Introduction to Greek

The Bible Companion Series

INTRODUCTION TO

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

LEARNING THE FOUNDATION

LANGUAGE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

"Canst thou speak Greek?"

Acts 21:37

A Bible-Believing Study Guide

Part of the

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE

ADVANCED BIBLE STUDY COURSE

AV 1611 Bible Companion

By Craig A. Ledbetter, B.A., Th.G.

Bible Baptist Church

Unit B, Enterprise Business Park

Innishmore, Ballincollig,

Cork, Ireland

Tel: (021) 4875142

E-Mail: biblebc@gmail.com

Any portion, including the whole of this text may be reproduced without the permission of the author, as long as credit is

given for its source (Romans 13:7)!

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

• 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to New Testament Greek...................................................................................................3

The Greek of the New Testament............................................................................................3

The Greek Alphabet................................................................................................................4

Phonetics - Vowels, Dipthongs, and Breathings.......................................................................6

Endings, Cases, and Tenses..................................................................................................................9

Pronouns and Prepositions......................................................................................................11

More Verb Endings.................................................................................................................13

Verb Ending Chart..................................................................................................................15

Word Lists...........................................................................................................................................16

How to do Word Studies.......................................................................................................................18

New Testament Word Studies...............................................................................................................23

Introduction to Greek Exam Questions..................................................................................................28

A Note Concerning the Cork Bible Institute

This study course is intended to be used in conjunction with the Cork Bible Institute and contains

Quizzes and a Final Exam that can be applied towards credit in the Institute. If you want your partici-

pation in this course to be part of an overall course accreditation, please inform Pastor Ledbetter and

he will make sure your records are retained. Your attendance will be recorded.

Class Requirements:

To pass this course, you will need to complete the following:

1. Fill-in all the following notes

2. Attend 80% of the classes

3. Pass the Final Exam

4. Memorize the 100 Greek Words, Letters of the Greek alphabet, and particulars of the Greek

language.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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Introduction to New Testament Greek

A Study of the Language Behind the New Testament

Lesson Verse: John 3:7

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:7

µη θαυµασης οτιειπον σοι δει υµας γεννηθηναι ανωθεν.

The Greek of the New Testament

A. Brief History of Greek

1. The Land and the Empire - Greece

a. Main Biblical Empires of History - after the Flood

1) ______________ - Tower of Babel (2500 BC)

2) Egypt - Egyptian language (2000 BC - 1500 BC)

3) Assyrian - Assyrian language (2Kgs 18:26) (900 BC - 700 BC)

4) ______________ - Babylonian language (700 BC - 500 BC)

5) Persian - Persian Language (500 BC - 400 BC)

6) Greek - Greek language (400 BC - 200 BC)

7) Roman - Latin language (200 BC - 300 AD)

8) ______________ (Rome again) - Latin language (yet future)

b. Historical and mythological figures include:

1) Alexander the Great (356-323BC) - leader who drank himself to death upon news that there

was no more of the world to conquer

2) ________________ (469-399BC) - philosopher

3) __________________ (384-323 BC) - philosopher

4) All the Greek mythological "gods": Zeus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mt. Olympus, etc.

2. The Language

a. There are two major language groups in the world left over from Babel (Gen 11) - languages

seem to have split into two groups:

1) The Indo-European Languages:

a) ____________

b) Italic - turns into the Latin

c) ______________

d) Germanic

e) Balto-Slavic

f) Indo-Iranian

2) The Semitic Languages:

a) ______________Aramaic - similar to Hebrew

b) Arabic

c) Ethiopic

d) Akkadian (the language of Babylon and Assyria)

b. Out of these basic languages has "evolved" our modern languages.

c. Notice that God chose one language from each group to put His word into: The Greek and the

Hebrew - with a little being written in ______________ (Dan 2:4b - 7:28; Ezra 4:8 - 6:18; 7:12

- 26; Jer 10:11).

d. On the cross, Jesus' title is in the three primary languages of the area (Jn 19:19,20):

__________, ___________, and _______________.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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B. Different forms of Greek

1. ______________________________ - this is the "high" form of the language used by the philoso-

phers and intelligencia. It is very formal, and hard to read and enjoy like the Koine.

2. ______________________ - Common language, used by Jesus and the New Testament.

