Learning New Testament Greek (Index)

Keating,Corey. Learning New Testament Greek.NewTestament Greek.3February201 .!"tt#$%%www.ntgreek.org%&earn'nt'greek%grkin(e)."tm*.

I. Introductory Items and English Grammar 1. Introduction 2. Inflection in the Greek Language 3. Essential Grammatical Terms (These are definitions that you need to know!) 4. Translating Greek - English Translations II. Greek Grammar !horter Ex"lanations 1. er!s 2. "ouns 3. #ronouns$ %d&ecti'es$ %d'er!s$ etc. 4. (ther )iscellaneous Terms III. #ore detailed Ex"lanation of Greek Grammar 1. #artici*les 2. +onditional ,entences 3. %d'anced E-*lanation of Greek Tenses -.ind of %ction / Time of %ction. 4. ,0ntactical +lassifications of "ouns$ er!s$ and #artici*les 1. %d'anced 2iscussion of the ,u!&uncti'e )ood - 3sed in +onte-t 4. %d'anced use of Greek %d&ecti'es. 5. Em*hasis sho6n !0 Greek 6ord order I$. % list of all documents on this site. (If 0ou 6ant to *rint them out$ etc.) $. !earch for any to"ics discussed on NT Greek we& site.

I. Introductory Items and English Grammar 1. Introduction 2. Inflection in the Greek Language 3. Essential Grammatical Terms (These are definitions that you need to know!) 4. Translating Greek - English Translations

Introduction to our resentation of !e" Testament Greek

#lease note that until this site is com*leted (if e'er)$ the amount of information here 6ill continue to increase. #lease email me if there are other items concerning Greek that 0ou 6ant to kno6 6hich are not discussed here. %lso$ *lease feel free to &oin the email list for "TGreek.org so 0ou can !e informed 6hen ma&or u*dates ha'e occurred. The *ur*ose of the material *resented here is to !etter e7ui* *eo*le 6ith the a!ilit0 to dig out man0 of the hidden riches in the 8ord of God. )an0 6ords$ *hrases$ and *aragra*hs in the "e6 Testament cannot ade7uatel0 !e kno6n 6ithout some kno6ledge of .oine (!i!lical) Greek and the a!ilit0 to use some of the man0 stud0 aids a'aila!le toda0. +,ten stu(ents o, a -ib&i.a& &anguage get bogge( (own wit" t"e memori/ation o, many wor( ,orms an( &ong 0o.abu&ary &ists. T"is site tries to use Greek grammar an( synta) to gi0e insig"t into New Testament #assages wit"out a #erson "a0ing to memori/e a&& t"e (e.&ensions, #ara(igms, an( 0o.abu&ary re1uire( ,or &earning Greek. 2owe0er, a,ter a number o, years o, tea."ing Greek an(, .on0erse&y, trying to e)#&ain #assages o, s.ri#ture to #eo#&e w"o (on3t know Greek 4but w"o want a (ee#er un(erstan(ing o, w"at t"e Greek o, t"e New Testament a.tua&&y says5, 6 am .on0in.e( t"at t"e best way to un(erstan( t"e New Testament is to a.tua&&y make t"e .ommitment to &earn t"e Greek &anguage. 7&t"oug" 6 be&ie0e t"e e)#&anations an( (e,initions on t"is web site wi&& "e&# anyone wanting to un(erstan( t"e -ib&e 4an( "e&# a #erson in t"e #ro.ess o, &earning Greek5, in or(er to obtain t"e most bene,it ,rom t"is site 4an( t"e Greek New Testament5 6 (on3t be&ie0e t"ere is a s"ort .ut to a.tua&&y &earning Greek. 7&& too o,ten t"e beginning stu(ent o, N.T. Greek gets (is.ourage( an( &oses interest 4or runs out o, time5 be,ore a.1uiring any substantia& bene,it o,
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stu(ying N.T. Greek. 47&t"oug" a &itt&e Greek an( some goo( re,eren.e books .an go a &ong way.5 T"is web site is meant to "e&# #ro0i(e ot"er resour.es an( a0enues in your 1uest ,or &earning Greek 4so you .an better know Go( an( 2is &i0ing 8or(5. 6 "a0e "ear( it sai( t"at, 9Learning Greek is 10 #er.ent ins#iration an( :0 #er.ent #ers#iration.9 T"is is true, but my ,ee&ing is .&oser to, 9Learning Greek is 10 #er.ent ins#iration an( :0 #er.ent re#etition an( reiteration.9 6n ot"er wor(s, t"e &ong;term .ommitment to &earn a &itt&e bit e0ery (ay is w"at is .riti.a&. Greek is not t"at (i,,i.u&t o, a &anguage i, you are #ersistent<
9or those of 0ou making the decision to stud0 and master the "e6 Testament in Greek$ kno6 for sure that 0ou are a 6ise *erson and are s*ending 0our life on the highest calling in the uni'erse. .no6 also that all hell 6ill !reak out to discourage$ distract$ and other6ise th6art 0our kno6ing of God:s 6ord. 9or it is through the li'ing 6ord of God that *eo*le come to kno6 our Lord and ,a'ior$ ;esus +hrist$ and through 6hich the church is !uilt< ,atan and all his dark forces kno6 that the gates of =ades 6ill not *re'ail against the >!uilded church>.

Toda0 there are more stud0 aids a'aila!le for the Greek ".T. than e'er !efore. 8e ha'e stud0 aids and hel*s a'aila!le to us that 6ere 'irtuall0 non-e-istent ten 0ears ago. (ne kind of tool a'aila!le is a set of !ooks such as >The +om*lete ?i!lical Li!rar0> (or others like this) that actuall0 tell 0ou the form of e'er0 Greek 6ord. (nce a *erson kno6s the form of a 6ord$ (for e-am*le that a *articular 'er! is *resent tense$ acti'e 'oice$ and indicati'e mood)$ then the0 can ha'e a much !etter understanding of the original meaning and e'en su!tle feeling that the =ol0 ,*irit 6as con'e0ing through the "e6 Testament 6riters. Thus 6ith a little kno6ledge and the right !ooks$ one can get at man0 of the riches onl0 *re'iousl0 a'aila!le to *eo*le that ha'e studied Greek for 0ears. 8e 6ill focus on learning enough of the !asics of Greek grammar and s0nta- to !e a!le to use some of the Greek stud0 hel*s a'aila!le 6ithout ha'ing to do a lot of memori@ation. 8e 6ant to immediatel0 !egin a**l0ing 6hat 6e are learning to start enriching our understanding of God:s 8ord. Thus 6e *lan to use man0 ".T. e-am*les. 8e 6ill !e discussing man0 as*ects of the Greek language of the ".T. such asA - ho6 the understanding of Greek 'er! tenses !rings light to e'er0 sentence of the ".T. - ho6 Greek *artici*les enrich our understanding of the actions of the ".T. - ho6 to find the em*hasis of the 6riter in an0 *articular sentence. - ho6 man0 hard-to-understand *assages are cleared u* !0 understanding Greek s0nta- (e'en if 0ou don:t 0et kno6 6hat s0nta- is).
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T"is Greek 8eb =ite is .ontinua&&y un(er .onstru.tion an( u#(ating. 6t .an be use( in many ways. 7 .ou#&e o, i(eas are as ,o&&ows$ 15 6t .an be use( as an on;&ine re,eren.e too&. 8"en you "a0e a 1uestion about t"e meaning o, any Greek grammati.a& term, you .an &ook u# t"at term "ere in t"e in(e) an( get a 1ui.k un(erstan(ing o, "ow t"at may re&ate to a #assage o, s.ri#ture w"i." you are stu(ying. 25 >ou .an a&so #rint out t"e #ages an( use t"em in a systemati. way to better un(erstan( t"e Greek &anguage. T"ere wi&& be (i,,erent &e0e&s o, (e,initions a0ai&ab&e? some wi&& start out 0ery easy to @ust gi0e a s"ort an( sim#&e e)#&anation. 8e wi&& go on ,urt"er to more ,u&&y (e0e&o# t"e intri.a.ies o, ea." grammati.a& #oint so you .an .ome to a more mature un(erstan(ing o, Greek grammar 4an( t"us o, t"e New Testament5. 6n t"is way we "o#e to "e&# bui&( a ,ramework, or stru.ture, in your un(erstan(ing w"i." you .an .ontinue to bui&( on an( mature your un(erstan(ing o, t"e Greek New Testament.

Inflection in the Greek Language

In the English language$ the function that a noun *erforms is !ased u*on its *osition in the sentence. +onsider the follo6ing 'erse from Bomans 14A2C$ >?ut the God of *eace 6ill crush ,atan under 0our feet shortl0.> %s a reader of English$ one has no *ro!lem in 7uickl0 discerning 6ho is the su!&ect of the sentence (the one doing the crushing) and 6hat is the direct o!&ect of the 'er! (the one !eing crushed). ?ecause the noun >God> comes !efore the 'er! >6ill crush>$ the English reader sees >God> as the su!&ect of the sentence$ the *erformer of the 'er!:s action. The noun >,atan> comes after the 'er! and is thus considered the reci*ient of the 'er!:s action. =o6e'er$ consider the meaning of the sentence if the 6ords of this 'erse 6ere *ut in the follo6ing orderA >?ut ,atan shortl0 under 0our feet 6ill crush the God of *eace.> +onsider the reason 6h0 one 6ould call this *er'ersion a !las*hem0. %ll the same 6ords are in this sentence$ !ut their *ositions ha'e !een rearranged. ,ince the order of the 6ords ha'e changed$ the reader of English understands that their role in the sentence has also changed. This e-am*le clearl0 illustrates ho6 im*ortant >6ord order> is in the English language. The Greek language$ ho6e'er$ o*erates altogether differentl0. It is 6hat is called a full0 >inflected language.> Each Greek 6ord actuall0 changes form (inflection) !ased u*on the role that it *la0s in the sentence. er!s also inflect (change forms) to indicate things such as *erson$ tense$ mood$ etc. Begardless of the order of the 6ords

in Bomans 14A2C$ the reader of Greek 6ould still !e *erfectl0 clear as to the fate of God:s enem0 and 6ould not in the least !e concerned a!out the *ossi!le demise of the God of *eace. Thus it is im*ortant to understand 6hat the case of each Greek noun indicates and 6hat the form of e'er0 Greek 'er! is im*l0ing.

Grammatical Terms Relating to English and Greek

Terms #elated to $entences in General

!u&'ect The su!&ect of a sentence is a 6ord or a grou* of 6ords a!out 6hich something can !e said or asserted. It must !e a noun or a grou* of 6ords functioning as a su!stanti'e. (redicate The *redicate of a sentence is the *art of the sentence that makes the assertion a!out the su!&ect. The main *art of the *redicate is a finite 'er! (6hich must !e *resent). The *redicate can !e a 'er! alone$ or a 'er! and other 6ords related to it. %n0 *art of the sentence 6hich is not a *art of the su!&ect is *art of the *redicate. The 'er! in a sentence ma0 include an >une-*ressed> su!&ect. In this kind of sentence$ a su!&ect is not e-*licitl0 stated !ut is im*lied !0 the 'er!. 9or e-am*leA >Be*ent and !e !a*ti@ed for the kingdom of the hea'ens has dra6n near.> The su!&ect of the com*ound 'er! >re*ent> and >!e !a*ti@ed> is o!'iousl0 the ones to 6hom this sentenced is addressed. It im*lies$ >Dou re*ent and !e !a*ti@ed>. !entence % sentence is a grou* of 6ords e-*ressing a com*lete thought. % com*lete sim*le sentence must include !oth a su!&ect and a *redicate (6hich is com*rised of or includes a 'er!). 9or e-am*leA >;esus 6e*t.> (;ohn 11A31) :;esus:$ a name of a *erson$ is a noun and is the su!&ect of this short sentence. (=e is o!'iousl0 the one a!out 6hich something is !eing said or asserted.) :8e*t: is the 'er! and$ !0 itself$ com*rises the *redicate of the sentence. %nother e-am*leA >Those 6ho 6orshi* =im must 6orshi* in s*irit and realit0.> (;ohn 4A24!) The su!&ect (a!out 6hich something is !eing said) is :those 6ho 6orshi* =im:. The *redicate$ com*rising !oth the 'er! :must 6orshi*: and its related 6ords$ is :must 6orshi* in s*irit and realit0.:

Terms #elated to %er&s

$er& % 'er! is a 6ord e-*ressing action$ occurrence$ e-istence$ or state of !eing. It is used to tell or assert something a!out a noun (or su!stanti'e). In the !roadest sense$ a 'er! sho6s :action:. )inite $er& % finite 'er! is one 6hose form changes in order to match the form of the su!&ect. It can !e the main 'er! in the *redicate *art of a sentence (6hose form is go'erned !0 the su!&ect of the sentence). 9or e-am*le >The &ust shall live !0 faith>. Non )inite $er& % 'er! 6hose form does not change !ased u*on an0 noun in the sentence and thus cannot function as the main 'er! in the *redicate of a sentence. 9or e-am*le >% so6er 6ent forth to sow> or >...looking u*on them$ ;esus said to them...>. (arsing a $er& There are fi'e !asic *arts that are clearl0 defined !0 e'er0 Greek 'er! form. #arsing a 'er! means to identif0 or descri!e these fi'e >*arts> that make u* that 'er!. (>#arse> is from the Latin 6ord >*ars> 6hich means >*art>). These fi'e *arts areA #erson$ "um!er$ Tense$ oice$ and )ood.

There are two main categories of *er&s+ ,. Transiti*e $er&s % transiti'e 'er! is a 'er! that :transfers: the action to and affects a noun (or su!stanti'e). This noun that it transfers motion to is called the :direct o!&ect:. Therefore !0 the 'er0 nature of a transiti'e 'er!$ it is a 'er! that re7uires a direct o!&ect. +on'ersel0$ if there is a 'er! that has a direct o!&ect$ it must !e a transiti'e 'er!. 8ithout a direct o!&ect$ the transiti'e 'er! 6ould cause the sentence to !e left hanging and seem incom*lete. 9or e-am*le >Do not quench the s*irit> (I Thess 1A1E). The understood su!&ect of the sentence is :0ou: (re7uired !ecause of the im*erati'e mood). (The 'er!$ strictl0 s*eaking$ is :do 7uench:< ho6e'er$ there is a 'er0 im*ortant ad'er! :not: inserted here). If the sentence ended 6ith >2o not 7uench$> the 7uestion could not hel* !ut !e asked$ >2o not 7uench 6hatF> The 'er! :7uench: re7uires a direct o!&ect to com*lete the
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meaning of the sentence. Thus the noun :s*irit: is added as the direct o!&ect of the 'er!. -. Intransiti*e $er&s %n intransiti'e 'er! is a 'er! that does not transfer action to a noun (a direct o!&ect). Therefore it is a 'er! that$ !0 nature$ does not ha'e a direct o!&ect. In essence$ the action !egins and ends 6ith the su!&ect of the sentence. 9or e-am*le >3nceasingl0 pray> (I Thess 1A15). %gain the understood su!&ect of the sentence is :0ou:. There is no transfer of motion to a direct o!&ect. There are no further 6ords necessar0 to make the sentence com*lete. Linking (.o"ulati*e) $er& % linking 'er! (sometimes referred to as a co*ulati'e 'er! !0 grammarians) is a s*ecial class of intransiti'e 'er!s. It is a 'er! used to e7uate$ identif0$ or &oin together one interchangea!le su!stanti'e 6ith another. It connects the su!&ect of the sentence 6ith a coordinating (or com*lementar0) *redicate. %s 6ith other intransiti'e 'er!s$ there is no direct o!&ect since there is no action transferred. %n e-am*le of linking 'er!s 6ould !e an0 form of the 6ords :is: or :!ecome:. 9or e-am*le >The 6ords 6hich I ha'e s*oken unto 0ou are s*irit and are life.> (;ohn 4A43!). "otice here that the noun :6ords: is e7uated 6ith the nouns :s*irit: and :life: !0 the linking 'er! :are:. It could !e said that :6ords: are e7ual to :s*irit: and to :life:.
Terms #elated to !ouns

Noun % noun is a 6ord that denotes a *erson$ *lace$ thing$ or idea. % noun is also referred to as a su!stanti'e. ?esides all the common nouns$ such as >man>$ >son>$ >truth>$ >6ord>$ etc.$ there are also *ro*er nouns$ 6hich are names of *articular *eo*le (e.g. ;esus +hrist$ #aul)$ of *articular *laces (e.g. E*hesus$ Bome)$ or of *articular things (e.g. #asso'er$ ;e6s). #ro*er nouns are usuall0 ca*itali@ed. !u&stanti*e % su!stanti'e is a noun$ *ronoun$ or an0 6ord functioning like a noun. This could include such items like an ad&ecti'e$ *artici*le$ or infiniti'e used as thesu!&ect or a direct o!&ect of the sentence. % su!stanti'e ma0 !e one 6ord or a grou* of 6ords. /irect 0&'ect The direct o!&ect in a sentence is the su!stanti'e that recei'es the action of a transiti'e 'er!. 9or e-am*leA >... recei'e 6ith meekness the engrafted word...> (;ames 1A21). The
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6ord 6hich is directl0 recei'ing the action of the finite 'er! >recei'e>$ (ans6ering the 7uestion >Becei'e 6hatF>) is the 6ord >6ord>$ and therefore it is the direct o!&ect of this sentence. Indirect 0&'ect %n indirect o!&ect is the *erson or thing that is indirectl0 affected !0 the action of the 'er!. It is often translated in English !0 the *hrase >to some!od0> or >for some!od0 (or something)>. 9or e-am*leA >I 6ill gi'e to you the ke0s of the kingdom of the hea'ens> ()att 14A1E). The 6ord >ke0s> is the direct o!&ect of the transiti'e 'er! >gi'e>$ and thus recei'es the action of the 'er!. ?ut the action of the 'er! is also indirectl0 affecting >0ou> and therefore >to 0ou> is said to !e the indirect o!&ect of this sentence. >To 0ou> is ans6ering the 7uestion$ >gi'e to 6homF> or >for 6homF>

(=o6e'er$ it should !e noted that Greek 6ord order does make a difference in man0 instances and is often used for the *ur*ose of *lacing em*hasis on certain elements 6ithin a sentence. Greek 6ord order 6ill !e discussed at length later on.)

