Craftsmen, Courts, and Clause Shifts: Acts 19:38 Through the Eyes of Classical and Koine Greek

Acts 19:38

Koine Greek: εἰ μὲν οὖν Δημήτριος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ τεχνῖται ἔχουσι πρός τινα λόγον, ἀγοραῖοι ἄγονται καὶ ἀνθύπατοί εἰσιν· ἐγκαλείτωσαν ἀλλήλοις.

Literal Translation: If then Demetrios and the craftsmen with him have a matter against someone, courts are held and there are proconsuls—let them bring charges against one another.

Koine Greek Morphological Analysis

1. εἰ – conditional particle; introduces protasis (“if”).
2. μὲν οὖν – discourse particles; “indeed then” or “so then”; μὲν balances with implied δὲ.
3. Δημήτριος – proper noun, nominative singular masculine; subject.
4. καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ τεχνῖται – “and the craftsmen with him”;
   – οἱ: article, nominative plural masculine;
   – σὺν: preposition + dative;
   – αὐτῷ: 3rd person dative singular pronoun;
   – τεχνῖται: noun, nominative plural masculine.
5. ἔχουσι – verb, present active indicative 3rd person plural of ἔχω; “they have”.
6. πρός τινα λόγον – “a complaint/matter against someone”;
   – πρός: preposition + accusative;
   – τινα: accusative singular indefinite pronoun (“someone”);
   – λόγον: accusative singular masculine noun.
7. ἀγοραῖοι ἄγονται – “courts are held”;
   – ἀγοραῖοι: adjective used substantively, nominative plural masculine (“court sessions”);
   – ἄγονται: verb, present passive indicative 3rd plural of ἄγω.
8. καὶ ἀνθύπατοί εἰσιν – “and there are proconsuls”;
   – ἀνθύπατοί: nominative plural masculine;
   – εἰσιν: verb, present indicative 3rd plural of εἰμί.
9. ἐγκαλείτωσαν ἀλλήλοις – “let them bring charges against each other”;
   – ἐγκαλείτωσαν: 3rd person plural present active imperative of ἐγκαλέω;
   – ἀλλήλοις: dative reciprocal pronoun (“to each other”).

How Would Classical Greek Phrase It?

Let’s reconstruct this Koine sentence into Attic-style Classical Greek with grammar typical of the 5th–4th century BC:

εἰ μὲν οὖν Δημήτριος καὶ οἱ τεχνῖται οἱ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἔχουσιν λόγον πρὸς τινα, ἀγορὰ ἥδεται καὶ ἀνθύπατοι εἰσίν· ἐγκαλείτωσαν ἀλλήλοις.

• σὺν is replaced with Classical μετά + genitive.
• ἀγοραῖοι used substantively in Koine—rare in Classical; ἀγορὰ ἥδεται (“the court is held”) is more Attic.
• Word order in Classical Greek tends to delay the verb; e.g., ἔχουσιν λόγον πρὸς τινα instead of Koine’s more fluid positioning.
• The imperative ἐγκαλείτωσαν is fully acceptable in Classical as well—no change there.

Syntax in Motion

• Koine: Uses fronted participial and article phrases with prepositions for compactness: οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ τεχνῖται.
• Classical: Tends to prefer genitive participial constructions: οἱ τεχνῖται οἱ μετ’ αὐτοῦ.
• Verb Placement: Koine allows freer mid-sentence verbs; Classical leans toward final position for main verbs.
• Discourse Particles: Both styles use μὲν οὖν, but Classical is more rigid in its balancing of μέν…δέ pairs.

Pronunciation Divergence

Classical Greek: [ei mèn ôːn dɛːˈmɛːtrios kai hoi tɛkʰnĩːtai hoi met’ autûː]

Koine Greek: [i men un ðiˈmitrios ce i syn afˈto texˈniti]

• Classical Greek uses pitch accent, Koine uses stress.
• Aspiration drops: τεχνῖται [tɛkʰnĩːtai] → [texˈniti].
• Vowel contractions and diphthongs flatten (e.g., ει pronounced [ei] → [i]).

Key Shifts from Classical to Koine

What This Reveals About Greek’s Evolution

This courtroom-flavored verse shows how Koine, while still rich in participial nuance and flexible syntax, departs from Classical preferences. Phrases like σὺν αὐτῷ and noun substitutions like ἀγοραῖοι for institutions reflect a Koine tendency toward simplification and accessibility. Meanwhile, verbs move toward the middle, and vocabulary democratizes—marking a living language adapting to imperial realities, legal pluralism, and broader linguistic audiences.