3. ________________________ - This is the modern form of the language which is spoken in the

country of Greece.

C. Uses of the Greek

1. Abuses (1Cor 1:22,23).

a. To try and ________________ (1Cor 8:1; Rom 12:16)

b. As the only, or primary source of instruction - spend so much time trying to understand the

New Testament from the Greek that they never learn what it says in their own tongue (Rom

1:22).

c. As the authority - using scholarship over the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:13). Learning from books

__________ the Bible, and teaching about what the Bible says, or "may be" trying to say, etc,

etc, etc (Mt 15:14). Jesus did not say, "Search the commentaries!"

d. The main problem here is that people do not believe God could have not only inspired the Bi-

ble, but also preserve it even into their own language (Mt 24:35).

2. Correct Usage

a. As '__' source of instruction - great stuff to learn other languages, especially the languages that

God used to speak into history!

b. As a means to show the veracity of the Bible's message - the Greek is the basis of the New Tes-

tament, and can be proven to be the word of God - but you are teaching and ministering not to a

Greek speaking world, so minister in their language as God has provided!

D. The Bible's references to the Greek language:

1. Jesus spoke _______________ in Greek (Rev 1:8). He did not say, I am the Aleph, and the ______

2. Paul spoke Greek (Acts 21:37), along with about __ other languages.

E. The Importance of Language

1. God divided the languages on purpose (Gen 11:1,6,7,9; see also Acts 17:26)

2. God already communicates with the whole world without a unified language – by Creation, and the

Conscience (Ps 19:3; Rom 1:19-21). But those languages cannot save – only the word of God in

their language can save a soul (1Pet 1:23)

3. There is a pure language – ____________ (Zeph 3:9; 8:23)

4. Missionaries are sent to people who have strange speech and a hard language (Ezek 3:5)

5. God wants the whole world to hear the word of God in their own language (Acts 2:6; Rom 10:13-

15). We CANNOT wait for the world to learn Hebrew, or Greek, or even English!

6. Translation is the process by which something is moved from one realm to another (Col 1:13) – i.e.,

from one language to another, or one place to another. God perfectly authors the words of Scripture

(inspires), preserves those words, and then guides the translation of those words, if we seek His

help. Just remember that Satan’s primary attack will always be against the word of God (Gen 3:1-4)

The Greek Alphabet

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Revelation 22:13

Notice the symbol for the first letter is "a" and the name of the letter is "ahl-fah." We have the sound in

our English word "father." Practice writing the symbol and saying its name. A good exercise would be to

try to think of other English words, beside "father," that have the same SOUND. For instance, "cot, bother,

lock, rod" for the omicron letter. Remember, we are looking for the same SOUND, not necessarily the same

letter. Now, to memorise these letter and their sounds, do the following:

Practice saying the letter's name - as in Alpha. Then write out the smaller (lower) letter - ignore the

capital letters for a while, until you have memorised the smaller ones first.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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Go through each group of letters, and learn them in sequence - as in: Alpha, Beta, gamma, Delta, Epsi-

lon. Keep going over and over this group of letters until you know them by sight, their sound, and how to

write them in Lower case letters.

Memorise all the groups, and make sure you can start from Alpha, and work your way through all the

letters to the ones you are learning.

Capital

Lower

Name Pronounced as in:

Α α

A Alpha (ahl-fah) a f__ther

Β β

B Beta (bay-tah) b __all

Γ γ

Gamma (gahm-ma) g __one

∆ δ

D Delta (dell-tah) d __og

Ε ε

E Epsilon (ep-sih-lawn) e m__t

Ζ ζ

Z Zeta (dzay-tah) z a____e

Η η

A Eta (ay-tah) a th__y

Θ θ

Theta (thay-tah) th ____rone, ____in

Ι ι

I Iota (ee-oh-tah) i f__t, mach__ne

Κ κ

K Kappa (cop-ah) k __ing

Λ λ

L Lambda (lahm-dah) l __ong

Μ µ

M mu (moo) m __en

Ν ν

N Nu (new) n __ew

Ξ ξ

Xi (ksee, or like "sigh") ks li______, as____

Ο ο

O Omicron (au-mih-crawn) o l__g

Π π

P Pi (pea, pie) p __ea

Ρ ρ

R Rho (hrow) r he__

Σ σ ς

S Sigma (sig-mah) s __ign

Τ τ

T Tau (rhyme with "how") t __en

Υ υ

U Upsilon (oop-sih-lawn) u n____ (German 'u')