"Greek Meaning Versus English Translation" OR "What is the Best English Translation?"
7s #eo#&e start rea(ing t"e New Testament in Greek, t"ere is a&ways t"e 1uestion about "ow to trans&ate .ertain wor(s an( i(iomati. Greek .onstru.tions into Dng&is". 6t is im#ortant w"en &earning Greek to un(erstan( t"at t"e 9meaning o, a Greek senten.e9 an( 9#ro(u.ing a trans&ation into Dng&is"9 are two (istin.t i(eas 4or #ro.esses5. +n.e t"e Greek meaning o, a New Testament #assage is un(erstoo(, t"en an a(e1uate Dng&is" trans&ation .an be #ro(u.e(. First year Greek stu(ents s"ou&( not be too .on.erne( about #ro(u.ing a smoot" Dng&is" trans&ation to start wit". 6t is #robab&y best to be too E&itera&E at ,irst to make sure you un(erstan( a&& t"e Greek nuan.es. +n.e t"e Greek is t"oroug"&y un(erstoo(, t"en you .an work on #ro(u.ing a goo( trans&ation.

Greek 'eaning

8"at somet"ing means in Greek "as to (o wit" w"at t"e writer o, t"e Greek is trying to .on0ey. 8"at is t"e Greek writer%s#eaker sayingG 6n trying to (e.i#"er w"at t"e Greek senten.e means, ob0ious&y you are re1uire( in some sense to trans&ate it into t"e &anguage you s#eak%t"ink in. 2owe0er, you s"ou&( not be o0er&y .on.erne( about trying to .reate a E#o&is"e(E trans&ation be,ore you "a0e a .om#&ete un(erstan(ing o, w"at t"e Greek senten.e 4writing5 itse&, is trying to .on0ey. T"ere are many i(ioms, nuan.es, an( em#"ases in Greek t"at nee( to be .onsi(ere( be,ore t"e meaning o, t"e writer is ,u&&y un(erstoo(. >ou nee( to un(erstan( ea." 0erba& tense, t"e (i,,erent #ossibi&ities o, meaning ,or ea." wor(, an( t"e re&ations"i#s o, t"e wor(s to ea." ot"er in t"is .onstru.tion. +n.e you "a0e a t"oroug" un(erstan(ing o, w"at you ,ee& t"e writer was trying to .on0ey, t"en you .an go about trying to ,in( t"e best Dng&is" trans&ation to ,it t"at meaning. 7s mu." as #ossib&e, you want to .on0ey t"e same meaning in Dng&is" t"at was written in Greek.

Translating Into English

6 "a0e a rea& res#e.t ,or #eo#&e w"o are ab&e to #ro(u.e an a..urate, yet easi&y rea(ab&e, Dng&is" trans&ation ,rom t"e Greek. T"ere are many ."a&&enges in #ro(u.ing an Dng&is" trans&ation. =ome "a0e .ommente( about wanting a Ewor( ,or wor(E trans&ation o, t"e Greek New Testament. Kee# in min( t"at one &anguage .an ne0er a(e1uate&y trans&ate anot"er &anguage wit" t"e same ,ee&ing, em#"asis, r"yme, i(iom, et.. Hue to t"ese an( ot"er ,a.tors in"erent in &anguage, (oing a Ewor( ,or wor(E trans&ation is not rea&&y t"at meaning,u&. T"is wou&( on&y be a 0a&i( kin( o, e)er.ise i, t"ere were two &anguages t"at .orres#on(e( so .&ose in stru.ture t"at t"e on&y (i,,eren.e in t"e two was t"eir 0o.abu&ary. T"en t"ere wou&( a&so be t"e re1uirement t"at ea." wor( in one &anguage "a( one an( on&y one wor( t"at e)a.t&y .orres#on(e( to it in t"e ot"er &anguage. T"ere are no two &anguages t"at 6 know o, t"at .orres#on( to ea." ot"er in grammar, ru&es o, synta), semanti. stru.ture, et.., es#e.ia&&y not mo(ern Dng&is" an( Koine 4-ib&i.a&5 Greek.
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-e.ause o, t"ese (i,,eren.es in &anguage, #ro(u.ing a trans&ation in"erent&y means t"at t"ere must be some inter#retation on t"e #art o, t"e trans&ator. T"ere is no su." t"ing as a .om#&ete&y Eunbiase(E trans&ation. 2owe0er, as a trans&ator .ons.ious&y #uts asi(e a&& intention o, .on0eying .ertain (o.trina& notions an( #re.on.ei0e( i(eas, t"en ."an.es are "e wi&& #ro(u.e a &ess;biase( trans&ation.

The ()est( English Translations

4For a more .om#&ete answer an( s."o&ar&y .o0erage o, t"is to#i., #&ease see an e)ten(e( answer by Hanie& -. 8a&&a.e at "tt#$%%bib&e.org%arti.&e%w"y;so;many;0ersions. ; T"e w"o&e (o.ument is 1uite in,ormati0e, but i, you want to rea( about merits o, s#e.i,i. trans&ations, s.ro&& (own to t"e se.tion entit&e( 98"i." Trans&ation 6s -estG95

Iany ask t"e 1uestion, 98"at is t"e EbestE or most E.orre.tE trans&ationG9 T"is kin( o, 1uestion is not rea&&y 0a&i( wit"out asking ba.k, 98"at are you wanting to use t"e trans&ation ,orG9 Da." trans&ation was ma(e wit" a s#e.i,i. #ur#ose an( au(ien.e in min(. =ome try to be more E&itera&E, trying not to a(( e)tra wor(s or more inter#retation t"an ne.essary 4su." as t"e o&( 1:017meri.an =tan(ar( 0ersion or Jot"er"amEs Dm#"asi/e( -ib&e5. T"ese kin(s o, trans&ations ten( to be &ess rea(ab&e, but more a##ro#riate ,or stu(y. +t"ers try to .on0ey t"e more subt&e meaning o, t"e Greek by ,o.using on t"e tense an( as#e.t o, Greek 0erbs 4e.g. 8uest5. +t"ers use am#&i,i.ation an( #ara#"rase to .on0ey nuan.es o, Greek t"at are (i,,i.u&t to bring out in Dng&is" 4e.g. 7m#&i,ie( or 8eymout"5. =ome trans&ations are more .on.erne( about being easi&y un(erstan(ab&e an( t"ere,ore are ,or.e( to a(( more inter#retation 4e.g. N6K, L.-.M"i&i#s, an( many o, t"e re.ent .ontem#orary trans&ations5. 6 own many kin(s o, trans&ations an( try to rea( t"em a&& (e#en(ing on my nee( at t"e time. 47 .ou#&e o, my ,a0orite -ib&es ,or a&&; aroun( use are t"e New 7meri.an =tan(ar( an( t"e New King Lames 0ersion. T"ese ten( to be ,air&y rea(ab&e, yet (on3t take too many E&ibertiesE in inter#retation.5 6, a #erson is trying to &earn Greek, t"en using a si(e;by;si(e Greek; Dng&is" #ara&&e& New Testament 4or #ossib&y a Greek;Dng&is" inter&inear5 may be a##ro#riate. 6t is sur#rising "ow mu." you .an &earn o0er time by being in
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meetings w"ere someone is rea(ing t"e Dng&is" -ib&e an( you ,o&&owing a&ong in t"e Greek. 7not"er interesting New Testament to use ,or stu(y is 9T"e Mre.ise Mara&&e& New Testament9 4by +),or( Nni0ersity Mress5. 6t in.&u(es t"e Greek te)t an( se0en (i,,erent -ib&e trans&ations on ea." #age$ Greek, King Lames Kersion, J"eims -ib&e, 7m#&i,ie( -ib&e, New 6nternationa& Kersion, New Je0ise( =tan(ar( Kersion, New 7meri.an -ib&e, an( t"e New 7meri.an =tan(ar( -ib&e.

II. Greek Grammar - Shorter Explanations 1. Kerbs 2. Nouns 3. Mronouns, 7(@e.ti0es, 7(0erbs, et.. . +t"er Iis.e&&aneous Terms

Greek Ver s !"horter #efinitions$

;ust like Greek nouns$ the Greek 'er! also changes form (the Greek :s*elling:$ so to s*eak). The form changes !ased u*on the su!&ect of the 'er! and thekind of action indicated. %s 6as mentioned earlier$ Greek is a full0 >inflected language.> Each Greek 6ord actuall0 changes form (inflection) !ased u*on the role that it *la0s in the sentence. The stem of the 'er! sho6s the !asic meaning or action of the 6ord$ !ut the ending (or Gsuffi-H) changes to sho6 'arious details. "ot onl0 the ending of the 'er! ma0 change$ !ut the 'er! form ma0 ha'e a G*refi-H added to the !eginning of the 'er!al stem. ,ometimes the actual stem of the 'er! ma0 change or ma0 add an Ginfi-H to indicate certain other details. The *refi-$ suffi-$ and 'er!al stem all com!ine together to define a certain form of a 'er!. Each 'er! form indicates a s*ecific meaning. There are fi'e !asic *arts (or as*ects) that are clearl0 defined or indicated !0 e'er0 Greek 'er! form. These fi'e *arts areA #erson$ "um!er$ Tense$ oice$ and )ood. ,ee !elo6 for details of these fi'e as*ects of Greek 'er!s.

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Grammatical (erson of $er&s There are three main classes of grammatical *erson in !oth English and Greek. #erson indicates the form of the 'er! (and also *ronouns) 6hich refer toA 1) the *erson(s) s*eaking ()irst (erson) 2) the *erson(s) !eing s*oken to (!econd (erson) and 3) the *erson(s) !eing s*oken of or a!out (Third (erson). 9or e-am*leA >?ecause I live$ 0ou shall live also.> ;ohn 14A1E! >=e lives !0 the *o6er of God.> II +or 13A4 9irst #ersonA :I li'e: - the *erson s*eaking (i.e. :I:) is the su!&ect of the 'er!. ,econd #ersonA :0ou li'e: - the *erson !eing s*oken to (i.e. :0ou:) is the su!&ect of the 'er!. Third #ersonA :=e li'es: - the *erson !eing s*oken a!out (i.e. :=e:) is the su!&ect of the 'er!.

Grammatical Num&er of $er&s The conce*t of grammatical num!er is 7uite straightfor6ard in !oth English and .oine Greek. It is the *ro*ert0 of a 'er! (and nouns and *ronouns also) 6hich indicates 6hether the reference is to one ( singular) or to more than one ("lural). (+lassical Greek at one time had a :dual: num!er 6hich made a distinction for :t6o:$ !esides the customar0 singular and *lural.) Each grammatical *erson (9irst$ ,econd$ and Third) can !e either singular or *lural in num!er. 9or e-am*leA ,ingular "um!erA >9or I am persuaded that neither death$ nor life$...shall !e a!le to se*arate us from the lo'e of God$> (Bom. IA3I-3E). #lural "um!erA >9or 6e are =is 6orkmanshi*$> (E*h. 2A1Ca).

Grammatical $oice of $er&s %cti*e $oice Grammatical 'oice indicates 6hether the su!&ect is the *erformer of the action of the 'er! (acti'e 'oice)$ or the su!&ect is the reci*ient of the action (*assi'e 'oice). If
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the su!&ect of the sentence is e-ecuting the action$ then the 'er! is referred to as !eing in the acti'e 'oice. 9or e-am*leA >;esus was baptizing the *eo*le> (*ara*hrase of ;ohn 3A22< 4A1$2). >;esus> is the su!&ect of the sentence and is the one that is *erforming the action of the 'er!< therefore the 'er! is said to !e in the >%cti'e oice>. (assi*e $oice Grammatical 'oice indicates 6hether the su!&ect is the *erformer of the action of the 'er! (acti'e 'oice)$ or the su!&ect is the reci*ient of the action (*assi'e 'oice). If the su!&ect of the sentence is !eing acted u*on$ then the 'er! is referred to as !eing in the *assi'e 'oice. 9or e-am*leA >;esus ... was baptized !0 ;ohn in the ;ordan> ()ark 1AE). >;esus> is the su!&ect of the sentence$ !ut in this case =e is !eing acted u*on (i.e. =e is the reci*ient of the action)$ therefore the 'er! is said to !e in the >#assi'e oice>. #iddle $oice The Greek middle 'oice sho6s the su!&ect acting in his o6n interest or on his o6n !ehalf$ or *artici*ating in the results of the 'er!al action. In o'erl0 sim*listic terms$ sometimes the middle form of the 'er! could !e translated as >the *erformer of the action actuall0 acting u*on himself> (refle-i'e action). 9or e-am*leA >I am washing myself.> >I> is the su!&ect of the sentence (*erforming the action of the 'er!) and 0et >I> am also recei'ing the action of the 'er!. This is said to !e in the >)iddle oice>. )an0 instances in the Greek are not this o!'ious and cannot !e translated this literall0.

$er&al #oods The as*ect of the grammatical >mood> of a 'er! has to do 6ith the statement:s relationshi* to realit0. In !road terms$ mood deals 6ith the fact of 6hether the asserted statement is actual or if there is onl0 the *ossi!ilit0 of its actual occurrence. >8hether the 'er!al idea is o!&ecti'el0 a fact or not is not the *ointA mood re*resents the 6a0 in 6hich the matter is concei'ed> (2ana / )ante0). If the one asserting the sentence states it as actual$ then the mood reflects this$ regardless of 6hether the statement is true or false. The indicati'e mood is the onl0 mood concei'ed of as actual 6hile 6ith the other
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three moods (im*erati'e$ su!&uncti'e$ and o*tati'e) the action is onl0 thought of as *ossi!le or *otential. Indicati*e #ood The indicati'e mood is a statement of fact or an actual occurrence from the 6riter:s or s*eaker:s *ers*ecti'e. E'en if the 6riter is l0ing$ he ma0 state the action as if it is a fact$ and thus the 'er! 6ould !e in the indicati'e mood. It ma0 !e action occurring in *ast$ *resent$ or future time. This :statement of fact: can e'en !e made 6ith a negati'e ad'er! modif0ing the 'er! (see the second e-am*le). This is in contrast to one of the other moods (see !elo6) in 6hich the 6riterJs*eaker ma0 desire or ask for the action to take *lace. 9or e-am*leA >%nd the0 overcame him !0 the !lood of the Lam!.> Be'. 12A11 >God is not mocked.> Gal. 4A5 Im"erati*e #ood The im*erati'e mood is a command or instruction gi'en to the hearer$ charging the hearer to carr0 out or *erform a certain action. 9or e-am*leA >Flee 0outhful lusts.> 2 Tim. 2A22 !u&'uncti*e #ood The su!&uncti'e mood indicates *ro!a!ilit0 or o!&ecti'e *ossi!ilit0. The action of the 'er! 6ill *ossi!l0 ha**en$ de*ending on certain o!&ecti'e factors or circumstances. It is oftentimes used in conditional statements (i.e. :If...then...: clauses) or in *ur*ose clauses. =o6e'er if the su!&uncti'e mood is used in a *ur*ose or result clause$ then the action should not !e thought of as a *ossi!le result$ !ut should !e 'ie6ed as a definite outcome that 6ill ha**en as a result of another stated action. 9or e-am*leA >Let us come forward to the =ol0 of =olies 6ith a true heart in full assurance of faith.> =e! 1CA23 >In order that no6 the manifold 6isdom of God might be made known through the church...> E*h 3A1C 0"tati*e #ood The o*tati'e is the mood of *ossi!ilit0$ remo'ed e'en further than the su!&uncti'e mood from something concei'ed of as actual. (ften it is used to con'e0 a 6ish or ho*e for a certain action to occur.

