. This structure is common to both dialects but appears more vividly and personally in Koine narrative, often attached to psychological nuance.
- ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει: Preposition + dative expressing cause or emotional basis. The use of ἐπί with the dative in this emotional sense was increasing in Koine.
- λέγει: Present tense used dramatically in narrative for immediacy. This is the “historic present,” a common feature in Koine that was far rarer in Classical literary prose.
- Ἔκτεινον: Aorist imperative; Koine prefers the aorist imperative for commands with finality, while Classical might vary more with aspect.
- ἀποκατεστάθη: Perfective passive; Koine increasingly favors periphrasis or passive simplification but retains some Classical forms like this for solemn finality.
- ὑγιὴς ὡς ἡ ἄλλη: Comparative syntax remains Classical in structure but is used more idiomatically in Koine to describe healing or physical integrity.
3. Classical Greek Grammar Comparison
- Participles: While Classical Greek certainly uses participles, it typically embeds them in more rigid clause hierarchies or attaches them to verbs of perception or causation. The emotive participle chain here (anger + grief) is more typical of Koine’s looser narrative style.
- Historic Present: Classical Greek avoids switching between narrative tenses. Koine freely toggles into the present (λέγει) to heighten vividness.
- Imperatives: Classical Greek would choose present imperative for general action or aorist for punctiliar. Koine favors aorist even for general exhortation, reflecting aspectual simplification.
- Periphrasis vs. Verb Preservation: While ἀποκατεστάθη retains Classical passive form, Koine increasingly uses compound tenses with εἰμί or γίνομαι. Its presence here is stylistically elevated.
- Lexicon Shift: Words like πωρώσις (hardness) are rare or non-existent in Classical usage but rise in Koine, especially in medical or theological registers.
4. Syntactic and Structural Differences
- Clause Layering: Classical Greek often separates participles into their own subordinate structures. Koine integrates them fluidly for narrative layering without formal subordination.
- Emotional Focus: Koine syntax favors direct emotional embedding (e.g., μετ’ ὀργῆς, ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει). Classical prose tends to abstract emotion into clauses or metaphor.
- Verb Sequence: Classical writers prefer consistent aspect/tenses; Koine shifts among aorist, present, and perfect for dramatic pacing.
5. Phonological Notes
- Stress vs. Pitch Accent: Classical Greek uses pitch accent (e.g., ὑγιὴς with a rising tone); Koine Greek pronounces this with a stress system (e.g., emphasis on last syllable).
- Vowel Shifts: In ἀποκατεστάθη, the ει diphthong and η would have distinct values in Classical, but in Koine likely merged toward [i].
- Aspiration Loss: Breathings in words like ἡ χεὶρ (hand) would have been voiced in Classical ([h]), but aspirates were disappearing by Koine.
6. Summary Table of Grammatical Evolution
| Feature | Classical Greek | Koine Greek |
|---|---|---|
| Participial Emotion Chains | Rare, subordinated clauses preferred | Frequent, used narratively for affect |
| Historic Present | Avoided in narrative prose | Common, adds immediacy |
| Aorist Imperative | Aspect-sensitive choice | Default for commands |
| Lexical Shifts | πωρώσις absent or extremely rare | Prominent in ethical/theological texts |
| Passive Verb Use | Frequent, formal | Sometimes retained, but periphrasis grows |
7. What This Verse Tells Us About the Evolution of Greek
Mark 3:5 vividly displays Koine Greek’s move toward emotionally charged, accessible narration. The aorist participles—περιβλεψάμενος and συλλυπούμενος—layer emotional background before a simple dramatic imperative: Ἔκτεινον. This participle-verb structure replaces the ornate hypotaxis of Classical Greek with raw immediacy.
Instead of distant narrative, we are drawn into the scene. The use of the historic present (λέγει), rare in Classical, thrusts the audience directly into the moment. Meanwhile, terms like πωρώσις show the rise of theological vocabulary, paving the way for Christian moral discourse.
All in all, this verse exemplifies how Koine Greek grammar embraced clarity and rhetorical force—distilling complexity into narrative energy without losing expressive power.