Φ φ ϕ

Phi (fee, or phi) ph ____one

Χ χ

X Chi (key, or chi) x Ba____ (composer)

Ψ ψ

Psi (psee, or psi) ps li____

Ω ω

O Omega (oh-may-gah) o __nly

Some things to note (and memorise) about the Greek alphabet

A. The Sigma letter is always 'σ' when inside a word, and 'ς' when at the end.

B. You will find the Phi letter written either as a 'φ' or as 'ϕ'.

C. There are several English letter-sounds missing in the Greek language: C, H (it is replaced by a breath-

ing mark), J, Q, V, W, and Y.

D. Exercises

1. Practice sounding out each letter group (i.e., α β γ δ ε) several times until you know that group

2. Mainly focus on memorizing the lower case letters first

3. Then go back and familiarise yourself with the UPPER case letters

4. Make sure that you are able to associate the sound of each letter with the sound of a letter in an

English word

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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Phonetics - Vowels, Dipthongs, and Breathings

A. Seven Vowels

1. α, ε, η, ι, ο, υ, ω

2. η is the long form of ε

3. ω is the long form of ο

4. Practice sounding these vowels out, and writing their English equivalent:

a. α Alpha as in _____________

b. ε, η Epsilon, Eta as in _____________, and ______________

c. ι Iota as in _____________

d. ο, ω Omicron, Omega as in _____________, and ______________

e. υ Upsilon as in _____________

B. Diphthongs

1. αι = ai in __________

2. αυ = ou in house

3. ει = ei in height, or fate

4. οι = oi in ______

5. ου = ou in group

6. ευ = eu in feud

7. ηυ about the same as ευ

8. υι = we

C. The 'h' sound

1. The sound is indicated by the mark (') over the vowel or diphthong at the beginning of a word.

2. As in όδος = hodos

D. Accents - tells you how to stress your voice in saying the word using pitch or tone. These accents usu-

ally go on top of vowels. We will not bother with learning how to use them since they don't need to be

mastered to perform basic translation exercises.

1. Acute (´)

2. Grave (`)

3. Circumflex (~)

E. Four marks of punctuation

1. The period (.) - stops the sentence

2. Comma (,) - not used that much at all - understood by the context that a pause should take place

3. Question mark (;)

4. Semi colon (:)

F. Exercises

1. Practice pronouncing the following words phonetically, and write out the word in English.

a. αγω _____________

b. βλεπω ______________

c. γινωσχω _______________

d. γραφω ________________

e. θελω _________________

f. πεµπω _______________

2. Practice writing out the following letters of the alphabet five times

a. Alpha __ __ __ __ __

b. Gamma __ __ __ __ __

c. Epsilon __ __ __ __ __

d. Delta __ __ __ __ __

e. Beta __ __ __ __ __

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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3. More practice with Greek Phonics. Phonetically spell out (write out each letter as if it were in

English) each word of the following portion of Scripture in the spaces provided. Take your time,

and notice that some of the letters are in Capitals. You can use the list on page 5, but try and start

recalling the letters from memory.

______________________________________________________________________________

4. Practice writing out the following letters of the alphabet five times

a. Zeta __ __ __ __ __

b. Eta __ __ __ __ __

c. Theta __ __ __ __ __

d. Iota __ __ __ __ __

e. Kappa __ ___ __ __ __

f. Alpha __ ___ __ __ __

5. List all of the alphabet that you currently know, in order:

___________________________________________________________________

6. List the seven vowels:

a. ___

b. ___

c. ___

d. ___

e. ___

f. ___

g. ___

7. Work backwards from English back into Greek phonetically:

a. adelphos _________________

b. anthropos _________________

c. philos _________________

d. graphos _________________

e. ago _________________

f. doulos _________________

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Introduction to New Testament Greek