9or e-am*leA >%nd the 'er0 God of *eace sanctify 0ou 6holl0< and I *ra0 God 0our 6hole s*irit and soul and !od0 be preserved !lameless unto the coming of our Lord ;esus +hrist.> I Thess 1A23 $er& Tenses Time 1 23ind of %ction2 in Greek $er&s+ In English$ and in most other languages$ the tense of the 'er! mainl0 refers to the :time: of the action of the 'er! (*resent$ *ast$ or future time). In Greek$ ho6e'er$ although time does !ear u*on the meaning of tense$ the *rimar0 consideration of the tense of the 'er! is not time$ !ut rather the :kind of action: that the 'er! *ortra0s. The most im*ortant element in Greek tense is kind of action< time is regarded as a secondar0 element. 9or this reason$ man0 grammarians ha'e ado*ted the German 6ord :aktionsart: (kind of action) to !e a!le to more easil0 refer to this *henomenon of Greek 'er!s. The kind of action (aktionsart) of a Greek 'er! 6ill generall0 fall into one of three categoriesA 1) .ontinuous (or 4(rogressi*e4) kind of action. 2) .om"leted (or 4%ccom"lished) kind of action$ 6ith continuing results. 3) !im"le occurrence5 (or 4!ummary occurrence4) 6ithout reference to the 7uestion of *rogress. (This is sometimes referred to as :#unctiliar: kind of action $ !ut it is a misnomer to thus im*l0 that$ in e'er0 instance$ the action onl0 ha**ened at one *oint of time. This can !e true$ !ut it is often de*endent on other factors such as the meaning of the 'er!$ other 6ords in the conte-t$ etc.). It is an im*ortant distinction to understand (and it 6ill !e discussed more full0 later) that the onl0 *lace in 6hich :time: comes to !ear directl0 u*on the tense of a 'er! is 6hen the 'er! is in the indicati'e mood. In all other moods and uses the aktionsart of the 'er! tense should !e seen as *rimar0. (resent Tense The *resent tense usuall0 denotes continuous kind of action. It sho6s :action in *rogress: or :a state of *ersistence.: 8hen used in the indicati'e mood$ the *resent tense denotes action taking *lace or going on in the *resent time. 9or e-am*leA >In 8hom 0ou also are being built together into a d6elling *lace of God in s*irit.> E*h 2A22 >"ot forsaking the assem!ling of oursel'es together.> =e! 1CA21

1A

%orist Tense The aorist is said to !e >sim*le occurrence> or >summar0 occurrence>$ 6ithout regard for the amount of time taken to accom*lish the action. This tense is also often referred to as the :*unctiliar: tense. :#unctiliar: in this sense means :'ie6ed as a single$ collecti'e 6hole$: a >one-*oint-in-time> action$ although it ma0 actuall0 take *lace o'er a *eriod of time. In the indicati'e mood the aorist tense denotes action that occurred in the *ast time$ often translated like the English sim*le *ast tense. 9or e-am*leA >God...made us alive together 6ith +hrist.> E*h 2A1 >=e 6ho has begun a good 6ork in 0ou 6ill com*lete it until the da0 of +hrist ;esus.> #hil 1A4 Im"erfect Tense The im*erfect tense sho6s continuous or linear t0*e of action &ust like the *resent tense. It al6a0s indicates an action continuall0 or re*eatedl0 ha**ening in *ast time. It *ortra0s the action as going on for some e-tended *eriod of time in the *ast. The idea of continual action in the *ast does not a**l0 6hen the 'er! >to !e> is in the im*erfect tense. There it should !e considered a sim*le action ha**ening in *ast time$ 6ithout regard to its >on-going> or >re*eated ha**ening> in the *ast. 9or e-am*leA >9or 0ou were once darkness$ !ut no6 light in the Lord.> E*h 1AI (erfect Tense The !asic thought of the *erfect tense is that the *rogress of an action has !een com*leted and the results of the action are continuing on$ in full effect. In other 6ords$ the *rogress of the action has reached its culmination and the finished results are no6 in e-istence. 3nlike the English *erfect$ 6hich indicates a com*leted *ast action$ the Greek *erfect tense indicates the continuation and *resent state of a com*leted *ast action. 9or e-am*le$ Galatians 2A2C should !e translated >I am in a present state of having been crucified 6ith +hrist$> indicating that not onl0 6as I crucified 6ith +hrist in the *ast$ !ut I am e-isting no6 in that *resent condition. >...having been rooted and grounded in lo'e$> E*h 3A15 )uture Tense ;ust like the English future tense$ the Greek future tells a!out an antici*ated action or a certain ha**ening that 6ill occur at some time in the future. 9or e-am*leA >8e kno6 that if he is manifested$ 6e will be like =im$ for 6e will see =im e'en as =e is.> 1 ;ohn 3A2
1B

(lu"erfect Tense The *lu*erfect (:*ast *erfect:) sho6s action that is com*lete and e-isted at some time in the *ast$ (the *ast time !eing indicated !0 the conte-t). This tense is onl0 found in the indicati'e mood and is rarel0 used in the "e6 Testament. 9or e-am*leA >...and the0 !eat against that house< and it did not fall$ for it was founded on the rock.> )att 5A21 )uture (erfect Tense There is also a future *erfect tense in Greek 6hich is 'er0 rare in the "e6 Testament. It is onl0 formed !0 *eri*hrasis in the "e6 Testament is much like the *ast *erfect$ onl0 the com*leted state 6ill e-ist at some time in the future rather than in the *ast.

Non )inite $er& )orms (artici"les % *artici*le is considered a >'er!al ad&ecti'e>. It is often a 6ord that ends 6ith an >ing> in English (such as >s*eaking$> >ha'ing$> or >seeing>). It can !e used as an ad&ecti'e$ in that it can modif0 a noun (or su!stitute as a noun)$ or it can !e used as an ad'er! and further e-*lain or define the action of a 'er!. (9or a more com*lete e-*lanation of *artici*les$ *lease go to the ad'anced section on *artici*les.) 9or e-am*leA %d&ecti'al useA >The coming One 6ill come and 6ill not dela0.> =e! 1CA35 %d'er!ial useA >?ut speaking truth in lo'e$ 6e ma0 gro6 u* into =im in all things.> E*h 4A11
(#lease !e sure to see the list of :Beference ,heets: 6here the *artici*le and other uses and classifications can !e *rinted out for 7uick reference.)

Infiniti*es The Greek infiniti'e is the form of the 'er! that is usuall0 translated into English 6ith the 6ord >to> attached to it$ often used to com*lement another 'er!. It can !e used to function as a noun and is therefore referred to as a >'er!al noun>. 9or instance$ >9or to me to live is +hrist> (#hil 1A21). In this sentence$ the 6ords >to li'e> are an infiniti'e in Greek and are functioning as the su!&ect of the sentence (a noun).

1C

GREE% &O'&" !"horter #efinitions$

% noun in the Greek language is 'ie6ed &ust like the English noun. ?ut !ecause Greek is a highl0 inflected language (i.e. the form of 6ords change to indicate the role each 6ord *la0s in the sentence)$ a noun changes forms !ased u*on its relationshi* to other 6ords and ho6 it functions in the sentence. The stem of the noun contains the !asic meaning of the noun$ !ut a suffi- is added to indicate the nounHs role in the sentence. The endings are changed according to certain *atterns$ or GdeclensionsH$ that indicate 6hat is the num!er$ case$ and gender of the noun form. To >decline> a noun means to anal0@e it and !reak it do6n into its !asic *arts according to num&er$ gender$ and case - see !elo6. (:2eclension: is a su!set of the !roader term :inflection:$ in that it onl0 refers to nouns and *ronouns$ not to 'er!s. There are a num!er of different *atterns in 6hich nouns decline< these *atterns are referred to as :*aradigms:.)

Grammatical Num&er of Nouns "um!er can either !e singular or "lural. % noun that is in a singular form indicates >onl0 one>. % noun that is in the *lural form indicates >more than one.> In English$ most nouns change forms de*ending on 6hether it is singular or *lural. =o6e'er$ some nouns and *ronouns do not change form for singular or *lural< e.g. >0ou> singular$ and >0ou> - *lural. The Greek language al6a0s makes a distinction !et6een singular and *lural forms.

Grammatical Gender of Nouns Gender$ as it relates to nouns and other su!stanti'es in the Greek language$ does not necessaril0 refer to >male> and >female>. It refers to grammatical gender$ 6hich is determined *urel0 !0 grammatical usage and must !e learned !0 o!ser'ation. %lthough nouns referring to *eo*le or animals that are o!'iousl0 >male> or >female> 6ould normall0 (!ut not al6a0s) !e classified as masculine or feminine accordingl0$ the gender of most nouns seems to !e some6hat ar!itrar0. E'er0 noun must fall into one of three categories of genderA masculine$ feminine$ or neuter. The fact of gender$ 6hen considering a 6ord in isolation$ is of little im*ortance to the student of the Greek "e6 Testament. ?ut in anal0@ing a sentence as a 6hole$ gender ma0 *la0 a ke0 role$ es*eciall0 6hen considered along 6ith the ad&ecti'es$ *ronouns$ and relati'e clauses that ma0 !e *resent. Taking note of the gender ma0 alter altogether 6hat a sentence ma0 seem to !e sa0ing in English. 9or e-am*leA >%nd recei'e...the s6ord of the s*irit 6hich is the 6ord of God>( E*h
1F

4A15). The 6ord >s6ord> in Greek is feminine gender and the 6ord >s*irit> is neuter gender. ,o it is im*ortant in this sentence to find out 6hat is the antecedent of the relati'e *ronoun >6hich>. (i.e. 8hat is the >6hich> referring !ack toF) The 6ord >6hich> in this sentence is neuter$ therefore it is referring !ack to the 6ord >s*irit> and not >s6ord.> Thus this sentence meansA >%nd recei'e...the s6ord of the s*irit 6hich (s*irit) is the 6ord of God.>

Noun .ases The term >case> relates to su!stanti'es (nouns and *ronouns) and ad&ecti'es (including *artici*les). It classifies their relationshi* to other elements in thesentence. "oun cases are formed !0 *utting the GstemH of the noun 6ith an GendingH. The case form is sho6n !0 the ending of the 6ord. There are four different case forms in Greek. The four cases are "ominati'e$ Geniti'e$ 2ati'e$ and %ccusati'e. 9ollo6ing is a discussion of these four different cases. There is another case not included in the four main noun cases !ecause it is so closel0 related to the nominati'eA the ocati'e. ("ote that in the follo6ing definition of each noun case$ it onl0 refers to nouns 6hich are not in *re*ositional *hrases. 8hen a noun is the o!&ect of a *re*osition$ the *re*osition usuall0 dictates the case of the noun). Nominati*e .ase % noun or *ronoun that is the su!&ect of the sentence is al6a0s in the nominati'e case. Like6ise a noun that is in the *redicate *art of a sentence containing a linking 'er! should also !e in the nominati'e case. 9or e-am*leA >+hrist lo'ed the church and ga'e =imself for her> (E*h 1A21). The 6ord >+hrist> is in the nominati'e case in Greek and is therefore the su!&ect of this sentence. Galatians 1A22 sa0sA >?ut the fruit of the s*irit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering$ ...> %s the su!&ect of the sentence$ the Greek 6ord for >fruit> is in the nominati'e case. Like6ise the 6ords in the *redicate *art of the sentence$ that are e7uated to >fruit> !0 the co*ulati'e 'er! >is>$ are also in the nominati'e case in Greek. Geniti*e .ase 9or the most *art$ the geniti'e is often 'ie6ed as the case of *ossession. In more technical terms one noun in the geniti'e case hel*s to 7ualif0 anothernoun !0 sho6ing its >class> or >kind>. The geniti'e case has more uses than most other cases$ !ut in general a noun in the geniti'e case hel*s to limit the sco*e of another noun !0 indicating its >kind> or >class>. It is generall0 translated into English 6ith a *re*ositional *hrase starting 6ith the 6ord >of>. The most common use of the geniti'e is to sho6 *ossession (although it does not necessaril0 indicate actual$ literal
1:

o6nershi*). 9or instanceA >the ser'ant of the high priest> ()ark 14A45). The 6ords >of the high *riest> are in the geniti'e case in Greek and modif0 the 6ord >ser'ant>. (In Greek the 6ord >of> is not *resent$ !ut it is su**lied in English in the translation of the geniti'e case). =ere the geniti'e hel*s to 7ualif0 >6hich> ser'ant the 6riter is referring to. It is hel*ing to limit the s*here of all ser'ants to a *articular one. %ndA >?ut 0ou ha'e recei'ed a s*irit of sonship...> (Bom IA11). %gain the 6ord >sonshi*> is in the geniti'e case$ telling 6hat kind of s*irit 6e ha'e recei'ed. (#lease !e sure to see the list of :Beference ,heets: 6here the geniti'e and other uses and classifications can !e *rinted out for 7uick reference.) /ati*e .ase The dati'e is the case of the indirect o!&ect$ or ma0 also indicate the means !0 6hich something is done. The dati'e case also has a 6ide 'ariet0 of uses$ 6ith the root idea !eing that of >*ersonal interest> or >reference>. It is used most often in one of three general categoriesA ndirect object$ nstrument(means)$ or Location. )ost commonl0 it is used as the indirect o!&ect of a sentence. It ma0 also indicate the means !0 6hich something is done or accom*lished. 3sed as a dati'e of location$ it can sho6 the >*lace>$ >time>$ or >s*here> in 6hich something ma0 ha**en. 9or e-am*leA ( ndirect object)A >;esus said to them>$ or >he 6ill gi'e the =ol0 ,*irit to those 6ho ask> (Luke 11A13). ( nstrument or !eans)A >?e an-ious for nothing$ !ut in e'er0thing !0 (by means of) *ra0er and *etition$ 6ith thanksgi'ing$ let 0our re7uests !e made kno6n to God> (#hili**ians 4A4). In this sentence$ there is a single Greek 6ord translated into the *hrase >!0 *ra0er> sho6ing the means !0 6hich to let our re7uests !e made kno6n to God. (Location)A >... and on the third day =e 6ill !e raised u*> ()att 2CA1E). The *hrase >the third da0> is in the dati'e case$ sho6ing the time in 6hich ;esus 6ill !e raised. In this sentence$ there is no Greek 6ord *resent that is translated into the English 6ord >on>< it is added to sho6 the meaning of the dati'e of location. %ccusati*e .ase The accusati'e case is the case of the direct o!&ect$ recei'ing the action of the 'er!. Like the other cases$ the accusati'e has a 6ide 'ariet0 of uses$ !ut its main function is as the direct o!&ect of a transiti'e 'er!. The direct o!&ect 6ill most often !e in the accusati'e case. 9or e-am*leA >%s ne6!orn !a!es$ long for the guiless milk of the 6ord> (1 #eter 2A2). The 6ord >milk> is in the accusati'e case and is functioning as the direct o!&ect of the transiti'e 'er! >long for> (or >desire>). $ocati*e .ase The 'ocati'e is the case of direct address. It is used 6hen one *erson is s*eaking to
20

another$ calling out or sa0ing their name$ or generall0 addressing them. 8ith man0 nouns$ the case form of the 'ocati'e is the same as the nominati'e$ !ut the conte-t and function lea'e no 7uestion as to 6hether the *erson is !eing addressed or$ contrari6ise$ s*oken a!out. ("ote that$ o!'iousl0$ the 'ocati'e is used most often in con&unction 6ith the >second *erson> form of the 'er!). 9or e-am*leA >... Lord "esus$ recei'e m0 s*irit> (%cts 5A1E). =ere ,te*hen is directl0 addressing the Lord$ so the form of >Lord ;esus> is in the 'ocati'e case. ("ote that the 'er! >recei'e> is also in the second *erson$ as 6ould !e e-*ected).