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8. Memorise the following Verbs (write out the Greek word, and its meaning in the blank following

each word):

a. αγω I lead, bring, go ____________________________________________

b. βλεπω I ______ ____________________________________________

c. γινωσχω I ________ ____________________________________________

d. γραφω I __________ ____________________________________________

e. θελω I wish ____________________________________________

f. πεµπω I send ____________________________________________

g. αχουω I hear ____________________________________________

h. λεγω I say ____________________________________________

i. πιστευω I ______________ ____________________________________________

j. εχω I have, hold ____________________________________________

k. ευρισχω I find ____________________________________________

l. λαµβανω I take, receive ____________________________________________

9. The 'H' sound - Rough Breathing Mark

a. Many Greek words begin with a sound like our English 'h'. The sound is indicated by the sign

(΄) over a vowel or diphthong.

b. Notice the following words, and their basic meanings. Write out the English equivalents:

όδος - __________ - ______________

ό - ____ - ______

εύρισχω - __________ - I __________

ίκανος - __________ - ____________

ίλαρος - __________ - cheerful (hilarious)

ήδεως - __________ - ____________

ήλιος - __________ - sun

c. Make sure that you notice in Scripture whether there is just an accent on the first vowel, or

diphthong, or a "rough breathing" mark. The smallest difference will be a wrong translation.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

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Endings, Cases, and Tenses

A. Verb endings

1. A Greek verb has three actions called its tense, mode, and voice.

a. __________ tells you the state of the action of the verb - the TIME of the action (i.e., is it hap-

pening in the past, or present, or future).

b. ________ tells you how the action is made - the MOOD of the action

1) Indicative - makes a statement

2) Subjunctive - has potential – hasn’t happened yet, but will probably, like, something I

want to to do

3) Imperative - issues a command

c. __________ tells you how the action is related to the subject. It answers whether the subject of

the sentence is

1) Active (is the noun causing the action)

2) Middle (is the noun acting in reference to self)

3) Or Passive (is the noun being acted upon).

2. Conjugating Verbs. To give all the variations of a verb in its terminations in the proper order.

a. Present Indicative Active (PIA) - these verbs are occurring in the present - as in "I say", or "I

am saying"

λεγ-ω ω

I am saying, I say

λεγ-εις εις

You are saying, you say (thou art saying,

or thou sayest)

λεγ-ει ει

he, she, or it is saying, or says

λεγ-ομεν ομεν

we are saying, we say

λεγ-ετε ετε

ye are saying, ye say

λεγ-ουσι ουσι

They are saying, they say

λεγ-ειν ειν

to be saying, to say

Present Indicative Middle

(PIM) - the subject is act-

ing in the present, with ref-

erence to self - as in "I see

myself"

Present Indicative Passive (PIP) - these end-

ings describe the subject being acted upon in the

present, - as in "I am being seen". Notice that

these endings are the same as the PIM. Context

will tell you the difference.

βλεπ - ομαι βλεπ - ομαι

- η - η

- εται - εται

- ομεθα - ομεθα

- εσθε - εσθε

- ονται - ονται

- εσθαι - εσθαι

B. Translation Exercises

Translate into English Translate into Greek

βλεπει We know

άχουομεν I see

γινωσχετε He finds

λαμβανουσι

You send

γραφεις They know

εχει We wish to

know

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

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C. Noun endings.

1. Nouns are ____________, ____________ or ____________

2. In Greek, the endings of a word generally tell you the different persons you are talking about (as in,

I, thou, he, we, ye, they, you, etc. These endings are called ________________________________.

3. In English, the endings are separate words, and are known as

__________________________________.

D. Nouns - notice that all these words end in -ος - memorise these words!

1. άρτος - __________

2. θρονος - ____________

3. χοσμος - __________

4. λιθος- stone

5. λογος - ________

6. νομος - law

7. όχλος - crowd

8. τοπος - place

9. χρονος - ________

10. φιλος - friend

E. Case Endings - the endings of nouns

1. Cases are endings of a word that tell you where in the sentence the word belongs - the words may

not be in order for an English reader like they are in Greek.

2. The Greek language uses eight case endings. But basically, those endings group themselves into

five classifications, called the Five Case system.

3. The 'case' of the noun tells you how it is used in the sentence in relation to the other words

4. The Five Case System.

a. ____________________ - tells you who or what was doing the action - the Subject.

b. ________ (includes also the Ablative cases) - shows whether the noun is possessing something

c. ____________ (Includes the Locative, and Instrumental cases) - tells you if the noun is receiv-

ing the action

d. ____________________ - as the Direct Object, receiving the action of the verb of the sentence

e. ________________ - directly addressing the noun as the Subject

f. The Five Case System is a simpler ending system that will usually apply to most translating

situations.

5. The Eight Case System - notice that the endings for Locative, Instrumental, and Dative are the

same - context will help you decide which case the ending is.

Case Singular Plural

Nominative

λογ-ος __ word λογ-οι words

Genitive

λογ-ου ____ a word λογ-ων of words

Ablative - shows

whether something

is separating from

the noun

λογ-ου ________ a word λογ-ων from words

Locative

λογ-ω ___, or ___ a word λογ-οις in or at words

Instrumental

λογ-ω ________ or ____ a word λογ-οις with or by words

Dative

λογ-ω ____ or ______ a word λογ-οις to or for words

Accusative

λογ-ον __ word λογ-ους words

Vocative

λογ-ε __ word λογ-οι O words

6. Examples

a. He ate that day (accusative) He ate throughout that day

b. He ate that day (dative) He ate when it was daytime

c. He ate that day (genitive) He ate a daytime type of meal

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

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7. Exercises - translate the following nouns and verbs by noticing the following: Separate the root

word from the ending, match it to your lists, and then translate accordingly.

a. λιθω - _____________________

b. χοσμου - _____________________

c. θρονων - _____________________

d. λογοι νομου - _____________________

e. λεγει όχλω - _____________________

f. λαμβανομεν άρτον - _____________________

g. όχλος άχουει λογον νομου - ________________________________

8. Exercises - translate the following words into Greek.

a. In a place - _____________________

b. Of a world - ___________________________

c. For a friend - ___________________________

d. He takes a stone - ________________________________

e. We have bread for a world - ______________________________

f. Ye speak words to crowds - _______________________________

g. A law for a crowd - ______________________________

h. A time at a place - _______________________________

i. O friend, I wish to believe - _______________________________

9. Some Words to memorise

a. βαλλω - I throw

b. διδασχω - I teach

c. εγειρω - I raise up

d. χηρυσσω - I announce, proclaim

e. χρινω - I judge

f. στελλω - I send

g. σωζω - I save

10. Translation Exercise

a. βλεονται - _____________________

b. πεμπεται - _____________________

c. αχουεις - _____________________

Pronouns and Prepositions

A. Pronouns are words that refer to a person or a thing that has already been talked about in a sentence. It

is a kind of noun, but its function is different from nouns in English. It is a word that is used instead of a

noun, to avoid repeating the noun. First, Second, and Third Person - these are words that take the place

of nouns (he, she, it).

Personal Pronoun 2

Personal Pronoun

εγω I συ Thou

εμου Of me σου Of thee

εμοι Mine σοι Thine

εμε My σε

ήμεις We ύμεις Ye

ήμων Of us ύμων Of you

ήμιν Ours ύμιν Yours

ήμας ύμας

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

• 12

Personal Pronoun

Masculine Feminine Neuter

αυτος He αυτη She αυτο It

αυτου Of him αυτης Of her αυτου Of it

αυτω His αυτη Hers αυτω

αυτον αυτην αυτο

αυτοι They αυται They αυτα They

αυτων Of them αυτων Of them αυτων Of them

αυτοις Theirs αυταις αυτοις

αυτους αυτας αυτα

1. Personal pronoun "he" αυτος

2. Possessive pronoun "my" εμος

3. Reflexive pronoun "myself" εμαυτου

4. Reciprocal pronoun "one another" αλληλων

5. Relative pronoun "who" ός

6. Interrogative pronoun "who?" τίς

7. Indefinite pronoun "someone" τις

8. Demonstrative pronoun "this one" ούτος

B. Prepositions. Preposi-

tions are words used to

show relationships be-

tween two objects. Be-

side is a diagram that

shows how each word is

used.