Miscellaneous Greek Items

*ronouns+ ,d-ecti.es+ ,d.er&s+ /on-unctions+ *re ositions+ Inter-ections+ and ,rticles

Greek (ronouns #ronouns are 6ords that take the *lace of a noun in order to a'oid a6k6ard re*etitions. 9or e-am*leA >he>$ >she>$ >myself>$ >yours>. Greek *ronouns are used 'er0 much like English *ronouns. There are man0 different kinds of *ronouns that 6ill !e defined later. Greek *ronouns are declined &ust like the corres*onding noun that the0 re*lace. That is$ the0 take on case$ num!er$ and gender de*ending on their role 6ithin the sentence. "ote that e'er0 Greek'er! im*lies an une-*ressed su!&ect$ since the 'er! form includes grammatical >num!er> and >*erson>. 9or e-am*le$ if the 'er! >lo'e> is used in the >first *erson$ singular>$ then it im*lies >I lo'e>$ 6hereas the >second *erson$ singular> 6ould im*l0 >0ou lo'e>$ and so on. If a su!&ect is not e-*licitl0 e-*ressed in Greek$ then the a**ro*riate *ronoun should !e used to translate the sentence into English$ (corres*onding to the correct >*erson> and >num!er>). Greek %d'ecti*es %n ad&ecti'e is a 6ord that modifies or descri!es a noun or a *ronoun (or an0 t0*e of su!stanti'e). It ma0 !e descri!ing the *h0sical attri!utes of the noun (e.g. >the glorious church>)$ an0 kind of general attri!ute (e.g. >the contrite heart>)$ or a num!er of other descri*tions. %n ad&ecti'e in Greek is used &ust like an English ad&ecti'e. =o6e'er it ma0 also take the *lace of and function as a noun. Like *ronouns$ Greek ad&ecti'es are treated &ust as Greek nouns in the sense that the0 are declined. The form that the ad&ecti'e is in 6ill !e determined !0 the noun !eing modified. That is$ each ad&ecti'e 6ill ha'e the form that matches the noun it is modif0ing in num!er$ case$ and gender.
21

%d*er&s %n ad'er! is a 6ord that modifies a 'er!$ ad&ecti'e$ or another ad'er!. It often limits or descri!es the 'er! !0 indicating time$ *lace$ manner$ or degree. In English man0 ad'er!s end in >-l0>. ,ome e-am*les areA >very>$ >now>$ >faithfully>$ >worthily>$ etc.. The Greek ad'er! is used 'er0 much like an ad'er! in English and is usuall0 not declined (i.e. it does not change case form). .on'unctions % con&unction is a 6ord that &oins together t6o or more 6ords$ *hrases$ clauses$ or sentences. The0 can !e used to &oin together similar things or to contrast different items. 9or e-am*leA >and>$ >!ut>$ >also>$ >ho6e'er>. Greek con&unctions are used 'er0 much like English con&unctions and t0*icall0 do not change forms (i.e. the0 are not declined). (re"ositions #re*ositions are 6ords that are used to descri!e the relationshi* of a noun (su!stanti'e) to another 6ord or 6ords in a sentence. % *re*osition has !een o'er-sim*l0 descri!ed as >an06here a mouse can go>$ such as$ >under>$ >in>$ >around>$ >through>$ and so forth. In Greek$ as in English$ *re*ositions are most often found in "re"ositional "hrases 6hich consist of a *re*osition and a noun. The noun is considered the o!&ect of the *re*osition. 9or instance$ > in 0our heart> or >from the Lord.> #re*ositions are 6ords that de'elo*ed in order to hel* define a more *recise and e-*licit relationshi* of a noun to other 6ords in the sentence. 9or e-am*le$ a noun in the geniti'e case ma0 carr0 the sense of >from> (6ithout an actual *re*osition !eing used in Greek). ?ut if the 6riter 6anted to make clear that it 6as >out from> something$ he 6ould include the *re*osition meaning >out from>. In this situation the noun 6hich 6as the o!&ect of the *re*osition 6ould still !e in the geniti'e case. In fact$ e*ery Greek "re"osition re6uires that its o&'ect &e in a s"ecific ("re defined) grammatical case. Thus 6e can sa0 that the *re*osition go'erns the *articular case of the noun it is modif0ing. Inter'ections and (articles Inter&ections are 6ords used in e-clamations. The0 usuall0 ha'e no grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence. The0 are often ad'er!s used for e-clamation. E-am*les of inter&ections are the 6ords G(H in Bomans 11A33 and G%hH in )ark 11A2E. %n inter&ection is often classified under the classification of a G "articleH$ 6hich is a catch-all *hrase used for little 6ords that donHt reall0 fit into an0 other
22

categor0. %rticles (/efinite and Indefinite) In English the definite article is the 6ord >the>$ 6hich tends to *oint out one or more *articular items of a grou* or class. It is like an ad&ecti'e in that it al6a0s modifies a noun (su!stanti'e). In Greek$ the definite article is declined (i.e. it changes form to match the case$ num!er$ and gender of the noun 6hich it modifies). In man0 cases the definite article in Greek is used to dra6 attention to the noun it modifies in a 6a0 'er0 much unlike the English definite article. =o6e'er$ 6ithout a thorough understanding and >feel> for the Greek definite article$ it is *ro!a!l0 !est to include the English article 6hen one is *resent in Greek (unless it creates an a6k6ard result in the English translation) and to omit it in English if not *resent in the Greek. English also has 6hat is called an indefinite article$ 6hich is the 6ord >a> or >an>. The indefinite article *oints out or denotes an0 one of the items in a grou* or class. Greek does not ha'e a 6ord e-actl0 corres*onding to the English indefinite article$ therefore sometimes a noun 6ithout a definite article can !e translated and treated in English as if it had an indefinite article (ho6e'er$ this is not al6a0s the case and should !e a**lied cautiousl0 since there are 6a0s to indicate the same idea as the English indefinite article). (% more in-de*th e-*lanation 6ill !e included in su!se7uent lessons). % su!stanti'e that is !eing modified !0 a definite article is referred to as !eing GarticularH$ 6hereas a su!stanti'e 6ithout a definite article is termed G anarthrousH.

'ore Grammatical Terms #elated to Greek and English $ome Terms #elated to (Grammar(

#or"hology )or*holog0 is the stud0 of 6ord formations. %s 6ords change form$ the0 con'e0 different meanings$ such as a certain 'er! tense$ *erson$ or noun case. 8hen a first 0ear Greek student memori@es a noun declension or a 'er! *aradigm$ heJshe is learning the mor*holog0 of Greek 6ords. % :mor*heme: is considered the smallest *art of a 6ord that con'e0s meaning$ such as the :s: in English that makes a 6ord *lural.

23

Terms #elated to /lauses and *hrases

.lause % clause is a grou* of 6ords including a su!&ect and a 'er! that form a thought. It ma0 stand alone as a com*lete sentence (an inde*endent clause) or ma0 !e su!ordinate to the main sentence and !e inca*a!le of standing alone as a com*lete sentence (a su!ordinate clause). If the clause starts 6ith a su!ordinating con&unction (such as :although:$ :!ecause:$ :if:$ :that:$ etc.)$ an ad'er! (such as :6hen:$ :6hile:$ :6here:$ etc.)$ or a relati'e *ronoun (such as :6ho:$ :6hose:$ :6hich:$ etc.)$ then it 6ill !e a su!ordinate clause. %n e-am*le of a su!ordinate clause 6ould !e$ >6hile he talked 6ith us>. "ote that this su!ordinate clause cannot form an inde*endent$ com*lete sentence !0 itself. It needs to !e connected to an inde*endent clause in order to form a com*lete sentenceA >2id not our hearts !urn 6ithin us 6hile he talked 6ith us>. 8hen anal0@ing a sentence$ it is im*ortant to identif0 6hich 6ords make u* an de*endent (su!ordinate) clause and 6hich are a *art of the main sentence (the inde*endent clause). (hrase % *hrase is a grou* of 6ords that does not include !oth a su!&ect and a 'er!$ such as a *re*ositional *hrase. It cannot stand alone as a sentence !ut is de*endent u*on the sentence to 6hich it is attached. 7elati*e .lause % relati'e clause is a su!ordinate clause that !egins 6ith a relati'e *ronoun (such as :6ho:$ :6hose:$ or :6hich: in English). The relati'e clause includes !oth the relati'e *ronoun and all the 6ords that modif0 it. In anal0@ing a sentence$ it is im*ortant to identif0 6hich 6ords !elong to the relati'e clause. (eri"hrasis (or (eri"hrastic .onstruction) The English 6ord :*eri*hrasis: comes from the Greek 6ords :*eri: (6hich means :round a!out:) and :*hrasis: (6hich means :to sa0:). % *eri*hrastic construction of a 'er! form is a :round a!out 6a0 of sa0ing something:. In Greek$ normall0 'er! forms are made !0 inflection (the form of the 6ord changing to indicate the *erson$ num!er$ tense$ 'oice$ and mood of the 'er!). =o6e'er$ another 6a0 of forming some 'er! occurrences is !0 adding a form of a linking 'er! (usuall0 the 'er! :to !e:) to a nominati'e form of the 'er!al *artici*le.

III. More detailed Explanation of Greek Grammar 1. Marti.i#&es 2. Con(itiona& =enten.es 3. 7(0an.e( D)#&anation o, Greek Tenses ;Kin( o, 7.tion O Time o, 7.tion. . =ynta.ti.a& C&assi,i.ations o, Nouns, Kerbs, an( Marti.i#&es A. 7(0an.e( His.ussion o, t"e =ub@un.ti0e Ioo( ; Nse( in Conte)t B. 7(0an.e( use o, Greek 7(@e.ti0es. C. Dm#"asis s"own by Greek wor( or(er

Greek *artici les

!im"le /efinition of the (artici"le (9rom the :Terms: *age)A % *artici*le is considered a >'er!al ad&ecti'e>. It is often a 6ord that ends 6ith an >ing> in English (such as >s*eaking$> >ha'ing$> or >seeing>). It can !e used as an ad&ecti'e$ in that it can modif0 a noun (or su!stitute as a noun)$ or it can !e used as an ad'er! and further e-*lain or define the action of a 'er!. 9or e-am*leA %d&ecti'al useA >The coming One 6ill come and 6ill not dela0.> =e! 1CA35 %d'er!ial useA >?ut speaking truth in lo'e$ 6e ma0 gro6 u* into =im in all things.> E*h 4A11 Introduction and Im"ortance of the Greek (artici"le Greek has !een called a :*artici*le lo'ing language:. >There are fe6 languages 6hich ha'e e7ualed the Greek in the a!undance and 'ariet0 of its use of the *artici*le$ and certainl0 none has sur*assed it.... This 6ealth of significance 6hich !elonged to the Greek *artici*le at the @enith of its de'elo*ment lies undiminished !efore the student of the "e6 Testament$ and !ecomes a 'alua!le asset in inter*retation 6hen ade7uatel0 com*rehended.> (Kuote !0 2ana and )ante0$ *g 22C.) 8se of the Greek (artici"le % *artici*le is called a :'er!al ad&ecti'e: !ecause it is formed from a 'er!$ 0et often modifies other 6ords. (ftentimes it ma0 !e hard to to translate a *artici*le into English and still !ring out the same force as it has in the Greek. 9irst tr0 to understand the meaning of the Greek *artici*le is tr0ing to con'e0$ then 6orr0 a!out an a**ro*riate English translation. The translation ma0 ha'e to !e as an English relati'e clause 6hen used ad&ecti'all0 in Greek. The *artici*le can !e used in one of three ma&or categories of useA

2A

1. 7(@e.ti0a&&y 7 #arti.i#&e .an be use( as an a(@e.ti0e to mo(i,y a noun or assert somet"ing about it. T"is is a .ommon use o, t"e a(@e.ti0e in Greek. D.g. Co&ossians 1$12 9to t"e Fat"er w"o ma(e us su,,i.ient9. T"e wor( Ema(e su,,i.ientE is a #arti.i#&e in Greek, but it nee(s to be trans&ate( into are&ati0e .&ause in Dng&is" to make sense. 2. =ubstanti0e&y 4T"is .ategory is rea&&y a subset o, t"e a(@e.ti0a& use.5 7 #arti.i#&e .an be use( as a Esubstanti0eE to take t"e #&a.e o, a noun.
3.

7(0erbia&&y Marti.i#&es .an a&so be use( in t"e same way t"at an a(0erb is, to mo(i,y a 0erb. T"ere are (i,,erent .&assi,i.ations an( uses o, a(0erbia& #arti.i#&es. 4T"ese are a&so re,erre( to as ECir.umstantia& #arti.i#&esE.5 +ne o, t"e most e).iting an( en&ig"tening areas o, Greek grammar ,or t"e stu(ent o, t"e New Testament .omes in i(enti,ying t"e use o, t"ese a(0erbia& #arti.i#&es. Liste( be&ow are some o, t"e most .ommon uses ,oun( in t"e New Testament. For a .om#&ete &ist o, a&& a(0erbia& #arti.i#&es 4an( a&& non;a(@e.ti0a& uses5, #&ease 0iew t"e ."art at t"e bottom o, t"is #age. 7. Tem#ora& Marti.i#&e i5 Trans&ate( wit" Dng&is" wor(s Pw"i&e3 or Pa,ter3 ii5 ="ows Pw"en3 somet"ing "a##ene(. iii5 Iark :$A P7&& t"e .row(, seeing 2im, were ama/e(.3 48"en a&& t"e .row( saw 2im, t"ey were ama/e(.5 -5 Causa& Marti.i#&e i5 6n(i.ates t"e Cause or Jeason ii5 7nswers t"e 1uestion 8"yG iii5 Trans&ate( by Pbe.ause3 4or Psin.e35 i05 Lo"n $B Lesus, being wearie(, sat. 4P-e.ause Lesus was wearie(, 2e sat.35 05 Mer,e.t 7(0erbia& #arti.i#&es 0ery o,ten be&ong to t"is .ategory 4i.e. .on0ey t"is meaning5. C5 6nstrumenta& Marti.i#&e 4Marti.i#&e o, Ieans5 i5 ="ows 2owG ii5 Trans&ate( wit" Pby3 or Pby means o,3 iii5 Iatt. 2C$ Q 6 "a0e sinne( by betraying inno.ent b&oo(. H5 Marti.i#&e o, Mur#ose 4Te&i. Nse5 i5 6n(i.ates t"e #ur#ose o, t"e a.tion o, t"e ,inite 0erb ii5 7nswers t"e 1uestions P8"yG3 iii5 ="ou&( be trans&ate( wit" t"e Dng&is" Pin,initi0e3 or Pwit" t"e #ur#ose o,3 or Pin or(er to3. 7 sim#&e P;ing3 trans&ation misses t"e #oint.
2B

i05 47 ,uture a(0erbia& #arti.i#&es a&ways be&ong "ere.5 05 Luke 10$2A 7 .ertain &awyer stoo( u# testing 2im 4in or(er to test 2im5, saying, PTea."er, w"at must 6 (o to gain eterna& &i,eG3 D5 Marti.i#&e o, Con.ession i5 6n(i.ates t"at t"e a.tion o, t"e main 0erb is true in s#ite o, t"e state or a.tion o, t"e #arti.i#&e. ii5 Nsua&&y trans&ate( Ea&t"oug"E iii5 Jomans 1$21 a&t"oug" t"ey knew Go(, t"ey (i( not g&ori,y 4"onor5 2im as Go(. i05 1 Meter 1$F w"om "a0ing not seen 4a&t"oug" you "a0e not seen 2im5, you &o0e ; Com#&ete C&assi,i.ation o, 7(0erbia& Marti.i#&es 4Kersion 2.C5 ; M&ease see t"is MHF (o.ument ,or a (etai&e( (es.ri#tion 4an( "an(y summary5 o, t"e use an( ,ormation o, a(0erbia& #arti.i#&es.

Greek /onditional $entences

+onditional sentences are >If ...$ then ...> statements. The0 make a statement that if something ha**ens$ then something else 6ill ha**en. The :if: clause is referred to as the :"rotasis: !0 grammarians. It comes from the Greek 6ords :*ro: (meaning !efore) and :stasis: (meaning :stand:). ,o the :*rotasis: means :6hat stands !efore: or :comes first: as far as these t6o clauses are concerned. The :then: clause is termed the :a"odosis:< it is 6hat :comes after: the *rotasis. Logical 7elationshi" &etween (rotasis and %"odasis There are a num!er of different relationshi*s that can e-ist !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis. It is im*ortant that 0ou tr0 to distinguish !et6een these relationshi*s for sake of more
clearl0 understanding the te-t. #lease also note that there can !e some o'erla* !et6een these three relationshi*s. The0 could re*resent a +ause-Effect relationshi*$ 6here the action in the *rotasis 6ill cause the effect in the a*odosis. 9or e-am*le Bomans IA13!$ >...!ut if !0 the s*irit 0ou *ut to death the *ractices of the !od0$ 0ou 6ill li'e.> The0 could sho6 a E'idence-Inference t0*e relationshi*$ 6here the a*odosis is inferred to !e true !ased u*on the e'idence *resented in the *rotasis. This 6ill often !e semanticall0 the con'erse of the G+ause-EffectH relationshi*. 9or e-am*le 1 +or. 11A44$ >If there is a soulish !od0$ there is also a s*iritual one.> (r$ the relationshi* could !e one sho6ing E7ui'alence !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis$ 6hich is actuall0 a su!set of the E'idence-Inference relationshi*. 9or e-am*le Gal. 2A1I$ >...if I !uild u* again those things 6hich I destro0ed$ I *ro'e m0self a transgressor.>
2C

.lassification of Greek .onditional !entences Greek has more a!ilit0 than English in descri!ing the kind of relationshi* !et6een the *rotasis$ and the a*odosis. It is *ossi!le for the 6riterJs*eaker to indicate 6hether the *rotasis is true or not. %ctuall0 the0 can indicate if the0 are *resenting the *rotasis as :assumed true (or false) for the sake of argument:. In order to indicate this kind of relationshi* !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis$ +lassical Greek traditional had four kinds of conditional sentences$ !ased u*on 6hat tense and mood the 'er! occurs in and u*on some hel*ing 6ords. These are much the same in .oine (?i!lical) Greek$ 6ith slight 'ariations. )irst .lass .ondition - Is considered the :,im*le +ondition: and assumes that the *remise (*rotasis) is true for the sake of argument. The *rotasis is formed 6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei (:if:) 6ith the main 'er! in the indicati'e mood$ in an0 tense< 6ith an0 mood and tense in the a*odosis. !econd .lass .ondition - Is kno6n as the :+ontrar0-to-9act +ondition: and assumes the *remise as false for the sake of argument. The *rotasis is again formed 6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei (:if:) and the main 'er! in the indicati'e mood. The tense of the 'er! (in the *rotasis) must also !e in a *ast-time tense (aorist or im*erfect). The a*odosis 6ill usuall0 ha'e the *article an as a marking 6ord$ sho6ing some contingenc0. Third .lass .ondition - Traditionall0 kno6n as the :)ore #ro!a!le 9uture +ondition:$ the third class condition should actuall0 !e s*lit into t6o different categories$ the :9uture )ore #ro!a!le +ondition: (indicating either a *ro!a!le future action or a h0*othetical situation) and the :#resent General +ondition: (indicating a generic situation or uni'ersal truth at the *resent time). It is formed in the *rotasis using the 6ord ean (ei *lus an L :if:) and a 'er! in the su!&uncti'e mood. The main 'er! of the *rotasis can !e in an0 tense$ !ut if the condition is a :#resent General:$ the 'er! must !e in the *resent tense. )ourth .lass .ondition - Is usuall0 called the :Less #ro!a!le 9uture +ondition: and does not ha'e a com*lete e-am*le in the "e6 Testament. The fulfillment of this condition 6as considered e'en more remote than the Third +lass +ondition. It 6as formed 6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei and the o*tati'e mood in the *rotasis. The a*odosis had the hel*ing 6ord an and its 'er! 6as also in the o*tati'e mood.