• ανα (13) ____ as in analyse (work up from the bottom)

• αντι (15) over against as in anti-biotic (against life)

• απο (10) away from as in apostasy

• αυν (18) with

• δια (12) ______________ as in diameter, or diamond

• εις (7) into

• εκ (9) out of as in exodus

• εν (8) in as in enter

• επι (2) upon as in epicentre

• κατα (14) down

• μετα (19) with, or after as in meta-physics (beyond physics)

• οπισω (17) behind, or after as in opposite

• παρα (4) ____________ as in parable (a story along side a truth)

• περι (11) around as in perimeter

• προ (16) before

• προς (6) towards, with

• ύπερ (1) above

• ύπο (3) under

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

• 13

More Verb Endings

A. Present Indicative Active (PIA) - these verbs are occurring in the present - as in "I say", or "I am say-

ing"

B. Imperfect Indicative Active - indicates the action was going on in the past

λεγ-ω ον

I was saying, I said

λεγ-ες ες

You were saying, you said (thou hast

said, or thou saidest)

λεγ-ε ε

he, she, or it was saying, or said

λεγ-ομεν ομεν

we were saying, we said

λεγ-ετε ετε

ye were saying, ye said

λεγ-ον ον

they were saying, they said

There is no infinitive (to be…) form of this verb tense

C. Imperfect Indicative Middle and Passive - indicates that the action was occurring in the past either in

reference to self doing the action (middle), or someone else was doing the action to the noun (passive).

Imperfect Indicative Middle (IIM) - the

subject is acting in the past, with reference

to self - as in "I was loosing (for) myself"

Imperfect Indicative Passive (IIP) - these end-

ings describe the subject being acted upon in

the past, - as in "I was being loosed". Notice

that these endings are the same as the PIM. The

context will tell you the difference.

ελυ-ομην I was loosing (for) myself ελυ-ομην I was being loosed

- ου you were loosing (for) yourself - ου you were being loosed

- ετο he was loosing (for) himself - ετο he was being loosed

- ομεθα we were loosing (for) ourselves - ομεθα we were being loosed

- εσθε ye were loosing (for) yourselves - εσθε ye were being loosed

- οντο they were loosing (for) themselves - οντο they were being loosed

There is no infinitive

D. Future Indicative Active. These are verbs that are yet to occur - what is going to take place, as in, I

shall see, or Ye shall hear.

E. The "____________" tense verbs

1. Usually, scholars like to make it mean that the timeframe of the aorist verb is timeless - time does

not matter to the verb

a. "It was written" - you are saying something happened

b. "It was being written" - you are saying that something was happening for a certain duration

c. "It is written" - you are saying that something was written, but is for us right now.

2. It is taken in the Bible that the usual sense is that something was accomplished, and not currently

being accomplished, as in 1 Cor 1:18 (σωζομενοις of the root σωζω, to save). Yet modern “schol-

ars” like to promote the idea that the aorist tense is something that is being accomplished, and not

completed yet – hence, there are many aorist verbs translated with the word “being” before the

verb. See 1 Cor 1:18 in most modern translations.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

• 14

Kind of Action and Time of Action for Each Verb Tense

Tense Name

Kind of Action Time Element (In Indicative Mood)

Present Progressive (or 'Continuous') present

Aorist Simple (or ‘Summary’) Occurrence

past

Perfect Completed, with Results past, with present results

Imperfect Progressive (or 'Continuous') past

Future Simple Occurrence future

Past Perfect Completed, with Results past

Future Perfect

Completed, with Results future

Time of Action

Time of Action→

Kind of Action

↓

Past Present Future

A CONTINUING

ACTION (Dura-

tive)

Imperfect

She was talking to

her cat.

Present

She is talking to

her cat.

Future (rare)

She will be talking

to her cat.

A COMPLETED

ACTION (Per-

fective)

Pluperfect

She had talked to

her cat.

Perfect

She has talked to

her cat.

Future Per-

fect (nearly extinct

in the NT)

She will have

talked to her cat.

Kind of Action

A SIMPLE

ACTION (Punc-

tiliar)

Aorist

She talked to her

cat.

Present (rare)

She talks to her

cat.