2F

GREE% VERB TE&"E" !Intermediate #iscussion$

>"o element of Greek language is of more im*ortance to the student of the "e6 Testament than the matter of tense. % 'ariation in meaning e-hi!ited !0 the use of a *articular tense 6ill often dissol'e 6hat a**ears to !e an em!arrassing difficult0$ or re'eal a gleam of truth 6hich 6ill thrill the heart 6ith delight and ins*iration. Though it is an intricate and difficult su!&ect$ no *hase of Greek grammar offers a fuller re6ard. The !enefits are to !e rea*ed onl0 6hen one has in'ested sufficient time and diligence to o!tain an insight into the idiomatic use of tense in the Greek language and an a**reciation of the finer distinctions in force.> (2ana / )ante0$ *gs 154-5). These comments !0 2ana and )ante0 are to !e taken seriousl0 if the student of the "e6 Testament desires to get an0 !enefit from the stud0 of Greek< this is an area that offers much re6ard. "e'er neglect to notice the tense of each Greek 'er! and note its significance and !earing u*on the meaning of each *assage. In English$ and in most other languages$ the tense of the 'er! mainl0 refers to the :time: of the action of the 'er! (*resent$ *ast$ or future time). In Greek$ ho6e'er$ although time does !ear u*on the meaning of tense$ the *rimar0 consideration of the tense of the 'er! is not time$ !ut rather the :kind of action: that the 'er! *ortra0s. The most im*ortant element in Greek tense is kind of action< time is regarded as a secondar0 element. 9or this reason$ man0 grammarians ha'e ado*ted the German 6ord :aktionsart: (kind of action) to !e a!le to more easil0 refer to this *henomenon of Greek 'er!s. The kind of action (aktionsart) of a Greek 'er! 6ill generall0 fall into one of three categoriesA 1) .ontinuous (or 9(rogressi*e:) kind of action. 2) .om"leted (or 9%ccom"lished:) kind of action$ 6ith continuing results. 3) !im"le occurrence5 (or 9!ummary occurrence:) 6ithout reference to the 7uestion of *rogress. (This is sometimes referred to as :#unctiliar: kind of action $ !ut it is a misnomer to thus im*l0 that$ in e'er0 instance$ the action onl0 ha**ened at one *oint of time. This can !e true$ !ut it is often de*endent on other factors such as the meaning of the 'er!$ other 6ords in the conte-t$ etc.). It is an im*ortant distinction to understand$ as discussed !elo6$ that the onl0 *lace in 6hich :time: comes to !ear directl0 u*on the tense of a 'er! is 6hen the 'er! is in the indicati'e mood. In all other moods and uses the aktionsart of the 'er! tense should !e seen as *rimar0.

2:

,ee the chart !elo6 for a !rief summar0 of the kind of action sho6n !0 each Greek 'er! tense and its corres*onding time of action 6hen it occurs in the indicati'e moodA

Kind of Action and Time of Action for Each Verb Tense

Tense Name #resent %orist #erfect Im*erfect 9uture #ast #erfect 9uture #erfect 3ind of %ction #rogressi'e (or :+ontinuous:) ,im*le (or G,ummar0H) (ccurrence +om*leted$ 6ith Besults #rogressi'e (or :+ontinuous:) ,im*le (ccurrence +om*leted$ 6ith Besults +om*leted$ 6ith Besults Time Element (In Indicati*e #ood) *resent *ast *ast$ 6ith *resent results *ast future *ast future

%ktionsart *ersus Time The :time: as*ect of the tense of a 'er! reall0 onl0 comes into affect 6hen the 'er! is in the indicati'e mood. 8hen a 'er! is outside of the indicati'e mood$ then the aktionsart (Gkind of actionH) of the tense is usuall0 em*hasi@ed and should !e carefull0 noted$ and its !earing u*on the *assage should !e considered. (In referring to :'er!s outside of the indicati'e mood: in this conte-t$ it means !oth actual finite 'er!s in the im*erati'e$ su!&uncti'e$ and o*tati'e moods$ and *artici*les ('er!al ad&ecti'es) and infiniti'es ('er!al nouns)). The *artici*le ma0 ha'e tem*oral significance in relation to the time of the finite 'er! in the sentence. ,ee the section on *artici*les for a discussion of this as*ect. 9or instance$ outside of the indicati'e mood it is often customar0 to use the tense that im*lies a :sim*le occurrence:$ the aorist tense. The aorist *laces no em*hasis on the *rogress of the action$ !ut onl0 sho6s a sim*le occurrence (or summar0 occurrence)$ the action 'ie6ed as a 6hole. If the 6riter does not 6ish to em*hasi@e or focus on the
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*rogress of the 'er!:s action (6hether continuous or com*leted) he 6ill use the aorist tense. The term :aorist: means :uns*ecified: or :unlimited:. It signifies nothing as to the *rogression or com*leteness of an action$ it &ust indicates :ha**enedness: or sim*le occurrence. If one has the mistaken conce*t that aorist tense means *ast time$ man0 *assages of the "e6 Testament 6ill !e 'er0 confusing if not altogether nonsensical. ((nl0 in the indicati'e mood does the aorist indicate *ast time). )an0 times the action of a 'er! in the aorist su!&uncti'e or aorist im*erati'e forms$ for instance$ 6ill actuall0 take *lace at a future time$ not a *ast time. 9or e-am*le$ in )atthe6 14A2E$ 6hen ;esus 6as 6alking on the 6ater$ =e told #eter >+ome>$ 6hich is in the aorist im*erati'e form in Greek. %lthough ;esus used a 'er! in the aorist tense$ =e surel0 6as not telling #eter to come at some time in the *ast$ as :came: 6ould indicate< !ut =e 6as telling him to do something at the *resent time. If ;esus 6ould ha'e desired to *ut some s*ecial em*hasis on the *rogress of #eter:s coming to =im$ =e could ha'e said >?e coming> in the *resent im*erati'e. ,ince the *resent tense indicates *rogressi'e or continuous kind of action$ using the *resent 6ould ha'e indicated something to the affect that each and e'er0 ste* #eter took 6ould ha'e !een a task or accom*lishment in itself. This is one of the man0 e-am*les 6hich sho6 that outside of the indicati'e mood$ oftentimes the aorist tense is used (although the *resent tense is used 7uite fre7uentl0 also). The diligent seeker of "e6 Testament truth 6ill take careful note of this most crucial as*ect of Greek 'er! usage.

%n 0*er*iew of %ktionsart with Time with the /ifferent Tenses If the 6riter is referring to an action that ha**ened in *ast time$ he could refer to it as either *rogressi'e (!0 using the im*erfect tense) or as merel0 a sim*le occurrence$ 6ith no em*hasis on the action:s *rogress (!0 using the aorist tense). 9or action ha**ening at the *resent time$ onl0 the :*resent tense: is a'aila!le. 8hether the 6riter is 6ishing in an0 *articular instance to em*hasis the *rogressi'e as*ect of the 'er! or &ust indicate a sim*le occurrence at the *resent time$ there is onl0 one choice of tense to use. Therefore$ one must consider the conte-t and the !asic meaning of the 'er! to determine 6hether the em*hasis is on the continuous as*ect of the action or merel0 on the *resent time element. It ma0 !e that no real em*hasis on *rogressi'e action is intended !ut$ for a statement re7uiring the element of *resent time$ there is no choice !ut to use the :*resent tense:. ((f course outside the indicati'e mood the em*hasis almost certainl0 6ill !e on the *rogressi'e element of the 'er!$ since the aorist tense could readil0 !e em*lo0ed).
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The future tense is mainl0 found in the indicati'e mood and therefore *rimaril0 refers to the future time. ,ince the future tense functions 'er0 much like a *otential mood (!ecause the action is onl0 as of 0et concei'ed)$ there is no reference to the *rogress of the action. In this sense the aktionsart of the future tense closel0 resem!les that of the aorist$ !eing merel0 a sim*le occurrence. The *erfect tense has to do 6ith the com*leted *rogress of an action and its corres*onding finished results. That is$ it sho6s a *resent state of affairs (from the 6riterHs *ers*ecti'e)$ !ased u*on an action in *ast time (6hen using the indicati'e mood). There is no tense in English that has this same meaning. (ftentimes the student of English 6ill fail to reali@e the im*ortance of the *erfect tense and 6ill tend to !lend it 6ith the aorist in translation. This is mainl0 due to English idiom and the customar0 *ractice of translating the Greek *erfect as the English *erfect. This can !e a !ig mistake and can !lur the *oint or em*hasis of a "e6 Testament *assage. ,ince the *erfect tense is used less fre7uentl0 than other tenses$ it is e-egeticall0 more significant. 8hen it does occur$ there is usuall0 a definite and deli!erate reason it 6as chosen !0 the 6riter. The em*hasis ma0 !e on the culmination of the action:s *rogress or on the resulting state of affairs !rought a!out !0 the action. The aktionsart of the *ast *erfect (*lu*erfect) is the same as in the *erfect tense. The difference is that it refers to this :com*leted: condition at some time in the *ast. It ma0 seem strange$ !ased u*on the foregoing discussion of aktionsart 'ersus time$ to define his tense as something that ha**ened in *ast time. This is due to the fact that the *lu*erfect is used e-clusi'el0 in the indicati'e mood - thus the *ast time element - and the discussion of the *erfect tense e-*lains the aktionsart of the *ast *erfect also. The use of the *lu*erfect is rare in the "e6 Testament. The e-*lanation of the future *erfect (6hich is onl0 formed !0 *eri*hrasis in the "e6 Testament) is much like the *ast *erfect$ onl0 the com*leted state 6ill e-ist at some time in the future rather than in the *ast. Its use is also 'er0 rare in the "e6 Testament.

"(ntactical )lassification of Greek &ouns* Ver s Tenses* and +artici,les

-a.k to main Learn NT Greek #age. Introduction to 4syntax4 and "ur"ose of classification (ne as*ect of grammar is s0nta-. The term Gs0nta-H refers to the relationshi* of 6ords - and *hrases - 6ithin a sentence. (8hereas Gmor*holog0H or GaccidenceH deals
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onl0 6ith the formation of 6ords themsel'es$ not ho6 the0 relate to other 6ords in the sentence.) This section attem*ts to classif0 different t0*es of 6ords (either nouns$ 'er!s$ or *artici*les) into different s0ntactical categories (i.e. to sho6 s0ntactical relationshi*s of 6ords and clauses). %mong Greek grammarians$ there are differences of thought as to 6hat each of these categories should !e called. ?ut these designations are merel0 >la!els> to descri!e >uses> and relationshi*s of 6ords. The la!els !0 themsel'es are unim*ortant$ !ut the meanings associated 6ith them are 'er0 im*ortant. The GformH of a 6ord does not change for different categories. (9or instance$ 6hen classif0ing the geniti'e case$ the form of a *articular 6ord in the geniti'e 6ill al6a0s !e the same.) Therefore$ in classif0ing a *articular form of a 6ord$ the use (or categor0) can onl0 !e told !0 conte-t. These categories are not a!solutes< the0 are onl0 *ut forth as a tool to hel* !etter understand 6hat the meaning of a *assage is. In man0 instances$ the categor0 is a matter of inter*retation$ since the *articular instance ma0 actuall0 !e a!le to fit into a num!er of different categories. =o6e'er$ the 'alue of thinking through the s0ntactical use of a *articular form in a "T 'erse 6ill often 0ield much light from GodHs hol0 6ord. (2 Timoth0 2A5 M >+onsider 6hat I sa0$ for the Lord 6ill gi'e 0ou understanding in all things.>) 9or instance$ notice the geniti'e form of the 6ord GGodH$ in ;ude 21A >kee* 0oursel'es in the lo'e of God>. 2oes this mean >kee* 0oursel'es in the *lace 6here God is lo'ing 0ou$> or >kee* 0oursel'es lo'ing God>F Is God doing the lo'ing (making God the su!&ect of the action Glo'eH)$ or are 0ou lo'ing God (making God the o!&ect of the 6ord Glo'eH)F #ondering this (and countless other 6ords and *hrases) can 0ield much light from GodHs 8ord. The follo6ing *ages outline some of the different 6a0s in 6hich each noun case$ 'er! tense$ and *artici*le form can !e used. (It is not meant to !e an e-hausti'e outline or list< *lease consult one of the grammar !ooks mentioned !elo6 for a more thorough *resentation of this su!&ect matter). These categories ha'e different names associated 6ith them !ased on 6hich grammar !ook is !eing consulted. % good reference for a more detailed e-*lanation (and more e-am*les) of these categories is 8allaceHs !ook$ >Greek Grammar ?e0ond the ?asics>. %nother *o*ular (and more concise) !ook is >,0nta- of "e6 Testament Greek> !0 ?rooks and 8in!er0. ?oth of these !ooks are considered GintermediateH le'el grammar !ooks. % good G!eginnerH (first 0ear) !ook that introduces some of these conce*ts 6hile teaching the !asics$ is 2a'id %lan ?lackHs !ook$ >Learn to Bead "e6 Testament Greek.>
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#lease !e sure to see the list of :Beference ,heets: 6here man0 of these uses and classifications can !e *rinted out for 7uick reference. 1. +lassification of "ouns %. "ominati'e +ase ?. Geniti'e +ase +. 2ati'e +ase 2. %ccusati'e +ase 2. +lassification of er! Tenses %. #resent Tense ?. Im*erfect Tense +. %orist Tense 2. 9uture Tense E. #erfect Tense 3. +lassification of #artici*les

&ominati-e )ase . "(ntactical )lassification

?ack to main Learn "T Greek *age. ?ack to ,0ntactical +lassification #ages. %. !u&'ect Nominati*e - 8hen a 6ord is used as the su!&ect of a finite 'er!$ it is usuall0 in the nominati'e case. E.g. ;ohn 1A14 >.ai< o; lo'go> sa<r- e&ge'neto> >the 6ord !ecame flesh>. ?. (redicate Nominati*e - The o!&ect of a co*ulati'e (linking) 'er! 6ill also usuall0 !e in the nominati'e case$ rather than in the accusati'e case as 6ould !e e-*ected. E.g. ;ohn 1A14 >.ai< o; lo'go> sa<r- e&ge'neto> >the 6ord !ecame flesh>. +. Nominati*e of %""ellation - ,ometimes a *ro*er noun is used in the nominati'e case$ regardless of 6hat role it *la0s in the sentence. E.g. ;ohn 13A13 >u;mei:> f6nei:te' me ;( dida'skalo> kai< ;( ku'rio>$>
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>Dou call me Teacher and Lord$> 2. Nominati*e of /irect %ddress ($ocati*e) - 8hen s*eaking directl0 to a *erson$ addressing them !0 name$ often their name 6ill !e in the nominati'e case. E.g. %cts 24A1E >N(7en$ !asileu: &%gri'**a$ ou&k e&geno'mhn a&*ei7h < th:J ou&rani'6J o&*tasi'aJ$> >8herefore$ .ing %gri**a$ I 6as not diso!edient to the hea'enl0 'ision> E. Inde"endent Nominati*e - (ftentimes the nominati'e case 6ill !e used in e-*ressions 6here no finite 'er! e-ists$ such as in E-clamations$ ,alutations$ Titles of ?ooks$ and in #arenthetic$ %!solute$ and #ro'er!ial E-*ressions. E.g. Bomans 11A33 > O8 !a'7o> *lou'tou kai< sofi'a> kai< gn6'se6> 7eou:A> >(h$ the de*th of the riches !oth of the 6isdom and kno6ledge of GodP>

Geniti-e )ase . "(ntactical )lassification

?ack to main Learn "T Greek *age. ?ack to ,0ntactical +lassification #ages.

In general$ the geniti'e case descri!es or defines. It is the case of G7ualit0H$ Gattri!uteH$ Gdescri*tionH$ or GkindH. It limits the meaning of a su!stanti'e. It tends to !e ad&ecti'al in nature and mainl0 ans6ers >8hat kindF> %. Geniti*e %fter .ertain (re"ositions - as discussed in the section dealing 6ith *re*ositions$ the noun go'erned !0 each *re*osition 6ill !e in a certain case form or forms. ,ome *re*ositions re7uire that the noun !e in the geniti'e case. ?. Geniti*e of /irect 0&'ect - after certain 'er!s - )an0 'er!s$ such as those of the fi'e *h0sical senses and of emotion$ etc.$ re7uire that their direct o!&ect !e in the geniti'e case (as o**osed to theaccusati'e case 6hich is normall0 e-*ected). E.g. ;ohn 1A21 >oi; nekroi< a&kou'sousin th:> f6nh:> tou: ui;ou: tou: 7eou: > >the dead 6ill hear the 'oice of the ,on of God> +. (ossessi*e Geniti*e - ,ho6ing the ideas of o6nershi* or *ossession. To see if it is the
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Geniti'e of #ossession$ tr0 su!stituting the 6ord GofH 6ith Gbelonging toH or Gpossessed byH. =o6e'er$ this use does not ha'e to indicate actual$ *h0sical o6nershi* of some *ro*ert0. It ma0 !e a !roadl0 defined t0*e of o6nershi*. This is a 'er0 common use of the geniti'e. % *ossessi'e *ronoun 6ill often !e used in the geniti'e case to sho6 *ossession. E.g. =e!re6s 11A21 >t6:J la6:J tou: 7eou:> >the *eo*le of (!elonging to) God> ;ohn 1A2E >QIde o; a&mno< tou: 7eou: o; aiQr6n th<n a;marti'an tou: ko'smou.> >?ehold the Lam! of God 6ho takes a6a0 the sin of the 6orld.> 2. Geniti*e of 7elationshi" - This is a su!set of the #ossessi'e Geniti'e. It indicates familial relationshi*. The article modif0ing the 6ord in the geniti'e case is usuall0 *resent$ !ut not al6a0s. The actual 6ord sho6ing the relationshi* ma0 !e omitted (e-ce*t for the definite article) 6hen it is clearl0 kno6n !0 conte-t or !0 general kno6ledge. The geniti'e noun is often a *ro*er noun. It is a relati'el0 rare use of the geniti'e. E.g. )atthe6 2CA2C >h; mh'thr t6:n ui;6:nR> >mother of the sons> %cts 13A22 >2aui<d to<n tou: &Iessai'> >2a'id$ the QsonS of ;esse> E. (artiti*e Geniti*e (>8holati'e>) - The geniti'e su!stanti'e (*receded !0 the article) can indicate the 6hole of 6hich the head noun is a *art. The 6ord GofH can !e su!stituted the 6ords Gwhich is a part ofH. This use of the geniti'e re7uires the head noun to in some 6a0 im*l0 or indicate G*ortionH. E.g G*iece of *ieH$ Gsome of 0ouH$ Ga tenth of somethingH$ etc. It 6ill often !e found 6ith the Greek 6ords ti>$eNkasto>$ and eiT>. This is a fairl0 common use of the geniti'e in the "e6 Testament. E.g. Luke 1EAI >ta< h;mi'sia' mou t6:n u;*arco'nt6n> >half of m0 *ossessions> 9. %ttri&uti*e Geniti*e - (,ometimes called the /escri"ti*e Geniti*e.) - The 6ord in the geniti'e case is !eing used as an ad&ecti'e$ descri!ing an attri!ute or 7ualit0 to the head noun. It can !e thought of as a sim*le ad&ecti'e modif0ing the head noun$ !ut 6ith stronger force and em*hasis. If it can !e turned into an attri!uti'e ad&ecti'e$ then it is *ro!a!l0 this use of the geniti'e. It is 'er0 common in the "e6 Testament. E.g. Luke 14AE >mam6na: th:> a&diki'a>>
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>mammon of unrighteousness> L >unrighteous mammon> Bomans 4A4 >to< s6:ma th:> a;marti'a>> >the !od0 of sin> L >the sinful !od0> G. Geniti*e with Nouns of %ction - )an0 nouns ha'e an im*licit 'er!al idea (indicating action). 9or instance the noun Glo'eH im*lies that someone is lo'ing. The *artici*le GcomingH 6hen used as a su!stanti'e$ clearl0 has an im*licit 'er!al$ action idea. 8hen a Gnoun of actionH acts as a head noun modified !0 noun in the geniti'e case$ it could indicate one of the follo6ing three uses. 1. !u&'ecti*e Geniti*e - The geniti'e su!stanti'e functions semanticall0 as the su!&ect of the 'er!al idea im*licit in the head noun. To su!stantiate this thought$ tr0 to turn it into a sentence 6ith the noun in the geniti'e as the su!&ect. E.g. Bomans IA31 >ti'> h;ma:> c6ri'sei a&*o< th:> a&ga'*h> tou: +ristou:> >6ho shall se*arate us from the lo'e of +hrist> +hrist is lo'ing us. )atthe6 24A25 >ouNt6> eQstai h; *arousi'a tou: ui;ou: tou: a&n7r6'*ou> >so shall the coming of the ,on of )an !e> The ,on of )an is coming. %cts 12A11 >e&-ei'lato' me e&k *a'sh> th:> *rosdoki'a> tou: laou: t6:n &Ioudai'6n.> >R deli'ered me from R all the e-*ectation of the ;e6ish *eo*le> The ;e6ish *eo*le 6ere e-*ecting. 2 +orinthians 5A11 >th<n *a'nt6n u;m6:n u;*akoh'n> >the o!edience of 0ou all> Dou are o!e0ing. 2. 0&'ecti*e Geniti*e - The geniti'e su!stanti'e functions semanticall0 as the direct o!&ect of the 'er!al idea im*licit in the head noun. (%gain$ to su!stantiate$ tr0 to turn it into a sentence.) E.g. Luke 11A42 >*are'rces7e ... thn a&ga'*hn tou: 7eou:.> >0ou ha'e neglected R the lo'e of God.> "eglected lo'ing God. )atthe6 12A31
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>h; de< tou: *neu'mato> !lasfhmi'a ou&k a&fe7h'setai> >!ut the !las*hem0 of the ,*irit shall not !e forgi'en> ?las*heming the ,*irit. Bomans 3A21 >eQndei-in th:> dikaiosu'nh> au&tou:> >a demonstration of =is righteousness> =e is righteousness. 3. (lenary Geniti*e - Indicating !oth ,u!&ecti'e and (!&ecti'e Geniti'es simultaneousl0. This is a case in 6hich a 6riter can use an intentional am!iguit0 to con'e0 a dee*er meaning. E.g. Be'elation 1A1 >%*oka'lu0i> &Ihsou: +ristou:> >the re'elation of ;esus +hrist> ;esus +hrist is re'ealing something and it is re'ealing ;esus +hrist. 2 +orinthians 1A14 >h; ga<r a&ga'*h tou: +ristou: sune'cei h;ma:>> >the lo'e of +hrist constrains us> +hristHs lo'e for us and our lo'e for =im is constraining us. =. Geniti*e of Time (kind of time) - In kee*ing 6ith the !asic meaning of the geniti'e$ the geniti'e 6ith 6ords of time indicate the kind of time in 6hich something occurs. That is$ it indicates the time 6ithin 6hich an e'ent occurs (i.e. at nighttime as o**osed to in the da0time). The normall0 inserted 6ord GofH for the geniti'e$ could instead !e translated GduringH$ GatH$ or GwithinH. E.g. ;ohn 3A2 >hOl7en *ro au&to<n nukto< > >he came to ;esus during the night> 1 Thessalonians 2AE >nukto<> kai< h;me'ra> e&rga@o'menoi> >6orking at night and at da0> i.e. Gduring the night and during the da0H$ not reall0 Gall through the night and da0H I. Geniti*e of .om"arison - This use of the geniti'e almost al6a0s comes after an com*arati'e ad&ecti'e (like GmoreH$ GlessH$ GgreaterH$ etc.). The customaril0 used GofH translated 6ith the geniti'e should instead !e translated GthanH. It is a relati'el0 common use of the geniti'e case. E.g. )atthe6 3A1 >i&scuro'tero'> mou' e&stin.> >=e is mightier than I.>

3F

)atthe6 4A21 >ou&ci< h; 0uch *lei:o'n e&stin th:> trofh:>> >Is not 0our life (6orth) more than foodF> ;. Geniti*e of !ource - ,ometimes the geniti'e case indicates the source from 6hich the head noun is deri'ed or de*ends. The 6ord GofH could instead !e translated Gout ofH$ Gderived fromH$ or Gdependent onH. This use is relati'el0 rare< rather source is often sho6n 6ith the *re*osition e&k used 6ith the geniti'e case. E.g. Bomans 11A4 >th:> *araklh'se6> t6:n graf6:n> >the comfort of (deri'ed from) the scri*tures> .. Geniti*e of %""osition - The 6ord in the geniti'e case refers to the same thing as the 6ord it modifies. To see if this is the use$ tr0 su!stituting the 6ords 6hich sho6 this kind of e7ualit0$ >which is>$ >namely>$ or >who is>$ instead of the 6ord >of>. %s seen !elo6$ there are t6o different *ossi!ilities for a geniti'e case in a**osition. 1. !im"le %""osition - If the head noun is in the geniti'e case$ due to other relationshi*s 6ithin the sentence$ then the noun in a**osition is also re7uired to !e in the geniti'e case. "otice that in this case$ the 6ord GofH could not !e used in translation to sho6 the relationshi* !et6een the t6o nouns. (ne of the 6ords (*hrases) sho6ing e7ualit0 must !e used. E.g. +olossians 1A1I >au&to'> e&stin h; kefalh tou: s6'mato>$ th:> e&kklhsi'a>> >=e is the head of the !od0$ (namel0) the church> (+ould not !e translated$ Gthe !od0 of the churchH.) 2. E"exigetical Geniti*e - This use of the geniti'e hel*s to define an am!iguous or meta*horical head noun$ or gi'es a s*ecific e-am*le of the larger categor0 named !0 the head noun. It also re7uires the 6ords of e7ualit0 for *ro*er understanding$ !ut the 6ord GofH can !e used (unlike the case 6ith ,im*le %**osition). E.g. Bomans 4A11 >kai< shmei:on eQla!en *eritomh:>> >and he recei'ed the sign of circumcision> i.e. the sign 6hich is circumcision. 2 +orinthians 1A1 >o; dou< h;mi:n to<n a&rra!6:na tou: *neu'mato>.> >8ho has gi'en to us the do6n *a0ment of the ,*irit.> i.e. the do6n *a0ment 6hich is the ,*irit. L. Geniti*e %&solute - The geniti'e a!solute construction is a clause that is formed 6ith the follo6ing com*onents. It 6ill al6a0s ha'e an anarthrous *artici*le in the geniti'e case. There 6ill usuall0 !e a accom*an0ing su!stanti'e in the geniti'e case. These 6ords 6ill most often !e
3:

at the !eginning of the sentence. The noun in the geniti'e case 6ill act as the su!&ect of the *artici*le. This su!&ect 6ill !e different from the su!&ect of the main *art of the sentence (main clause) to 6hich this clause is attached. In this 6a0$ the geniti'e a!solute clause has onl0 a loose s0ntactical connection to the rest of the sentence.
D.g. 7.ts 13$2 9leitourgou'nt6n de< au&t6:n t6:J kuri'6J ... eiO*en to< *neu:ma to< aNgion$ 9 97s t"ey ministere( to t"e Lor( R, t"e 2o&y =#irit sai(, R9 T"e sub@e.t o, t"e main .&ause o, t"e senten.e is Pt"e 2o&y =#irit3. 8"ereas t"e sub@e.t o, t"e subor(inate Pgeniti0e abso&ute3 .&ause is Pt"ey3.

#ati-e )ase . "(ntactical )lassification

The follo6ing categories mainl0 refer to uses of the 2ati'e case 6hen used 6ithout a *re*osition. ,ome *re*ositions re7uire their o!&ect to !e in the 2ati'e +ase. E'en the 2ati'e 6ith the *re*osition 6ill often still fit into one of these s0ntactical categories. The 2ati'e is the case of *ersonal interest$ *ointing out the *erson to or for 6hom something is done. 8hen it refers to a *erson$ it indicates the one 6ho is concerned a!out or affected !0 the action of the 'er!. 8hen it refers to an o!&ect$ it refers to the setting or frame6ork in 6hich an action takes *lace. %. /ati*e %fter .ertain (re"ositions - as discussed in the section dealing 6ith *re*ositions$ the noun go'erned !0 each *re*osition 6ill !e in a certain case form or forms. +ertain *re*ositions 6ill normall0 ha'e their direct o!&ect in the dati'e case. ?. /ati*e Indirect 0&'ect - This is one of the most !asic and most common uses of the dati'e case. It is used to indicate an indirect o!&ect for man0 transiti'e 'er!s. The su!stanti'e in the dati'e case indicates to or for 6hom something is done. E.g. ;ohn 4A1C >kai eQd6ken aQn soi uNd6r @6:n> >and he 6ould ha'e gi'en to 0ou li'ing 6ater> )ark 1CA13 >*rose'feron au&t6:J *aidi'a> >the0 6ere !ringing children to =im>
0

+. /ati*e of #eans (also called the Instrumental /ati*e) - This is also a 'er0 common use (and a root meaning) of the dati'e case. It sho6s the >means> or the >instrumentH !0 6hich something is accom*lished. The English *re*ositions with$ by$ or by means of can !e used to translate this use of the dati'e. The dati'e noun is t0*icall0 concrete as o**osed to an a!stract idea. This use can also !e formed using the *re*osition e&n 6ith the dati'e case. E.g. E*hesians 2AI >th:J ga<r ca'riti' e&ste ses6Jsme'noi dia< *i'ste6>> >for !0 means of grace 0ou are sa'ed through faith> (ther e-am*lesA Bomans 3A2I$ ;ohn 11A2$ #hili**ians 4A4 2. /ati*e of !"here (or (lace) %lso called the Locati*e /ati*e - This use sho6s the s*here$ location$ or e'en *h0sical *lace$ of an item or in 6hich an action takes *lace. %lthough it can !e translated !0 the English *re*ositions in$ on$ at$ upon$ or beside$ (6here a**ro*riate) this use of the dati'e is most clearl0 translated !0 the *hrase H in the sphere ofH or Hin the realm ofH. ,ee the e-*lanation if the 2ati'e of Beference since these t6o can !e confused 6ith each other. E.g. )atthe6 1A3 >)aka'rioi oi; *t6coi t6:J *neu'mati> >?lessed are the *oor in (the realm of) s*irit> Bomans 4A1E >mh< a&s7enh'sa> th:J *i'stei> >6ithout !eing 6eakened in (the s*here of) faith> E. /ati*e of Time (%ns6ering G8henFH or G%t 6hat *oint of timeFH) - The em*hasis is on the chronolog0 of an e'ent. It indicates a *articular *oint of time 6ithin a succession of e'ents. E.g. )atthe6 2CA1E >th:J tri'thJ h;me'raJ e&ger7h'setai> >on the third da0 =e 6ill !e raised> 2 +orinthians 4A2 >.air6:J dekt6:J e&*h'kousa' sou> >at the a**ointed time I heard 0ou> 9. /ati*e of Interest - Em*hasi@es the idea of *ersonal interest$ or the *erson
1