Future

She will talk to her

cat.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Endings, Cases, and Tenses

• 15

Verb Ending Chart

PIA

Occurring in the present

IIA

In the past but not finished

FIA

What should happen

PSA

Expresses doubt

1PS ω

I am Verbing

ον

I was Verbing, I Ver-

bed

σω

I shall Verb

I might Verb

2PS εις

You are

Verbing

εσ

You (singular) were

Verbing, you Verbed,

Thou hast Verbed, or

thou Verbed

σεις

You shall Verb

ῃς

You might Verb

3PS ει

He, She, it, is

Verbing

He, she, or it was

Verbing, or Verbed

σει

He, she, it shall

Verb

ῃ

He might Verb

1PP ομεν

We are

Verbing

ομεν

We were Verbing,

we Verbed

σομεν

We shall Verb

ωμεν

We might verb

2PP ετε

Ye are Verbing

ετε

Ye (plural) were

Verbing, ye Verbed

σετε

Ye shall Verb

ητε

Ye might verb

3PP ουσι

They are

Verbing

ον

They were Verbing,

they Verbed

σουσι

They shall Verb

ωσι

They might verb

Inf ειν

To Verb

σειν

They are to be

Verbed

PIM IIM FIM PSM

1PS ομαι

I (Verb) myself

ομην

I was Verb-ing (for)

myself

σμαι

I shall Verb for

myself

ωμαι

I might Verb for

myself

2PS η

You (Verb)

yourself

ου

You were Verb-ing

(for) yourself

σῃ

You shall Verb

for yourself

ῃ

You might verb for

myself

3PS εται

He(Verbs)

himself

ετο

He was Verb-ing (for)

himself

σεται

He, she, it shall

Verb for himself

ηται

He might verb for

myself

1PP ομεθα

We (Verb)

ourselves

ομεθα

We were Verb-ing

(for) ourselves

σομεθα

We shall Verb for

ourselves

ωμεθα

We might verb for

ourselves

2PP εσθε

Ye (Verb)

yourselves

εσθε

Ye were Verb-ing

(for) yourselves

σεσθε

Ye shall Verb for

yourselves

ησθε

Ye might Verb for

yourself

3PP ονται

They (Verb)

themselves

οντο

They were Verb-ing

(for) themselves

σονται

They shall Verb

for themselves

ωνται

They might Verb

for themselves

Inf εσθαι

To (Verb) one-

self

σεσθαι

They are to be

Verbed for them-

selves

PIP IIP FIP PSP

1PS ομαι

I am being

Verbed

ομην

I was being

Verb-ed

θησμαι

I shall be Ver-

bed

ωμαι

I might be Verbed

2PS η

You are being

Verbed

ου

You were being

Verb-ed

θησῃ

You shall be

Verbed

ῃ

You might be ver-

bed

3PS εται

He is being

Verbed

ετο

He was being

Verb-ed

θησεται

He shall be

verbed

ηται

He might be ver-

bed

1PP ομεθα

We are being

Verbed

ομεθα

We were being

Verb-ed

θησομεθα

We shall be

verbed

ωμεθα

We might be ver-

bed

2PP εσθε

Ye are being

Verbed

εσθε

Ye were being

Verb-ed

θησεσθε

Ye shall be

verbed

ησθε

Ye might be Ver-

bed

3PP ονται

They are being

Verbed

οντο

They were being

Verb-ed

θησονται

They shall be

verbed

ωνται

They might be

Verbed

Inf εσθαι

To be Verbed

II. Remaining Tenses

A. Future Subjunctive Active (FSA)

B. Future Subjunctive Middle (FSM)

C. Future Subjunctive Passive (PSP)

D. Aorist Indicative Active (AIA)

E. Aorist Indicative Middle (AIM)

F. Aorist Indicative Passive (AIP)

G. Aorist Subjunctive Active (ASA)

H. Aorist Subjunctive Middle (ASM)

I. Aorist Subjunctive Passive (ASP)

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Word Lists

• 16

Word Lists

106 key words to memorize. Write these words out onto note cards for you to constantly review. Place the

Greek word on one side and the meaning on the other side. Work through the note cards from the Greek, trying

to remember what their English meaning is. And then, after a while, work from the English sides, trying to re-

member what their Greek words are. Hint – tray and associate words with the Greek words to help you remem-

ber them.