interested in the 'er!al action. It can con'e0 the idea of interest in a *ositi'e or negati'e senseA interest in terms of ad'antage or disad'antage. ?oth of these uses are relati'el0 common$ 6ith the dati'e of ad'antage !eing more common than that of disad'antage. E'en the 2ati'e of 2irect (!&ect tends to sho6 some kind of GinterestH$ this classification is used 6hen the idea of interest is stressed. GInterestH is usuall0 indicated !0 the kind of 'er! used. I. /ati*e of %d*antage - Indicates the meaning >for the benefit of> or >in the interest of>$ although these ma0 !e rather a6k6ard for a smooth translation. E.g. 2 +orinthians 1A13 >eiQte ga<r e&-e'sthmen$ 7e6:JA eiQte s6fronou:men$ u;mi:n> >9or if 6e are !eside oursel'es$ it is for God< if 6e are in our right minds$ it is for 0ou> Be'elation 21A2 >R h;toimasme'nhn 6;> nu'mfhn kekosmhme'nhn t6:J a&ndri< au&th:>.> >R *re*ared as a !ride adorned for her hus!and.> II. /ati*e of /isad*antage - +an !e translated >to the detriment of> or >against>. E.g. )atthe6 23A31 >marturei:te e;autoi:>> >0ou testif0 against 0oursel'es> G. /ati*e of /irect 0&'ect - after certain 'er!s - % num!er of 'er!s re7uire that their direct o!&ect !e in the dati'e case (as o**osed to the accusati'e case 6hich is normall0 e-*ected). These are 'er!s that usuall0 em*hasi@e a *ersonal relationshi* such as 'er!s that indicate trusting$ 6orshi**ing$ o!e0ing$ ser'ing$ thanksgi'ing$ or follo6ing. E.g. =e!re6s 1A4 >.ai< *roskunhsa't6san aujtw:J *a'nte> aQggeloi 7eou:.> >%nd let all the angels of God 6orshi* #im.> )atthe6 IA25 >oi; aQnemoi kai< h; 7a'lassa au&t6:J u;*akou'ousin<.> >the 6inds and the sea o!e0 =im.> =. /ati*e of 7eference - ,ho6s interest in a 6a0 that is similar !ut more remote than that of the indirect o!&ect. It is t0*icall0 used to 7ualif0 a statement that 6ould other6ise t0*icall0 not !e true. It acts to gi'e a frame of reference or conte-t to the
2

statement. The statement 6ill often make no sense if the dati'e 6ord is remo'ed. It can !e translated 6ith the *hrases with reference to$ concerning$ about$ or in regard to. The 2ati'e of Beference can sometimes !e confused 6ith the 2ati'e of ,*here$ !ut their meanings are some6hat the o**osite. )ake sure to not &ust see if the grammar fits$ !ut to think through 6hat the author intended to sa0 in the conte-t. 9or instance$ in Bomans 4A2$ Gha'ing died in the s*here (realm) of sinH or Gha'ing died 6ith reference to sinH ha'e 'er0 different meanings. This should !e a true 2ati'e of Beference. E.g. Bomans 4A11 >logi'@es7e e;autou< QeiOnaiS nekrou<> me<n th:J a;marti'aJ @6:nta> de< t6:J 7e6:J> >consider 0oursel'es to !e dead in reference to sin$ !ut ali'e to God> I. /ati*e of %ssociation - This relati'el0 common use of the dati'e indicates the *erson or thing one associates 6ith or accom*anies. It can !e translated in English 6ith the *hrase in association with. It is t0*icall0 formed 6ith a dati'e su!stanti'e modif0ing a 'er! rather than a noun. (ftentimes the 'er! 6ill !e one that is *refi-ed 6ith the *re*osition su'n. E.g. E*hesians 2A1 >sune@6o*oi'hsen t6:J +rist6:J> >he made us ali'e together (in association) 6ith +hrist> 2 +orinthians 4A14 >)h< gi'nes7e e;tero@ugou:nte> a&*i'stoi>A> >2o not !e une7uall0 0oked together in association 6ith un!elie'ers<>

Introduction to $u&-uncti.e 'ood

1. 7s state( in t"e area gi0ing a s"ort (e,inition o, t"e sub@un.ti0e moo(, t"e sub@un.ti0e in(i.ates #robabi&ity or ob@e.ti0e #ossibi&ity. T"e a.tion o, t"e 0erb wi&& #ossib&y "a##en, (e#en(ing on .ertain ob@e.ti0e ,a.tors or .ir.umstan.es. 6t "as a number o, s#e.i,i. uses an( is o,tentimes use( in .on(itiona& statements 4i.e. E6,...t"en...E .&auses5 or in #ur#ose .&auses.

2. =o6e'er$ if the su!&uncti'e mood 6as used in isolation it ma0 !e accurate to merel0 call it the mood of *ro!a!ilit0$ !ut this is an o'erl0 sim*listic 'ie6 6hen 0ou look at ho6 it is used in the "T. %s seen !0 the classification of its uses (!elo6)$ it is almost ne'er used in making a kind of
3

o!&ecti'e statement that something 6ill *ossi!l0 ha**en. It must !e seen in conte-t to understand ho6 it used. 3. %s far as the tense of the 'er! in the su!&uncti'e mood$ it should !e remem!ered that the su!&uncti'e onl0 sho6s the kind of action ('er!al as*ect or GaktionsartH) and not time. (nl0 'er!s in the indicati'e mood indicate time in an a!solute sense. (,ee intermediate discussion of 'er! tenses). =o6e'er$ the GtimeH im*lied !0 the su!&uncti'e is usuall0 future since it is a mood of contingenc0. Thus the future indicati'e and the aorist su!&uncti'e are closel0 related and sometimes used in su!stitution for each other. 4. The su!&uncti'e mood is used in !oth inde*endent (main) and de*ended (su!ordinate) clauses. That is$ it can !e used as the main 'er! that makes u* a sentence$ or ma0 !e used in a su!ordinate clause that is de*endent u*on another clause to make u* a com*lete sentence. The follo6ing e-*lanations are di'ided into these t6o !road categories of classification.

I. !u&'uncti*e in #ain (Inde"endent) .lauses These are uses that stand in a clause (or sentence) &y themsel*es5 not re6uiring another clause to form a com"lete sentence.
0ortator1 $u&-uncti.e
a5 T"is is a statement urging ot"ers to @oin in some a.tion 4.omman(ing onese&, an( one3s asso.iates5. 46t is roug"&y t"e same as ,irst #erson im#erati0e, w"i." (oes not e)ist in Greek.5

!) It is easil0 identified !ecause it 6ill al6a0s !e the first *erson *lural form of the su!&uncti'e mood. This 'er! form 6ill often come near the !eginning of the sentence. c) It is usuall0 translated >let usR.> (Thus$ as a mnemonic de'ice$ it can !e referred to as the G,alad ,u!&uncti'eH.) d) E-am*lesA
i5 2ebrews 10$22 9Let us come forward to t"e 2o&y o, 2o&ies wit" a true "eart in ,u&& assuran.e o, ,ait".9 9*roserc6'me7a meta< a&lh7inh:> kardi'a> e&n *lhrofori'aJ *i'ste6> ,9 ii5 2ebrews 12$1 9Let us run t"e ra.e t"at is set be,ore us.9 9di u;*omonh:> tre'c6men to<n *rokei'menon h;mi:n a&g6:na$ 9 iii5 1 Lo"n $C 9-e&o0e(, let us love one anot"er.9 9&%ga*htoi'$ a&ga*6:men a&llh'lou>,9

2eli&erati.e $u&-uncti.e a) Whereas the indicative mood makes a statement, the sub unctive mood can be used to ask a !uestion. The !uestion usually involves deliberating about a certain course of action. The !uestion may be either a real !uestion "seeking an answer from the hearers) or a rhetorical one " ust wanting consideration, with no answer e#$ected). It is ty$ically not asking %What&% or %Who&%, but rather %'ow&%, %Whether&%, or %Where&% "%(ould or )hould I&%). The use of the sub unctive is indicating some uncertainty about the answer. b) *s was stated earlier about the overla$ in use between the sub unctive mood and the future indicative, the future indicative can also be used to ask deliberative !uestions, but the sub unctive is more common. c) It is usually translated into English using the future tense. d) +eal e#am$les "rather than rhetorical), i) -ohn ./,.0 %)hall I crucify your king&%
A

$u&-uncti.e of Em hatic !egation

a5 T"is is a way to strong&y (eny t"at somet"ing wi&& "a##en. 6t is t"e strongest way to negate somet"ing in Greek. !) It is formed !0 using a dou!le negati'e (ou mh) 6ith an aorist su!&uncti'e 'er! (or *ossi!l0 future indicati'e). 8hile ou *lus the indicati'e denies a certaint0$ ou mh *lus the su!&uncti'e denies e'en the *otentialit0. c) It is translated >certainl0 not> or >ne'er>$ 6ith the English future tense. d) This use is found *rimaril0 in the re*orted sa0ings of ;esus and in 7uotes from the ,e*tuagint. (utside of these t6o occurrences$ it is used onl0 rarel0. e) E-am*lesA i5 Iatt"ew 2 $3A 9but my wor(s will not at all (certainly not) pass away.9 9oi; de< lo'goi mou ou& mh< *are'l76sin.9 ii5 Iatt"ew A$20 9un&ess your rig"teousness e).ee(s t"e rig"teousness o, t"e s.ribes an( M"arisees, you will certainly not enter t"e king(om o, t"e "ea0ens9. 9e&an mh< *erisseu'shJ u;m6:n h; dikaiosu'nh *lei:on t6:n grammate'6n kai< 9arisai'6n$ ou& mh< ei&se'l7hte ei&> th<n !asilei'an t6:n ou&ran6:n. 9 iii5 2ebrews 13$A 96 will not at all (certainly not) fail you, nor will I ever leave you.9 9(u& mh' se a&n6: ou&d ou& mh' se e&gkatali'*6A 9

$u&-uncti.e of *rohi&ition (, negati.e command)

a5 6t is use( to ,orbi( in a(0an.e t"e initiation or o..urren.e o, an a.tion. !) It is formed !0 using the negating ad'er! (mh) 6ith the aorist su!&uncti'e$ t0*icall0 in the second *erson. It is e7ui'alent to im*erati'e after mh. i) In second *erson 'er! forms$ the su!&uncti'e takes the *lace of a 'er! in the im*erati'e mood. In third *erson 'er! forms$ either the su!&uncti'e or the im*erati'e ma0 !e used.
B

ii) The su!&uncti'e of *rohi!ition is usuall0 seen 6ith the aorist tense$ rather than the *resent tense. c) It is translated >donHt e'erR> or &ust >do notR.> It does not ha'e the sense that >Dou should notR.> d) E-am*lesA i5 Iatt"ew B$3 9T"ere,ore (ont ever worry about tomorrow?9 9mh< ouOn merimnh'shte ei&> th<n auQrion$9 ii5 Lo"n 3$C 9Do not marvel t"at 6 sai( to you, P>ou must be born anew3.9 9mh< 7auma'shJ> oNti eiO*o'n soi$ 2ei: u;ma:> gennh7h:nai aQn67en. 9 e5 Com#arati0e Note$ 7 #ro"ibition .an be ,orme( by using t"e negati0e a(0erb 4not5 wit" t"e #resent im#erati0e or wit" t"e aorist sub@un.ti0e 4or wit" t"e ,uture in(i.ati0e5. 7s seen ear&ier, in genera& t"e #resent tense em#"asi/es t"e .ontinuation o, an a.tion an( t"e aorist sees t"e a.tion as a w"o&e 4an( t"us sometimes "as an ingressi0e i(ea5. 8"en use( in #ro"ibition, t"e #resent tense 4im#erati0e5 .an mean to .ease t"e .ontinuation o, an a.tion, i.e. 9sto# (oingR9 somet"ing. T"e #ro"ibition ,orme( wit" t"e aorist tense 4sub@un.ti0e5 .an mean to not start t"e a.tion, i.e. 9(on3t start (oingR9 somet"ing. T"is is a genera&ity but .annot a&ways be assume( to be t"e .ase. +ne nee(s to take .aution an( not b&in(&y a##&y t"is genera&ity. T"e .onte)t o, t"e #ro"ibition a&ways nee(s to be taken into .onsi(eration. i5 T"e #resent tense #ro"ibition may a&so @ust be te&&ing a Pgenera& or .ustomary #re.e#t3, wit"out .ommenting on w"et"er t"e a.tion is going on or not. ii5 T"e aorist tense in #ro"ibitions (oes not a&ways "a0e an in.e#ti0e sense, but .an @ust be &ooking at t"e a.tion as a w"o&e, a&so as a genera& #re.e#t. II. !u&'uncti*e in !u&ordinate (/e"endent) .lauses These are uses of the su&'uncti*e mood in a clause which is de"endent on the "resence of another clause to make a com"lete sentence. % com"lex sentence that includes a 9de"endent (su&ordinate) clause: will5 &y definition5 also include a clause that is 9inde"endent: ("rinci"al). The *er& in the inde"endent clause will &e the main *er& in the sentence.
C

*ur ose /lause

a5 T"e P#ur#ose .&ause3 4a (e#en(ent .&ause5 is use( to s"ow t"e #ur#ose or intention o, t"e a.tion o, t"e main 0erb in t"e senten.e 4in t"e in(e#en(ent .&ause5. T"is .onstru.tion is meant to s"ow intention, not to state w"et"er somet"ing a.tua&&y "a##ens or not. !) The *ur*ose clause ans6ers the 7uestion >8h0F> or >9or 6hat reasonF>$ rather than >8hatF>. c) The con&unction that *recedes the su!&uncti'e 'er! (usuall0 iNna or oN*6>) is translated >in order that> or *ossi!l0 >that>. 9or the sake of clarit0$ it is *ro!a!l0 !est translated >in order that>. d) If the su!&uncti'e mood is used in a G*ur*oseH (or in a GresultH) clause$ then the action should not !e thought of as a *ossi!le result$ !ut should !e 'ie6ed as the stated outcome that 6ill ha**en (or has ha**ened) as a result of another stated action. The use of the su!&uncti'e is not to indicate that something Gma0H or GmightH result from a gi'en action$ !ut it is stating the G*ur*ose ofH or Greason forH an action. e) The su!&uncti'e mood in a *ur*ose clause actuall0 functions more like a 'er! in the indicati'e mood rather than in the o*tati'e mood. It is not stating the *ossi!ilit0 or *ro!a!ilit0 of an action$ !ut instead telling the intention of the *rimar0 action. f) The G*ur*ose clauseH is most fre7uentl0 introduced !0 the con&unction iNna or oN*6>. (The single most common use of the su!&uncti'e is after iNna$ com*rising a!out one third of all occurrences.) These 6ords are used in clauses that sho6 G*ur*oseH$ GresultH$ (or other related ideas). ?ut the most fre7uent use is to sho6 G*ur*oseH. g) 9or Gnegati'e *ur*oseH iNna mh or oN*6> mh is used$ translated >in order that R not> or >lest>. This indicates that the intention of the action of the main clause is in order that something else 6ould not ha**en. h) 9or e-am*leA i5 Lo"n 10$3F 9In order that you might know an( keep on knowing t"at t"e Fat"er is in Ie, an( 6 in t"e Fat"er.9 9iNna gn6:te kai< gin6'skhte oNti e&n e&moi< o; *ath<r ka&g6< e&n t6:J *atri'. 9
F

ii5 D#"esians 3$10 9In order that now t"e mani,o&( wis(om o, Go( might be made known t"roug" t"e ."ur."...9 9iNna gn6ris7h:J nu:n ... dia< th:> e&kklhsi'a> h; *olu*oi'kilo> sofi'a tou: 7eou:$ 9 iii5 Lo"n 1$C 92e .ame ,or a testimony, in order that he might testify about t"e &ig"t, in order that a&& might believe t"roug" "im.9 9ouTto> hOl7en ei&> marturi'an$ iNna marturh'shJ *eri< tou: f6to'>$ iNna *a'nte> *isteu's6sin di au&tou:.9 Noti.e t"at t"is 0erse "as two #ur#ose .&auses, em#"asi/ing t"e u&timate reason ,or Lo"n3s .oming as a testimony to C"rist.
Indefinite #elati.e /lause

a5 Je,erring to an in(e,inite%generi. 4or sometimes an un.ertain5 P#erson3 or Pt"ing3. !) The clause starts 6ith the relati'e *ronoun oUsti> or oU>$ follo6ed !0 the *article aSn (6hich adds another element of indefiniteness to the clause)$ follo6ed !0 a 'er! in the su!&uncti'e mood. c) This clause often o*erates as a su!stanti'e 6ithin the structure of a sentence. d) It is the *erson that is GuncertainH$ not the 'er!al element. (Thus the 'er! - in the su!&uncti'e mood - is often translated as indicati'e$ since the *otential element !elongs to the su!&ect of the clause rather than to the 'er!.) e) 9or e-am*leA i5 Iatt"ew 20$2C 97n( whoever wants to be first among you wi&& be your s&a0e.9 9kai< oU> aSn 7e'lhJ e&n u;mi:n eiOnai *r6:to> eQstai u;m6:n dou:lo>A 9 ii5 Lo"n $1 9Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him wi&& ne0er 4em#"ati. negation5 t"irst again.9 9oU> dV aSn *i'hJ e&k tou: uNdato> ouT e&g6< d6's6 au&t6:J$ ou& mh< di0h'sei ei&> to<n ai&6:na$9
:

iii5 Jomans :$1A 9For "e sai( to Ioses, 6 wi&& "a0e mer.y on whom I have mercy, an( 6 wi&& "a0e .om#assion on whom I have compassion.9 9t6:J )6uWsei: ga<r le'gei$ &Eleh's6 oUn aSn e&le6:$ kai< oi&ktirh's6 oUn aSn oi&kti'r6.9
Indefinite Tem oral /lause
a) (ften the su!&uncti'e 6ill !e used after a tem*oral ad'er! (like eN6>$ aQcri$ or me'cri) or after a tem*oral con&unction oNtan (or less fre7uentl0 e&*an or h;ni'ka). These tem*oral ad'er!s mean GuntilH< the tem*oral con&unctions mean G6hene'erH. !) This use of the su!&uncti'e indicates a future contingenc0 relati'e to the time of the main 'er! in the sentence. c) E-am*les 6ith tem*oral ad'er!sA i) Galatians 3A1E >It (the la6) 6as added !ecause of transgressions$ until the seed should come to 6hom the *romise 6as made<> >t6:n *ara!a'se6n ca'rin *rosete'7h$ aQcri> ouT eQl7hJ to s*e'rma 6TJ e&*h'ggeltai$> ii) 2 #eter 1A1E >...6ord$ 6hich 0ou do 6ell to heed R$ until the day dawns and the morning star rises in 0our hearts<> >...lo'gon$ 6TJ kal6:> *oiei:te *rose'conte> ...$ eN6> ouT h;me'ra diauga'shJ kai< f6sfo'ro> a&natei'lhJ e&n tai:> kardi'ai> u;m6:nA>

d) E-am*les 6ith tem*oral con&unctionsA i) 2 +orinthians 12A1C >9or whenever am weak$ then I am strong.> >oNtan ga<r a&s7en6:$ to'te dunato'> ei&mi.> ii) 2 +orinthians 3A14 >?ut whenever it $the heart% turns to the Lord$ the 'eil is taken a6a0.> >h;ni'ka de< e&a<n e&*istre'0hJ *ro<> ku'rion$ *eriairei:tai to< ka'lumma.>

A0

Greek /onditional $entences

+onditional sentences are >If ...$ then ...> statements. The0 make a statement that if something ha**ens$ then something else 6ill ha**en. The :if: clause is referred to as the :"rotasis: !0 grammarians. It comes from the Greek 6ords :*ro: (meaning !efore) and :stasis: (meaning :stand:). ,o the :*rotasis: means :6hat stands !efore: or :comes first: as far as these t6o clauses are concerned. The :then: clause is termed the :a"odosis:< it is 6hat :comes after: the *rotasis. Logical 7elationshi" &etween (rotasis and %"odasis There are a num!er of different relationshi*s that can e-ist !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis. It is im*ortant that 0ou tr0 to distinguish !et6een these relationshi*s for sake of more
clearl0 understanding the te-t. #lease also note that there can !e some o'erla* !et6een these three relationshi*s. The0 could re*resent a +ause-Effect relationshi*$ 6here the action in the *rotasis 6ill cause the effect in the a*odosis. 9or e-am*le Bomans IA13!$ >...!ut if !0 the s*irit 0ou *ut to death the *ractices of the !od0$ 0ou 6ill li'e.> The0 could sho6 a E'idence-Inference t0*e relationshi*$ 6here the a*odosis is inferred to !e true !ased u*on the e'idence *resented in the *rotasis. This 6ill often !e semanticall0 the con'erse of the G+ause-EffectH relationshi*. 9or e-am*le 1 +or. 11A44$ >If there is a soulish !od0$ there is also a s*iritual one.> (r$ the relationshi* could !e one sho6ing E7ui'alence !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis$ 6hich is actuall0 a su!set of the E'idence-Inference relationshi*. 9or e-am*le Gal. 2A1I$ >...if I !uild u* again those things 6hich I destro0ed$ I *ro'e m0self a transgressor.>

.lassification of Greek .onditional !entences Greek has more a!ilit0 than English in descri!ing the kind of relationshi* !et6een the *rotasis$ and the a*odosis. It is *ossi!le for the 6riterJs*eaker to indicate 6hether the *rotasis is true or not. %ctuall0 the0 can indicate if the0 are *resenting the *rotasis as :assumed true (or false) for the sake of argument:. In order to indicate this kind of relationshi* !et6een the *rotasis and a*odosis$ +lassical Greek traditional had four kinds of conditional sentences$ !ased u*on 6hat tense and mood the 'er! occurs in and u*on some hel*ing 6ords. These are much the same in .oine (?i!lical) Greek$ 6ith slight 'ariations. )irst .lass .ondition - Is considered the :,im*le +ondition: and assumes that the *remise (*rotasis) is true for the sake of argument. The *rotasis is formed 6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei (:if:) 6ith the main 'er! in the indicati'e mood$ in an0 tense< 6ith an0 mood and tense in the a*odosis. !econd .lass .ondition - Is kno6n as the :+ontrar0-to-9act +ondition: and assumes the *remise as false for the sake of argument. The *rotasis is again formed
A1

6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei (:if:) and the main 'er! in the indicati'e mood. The tense of the 'er! (in the *rotasis) must also !e in a *ast-time tense (aorist or im*erfect). The a*odosis 6ill usuall0 ha'e the *article an as a marking 6ord$ sho6ing some contingenc0. Third .lass .ondition - Traditionall0 kno6n as the :)ore #ro!a!le 9uture +ondition:$ the third class condition should actuall0 !e s*lit into t6o different categories$ the :9uture )ore #ro!a!le +ondition: (indicating either a *ro!a!le future action or a h0*othetical situation) and the :#resent General +ondition: (indicating a generic situation or uni'ersal truth at the *resent time). It is formed in the *rotasis using the 6ord ean (ei *lus an L :if:) and a 'er! in the su!&uncti'e mood. The main 'er! of the *rotasis can !e in an0 tense$ !ut if the condition is a :#resent General:$ the 'er! must !e in the *resent tense. )ourth .lass .ondition - Is usuall0 called the :Less #ro!a!le 9uture +ondition: and does not ha'e a com*lete e-am*le in the "e6 Testament. The fulfillment of this condition 6as considered e'en more remote than the Third +lass +ondition. It 6as formed 6ith the hel*ing 6ord ei and the o*tati'e mood in the *rotasis. The a*odosis had the hel*ing 6ord an and its 'er! 6as also in the o*tati'e mood.

/d0ecti-es !More In.de,th$

% Greek ad&ecti'e can ha'e one of t6o ma&or relationshi*s to the noun (or su!stanti'e) that it is modif0ing. It can !e either in the attributive position or the predicate position. 9ollo6ing is an e-*lanation of these t6o *ositions of Greek ad&ecti'es. % Greek ad&ecti'e can also !e used as a su!stanti'e$ taking the *lace of a noun. ,ee !elo6 for an e-*lanation of the su!stanti'al use of the ad&ecti'e.

%ttri&uti*e (osition of Greek %d'ecti*es If an ad&ecti'e is in the attri!uti'e *osition$ it is not making the central statement or thought in the sentence concerning the noun it is modif0ing. It is onl0 ascri!ing an attri!ute or 7ualit0 to the noun$ 6hile the *redicate *art of the sentence is making the grammaticall0 more fundamental statement a!out the noun. The %ttri!uti'e and #redicate *ositions of the ad&ecti'e are determined !0 6ord order$ es*eciall0 in
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relation to the definite article. In the syntactical formation of the 4attri&ute "osition of the ad'ecti*e45 the ad'ecti*e comes after the definite article. That means that the ad&ecti'e could stand !et6een the definite article and the noun (the ascri*ti'e use - as in the first e-am*le !elo6) or the ad&ecti'e could come after the definite article 6hich is follo6ing the noun (the restricti'e use - as in the second e-am*le !elo6). It is common e'en in English for there to !e a definite article follo6ed !0 an ad&ecti'e$ 6hich is in turn follo6ed !0 the noun that the0 are modif0ing. This is also a common Greek *hrase as far as 6ord order is concerned (and is called the ascri*ti'e use of the attri!ute *osition). That is >%rticle %d'ecti*e Noun2. =o6e'er$ Greek can sa0 !asicall0 the same thing !0 ha'ing a definite article$ the noun it modifies$ then another definite article (in the same form as the first one)$ and then the ad&ecti'e that modifies the noun. That is > %rticle Noun %rticle %d'ecti*e2. (This is called the restricti'e use of the attri!ute *osition). Bather than merel0 ascri!ing a 7ualit0 to the noun$ this form gi'es a little more em*hasis to that 7ualit0 re*resented !0 the ad&ecti'e and hel*s to set this noun a*art from other ones 6ithout this 7ualit0. (,ee the second e-am*le !elo6). %lthough in the attri!uti'e use the ad&ecti'e usuall0 comes after the definite article (associated 6ith the noun)$ if the noun it is modif0ing does not ha'e a definite article associated 6ith it (i.e. it is anarthrous)$ one can onl0 tell !0 conte-t 6hether it is in the attri!uti'e or *redicate *osition. The %scri"ti*e 8se of the %ttri&ute %d'ecti*e+ 9or e-am*le Luke 4A41 sa0s$ >&he good man out of the good treasure of his heart !rings forth good.> =ere the order of the Greek 6ords is :article:$ :ad&ecti'e:$ :noun:. The 7estricti*e 8se of the %ttri&ute %d'ecti*e+ 9or e-am*le ;ohn 1CA11 ;esus sa0s$ >I am the good she*herd>. In Greek$ the 6ord order is >I am the she*herd the good>$ that is :article:$ :noun:$ :article:$ :ad&ecti'e:. This is the second 6a0 the attri!uti'e ad&ecti'e can !e formed. The noun :she*herd: is !eing modified !0 the ad&ecti'e :good:. "otice that :good: still comes after the second definite article 6hich modifies this noun. This *osition hel*s to em*hasis the 7ualit0 of >good> as if to sa0 that not all she*herds are good. It could !e translated$ >I am the she*herd$ that is$ the good one (as o**osed to the others 6ho are not good)>.

(redicate (osition of Greek %d'ecti*es In the *redicate *osition of the ad&ecti'e$ the ad&ecti'e itself is actuall0 making the statement a!out the noun (i.e. it is in the *redicate *art of the sentenceor clause). The
A3

noun and the ad&ecti'e could !0 themsel'es !e the com*lete sim*le sentence. (?ut note that the ad&ecti'e used attri!uti'el0 could not form a com*lete sentence.) 8hen the ad&ecti'e is in the *redicate *osition$ a form of the 'er! >to !e> ma0 or not !e e-*licitl0 *resent in Greek$ !ut 6ill al6a0s !e in the English translation of the *hrase. ;hen the ad'ecti*e is in the "redicate "osition5 it will not follow the definite article connected to the noun (6hether the noun is articular oranarthrous). 9or e-am*leA ;esus said in )ark 1CA1I$ >"o one is good e-ce*t (ne$ that is$ God.> The *hrase >"o one is good> is onl0 t6o 6ords in Greek. The first 6ord means :no one: and the second 6ord means :good:. Thus there is a noun and an ad&ecti'e 6ith no inter'ening definite article. This is the *redicate *osition of the ad&ecti'e (since there is no definite article !efore the ad&ecti'e). In translation$ 0ou must insert the a**ro*riate form of the 6ord >to !e> to ca*ture the sense of the *redicate *osition. Therefore these t6o 6ords !0 themsel'es could form a com*lete sim*le sentence in Greek. !u&stanti*al 8se of Greek %d'ecti*es The ad&ecti'e can also !e used alone (6ith or 6ithout the article) as a noun (su!stanti'e). In this situation$ if the ad&ecti'e is masculine$ it is referring to >men> (or >man> - singular)$ >*eo*le>$ or >ones>. If the ad&ecti'e is feminine$ it is referring to >6omen.> %nd if the ad&ecti'e is neuter$ it is referring to a >class> or >things> . 9or e-am*le$ the neuter$ *lural ad&ecti'e for >li'ing> 6ould mean >the li'ing> as o**osed to >the dead.> %n e-am*le from Galatians 1A1 is >...God the 9ather$ 6ho raised =im (+hrist) from among the dead.> The 6ord :dead: is a geniti'e$ *lural ad&ecti'e (either neuter or masculine -- *ro!a!l0 neuter). It means >the dead> or$ *ossi!l0$ >the dead ones> or >the dead men.> "otice also that in Greek the ad&ecti'e >raised> is actuall0 an attri!uti'e ad&ecti'al use of on aorist *artici*le.

!ome Terms %ssociated with /efinite %rticles %rticular 8hen a noun is said to !e >%rticular>$ it means that there is a definite article modif0ing (associated 6ith) the noun.

Anarthrous 8"en a noun is sai( to be 97nart"rous9, it means t"at t"ere is not a (e,inite arti.&e mo(i,ying 4asso.iate( wit"5 t"e noun.
;ord 0rder and Em"hasis in Greek 1) 2ue to the linear nature of the Greek language$ in general$ 6ords at the !eginning of a sentenceJclause ha'e more *rominence than 6ords at the end. 2) Em*hasis in Greek is oftentimes sho6n !0 6ords occurring out of their customar0 order in relation to other 6ords in the sentence. 3) The normal order of 6ords in Greek is not 6ell understood 0et. It has generall0 !een taught that for a sentence on the 6hole$ the normal order 6ould !e X'er! - su!&ect - o!&ectJcom*lementY. =o6e'er$ it has !een sho6 that 6hen a su!&ect of the 'er! is e-*licitl0 stated$ it oftentimes comes first in the sentence. Thus a more accurate order ma0 instead !e Xsu!&ect - 'er! - o!&ectJcom*lementY 4) Em*hatic 8ord (rder a) ,*litting of ,0ntactical 3nits i) E.g. ;ohn 5A3I! X*otamoi e&k th:> koili'a> au&tou: r;eu'sousin uNdato> @6:nto>.Y Xfrom 6ithin him shall flo6 ri'ers of li'ing 6ater.Y ii) 2 +or. 5A1 Xtau'ta> ouOn eQconte> ta > e&*aggeli'a>$Y X=a'ing therefore these *romises$Y iii) 3 ;ohn 4 Xmei@ote'ran tou't6n ou&k eQc6 cara'n$Y XGreater &o0 ha'e I none than this$Y !) X"ominati'e %!solutesY *laced at !eginning of clause$ 6ithout regard to the s0nta- focuses on the su!&ect. i) E.g. Be'. 3A12 Xo; nik6:n *oih's6 au&to n stu:lonY X=e that o'ercometh$ I 6ill make him a
AA

*illarY c) E-tra 8ords or Be*eated 8ords i) E.g. 1 +or. 1A24 X+risto n 7eou: du'namin kai 7eou: sofi'anAY X+hrist the *o6er of God$ and the 6isdom of God.Y d) 2irect (!&ect or #redicate "ominati'esJ%d&ecti'es *receding su!&ect andJor 'er!. i) E.g. =e!. 4A12 XZ6:n ga r o; lo'go> tou: 7eou: kai e&nergh >Y X9or the 6ord of God is li'ing$ and acti'e$Y ii) ;ohn 1EA1I XoN*ou au&to n e&stau'r6san$ kai met[ au&tou: aQllou> du'oY X6here the0 crucified him$ and 6ith him t6o others$Y e) Geniti'e nounsJ*ronouns *receding the noun the0 modif0 i) E.g. )att. 25A14 X&%lh76:> 7eou: ui;o > hOn ouTto>.Y XTrul0 this 6as the ,on of God.Y ii) 1 +or. 2A5 Xa&lla lalou:men 7eou: sofi'an e&n musthri'6J$Y X!ut 6e s*eak God:s 6isdom in a m0ster0$Y iii) ,ee 1 +or. 1A24 a!o'e. f) #re*ositional #hrases or Indirect (!&ect *receding the 'er!. i) E.g. ;ohn 1A44 X&Ek "a@are t du'natai' ti a&ga7o n eiOnai<Y X+an an0 good thing come out of "a@arethFY 1) Intrinsicall0 Em*hatic 8ord +lasses (see X?lackY *g. 1I3) a) %d'er!s (alh76>$ eu7u>) !) Em*hatic #ersonal #ronouns c) Em*hatic #ossessi'e %d&ecti'es d) "ominati'e #ersonal #ronouns (eg6$ hmei>) i) E.g. ;ohn 1CA11 X&Eg6' ei&mi o; *oimh n o; kalo'>AY XI am the good she*herdAY
AB

e) Intensi'e #ronouns (auto>) i) E.g. )att. 1A21 Xau&to > ga r s6'sei to n lao n au&tou: a&*o t6:n a;marti6:n au&t6:n.Y Xfor it is he that shall sa'e his *eo*le from their sins.Y f) Intensi'e %d'er!s (nuni$ ouci) i) E.g. E*h. 2A13 Xnuni de e&n +rist6:J &Ihsou: u;mei:> oiN *ote oQnte> makra n e&genh'7hte e&ggu > e&n t6:J aiNmati tou: +ristou:.Y X?ut no6 in +hrist ;esus 0ou that once 6ere far off are made near in the !lood of +hrist.Y g) 2ou!le "egati'es (ou mh) i) )ark 14A31 Xou& mh' se a&*arnh'somai.Y XI 6ill not den0 0ou.Y

AC