A. Verbs

1. αγω = I lead, bring, go

2. αχουω = I hear

3. βλεπω = I see, look at

4. γινωσχω = I know

5. γραφω = I write

6. ευρισχω = I find

7. θελω = I wish, will

8. λαµβανω = I take, receive

9. λεγω = I say

10. πεµπω = I send

11. πιστευω = I believe

12. εχω = I have, hold

13. αγοραζω = I buy

14. άπτω = I fasten to

15. σωζω = I save

16. βαλλω - I throw

17. διδασχω - I teach

18. εγειρω - I raise up

19. χηρυσσω - I announce, proclaim

20. χρινω - I judge

21. στελλω - I send

22. βαπτιζω - I baptize

23. χραζω - I cry out

24. αρχη - beginning

25. και - and

26. ουτος - He

27. αυτου - him

28. παντα - everything, all things

29. δι (δια) - through

30. εγενετο (γινοµαι) - to come into existence, to be created

31. χωρις - without

32. ουδε - not even, neither, not a thing

33. γεγονεν (γινοµαι) - to be created

34. φως - light

35. αποστελλω - I send

36. εισαγω - I bring in

37. εχβαλλω - I throw out, cast out

38. παραλαµβανω - I take to myself, I receive

39. συναγω - I gather together

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE Word Lists

• 17

B. Prepositions

1. ανα up as in analyse (work up from the bottom)

2. αντι over against as in anti-biotic (against life)

3. απο away from as in apostasy

4. συν with

5. δια through as in diameter, or diamond

6. εις into

7. εκ out of as in exodus

8. εν in as in enter

9. επι upon as in epicentre

10. κατα down

11. μετα with, or after as in meta-physics (beyond physics)

12. οπισω behind, or after as in opposite

13. παρα beside as in parable (a story along side a truth)

14. περι around as in perimeter

15. προ before

16. προς towards, with

17. ύπερ above

18. ύπο under

C. Nouns to memorise

1. Nouns have Gender

a. Masculine ends in ος

b. Neuter ends in ον

c. Feminine ends in η

2. The idea is to discern if a Greek word is a verb, or a noun

3. Then, if a noun, then classify its Gender by its ending

MASCULINE NEUTER FEMININE

άρτος - bread εργον - work

γραϕη - writing, scripture

θρονος - throne ίερον - temple

εντολη - commandment

χοσμος - world ίματιον - garment

ζωη - life

λιθος- stone παιδον - little child

ϕωνη - voice

λογος - word τεχνον - child

αγαπη - love, charity

νομος - law δωρον - gift

διχαιοσυνη - righteousness

όχλος - crowd πλοιον - boat

άµαρτια - sin

τοπος - place

µαθητης - disciple βασιλεια - kingdom

χρονος - time

εχχλησια - church, assembly

φιλος - friend

εξουσια - authority, power

αγγελος - angel, messenger

ήµερα - day

ανθρωπος - man, human

χαρδια - heart

αποστολος - apostle

σοϕια - wisdom

διδασχαλος - teacher

αλληθεια - truth

θανατος - death

ασθενεια - weakness

χυριος - lord, Lord, master

µαχαιρα - sword

αδελφος - brother

γλωσσα - tongue

θεος - God

δοξα - glory

λαος – people

ἀρχή - beginning

ουρανος – heaven

υίος – son

δουλος – servant

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE How to do Word Studies

• 18

How to do Word Studies

The Importance of Word Studies.

See Matthew 4:4; 24:35; 1 Tim. 6:3; Rev. 22:18-19. Every word that proceeds from the mouth of our

God is of utmost importance! Consider such important words as FAITH, GRACE, JUSTIFY, LOVE,

REDEEM, SANCTIFY, GOSPEL, CONFESS, HOLINESS, etc. We need to understand how God

defines these crucial terms.

The Importance of Knowing the Meaning of the Greek Word.

Sometimes a Greek word is not translated into English, but it is merely transliterated into English. So

what you really have is a Greek word spelled with English letters!

Examples:

1) For example: baptize, demon, evangelize, mystery, parable, prophet, Sabbath, etc.

2) 1 Corinthians 16:22 (compare Galatians 1:8-9). If you were to translate the word "anathema" is

would means "accursed, devoted to destruction." "Anathema" is a transliteration; "Accursed" is a

translation.

3) Matthew 1:20 (angel). Compare Mark 1:2 where this same Greek word is translated (an-

gel=messenger).

4) See Revelation 19:1,3,4,6 where we have a Hebrew expression that has been transliterated into

Greek: ajllhlouvia The Greek word was then transliterated into English (Alleluia). An actual transla-

tion of this word would be "Praise ye the LORD."

5) In 2 Corinthians 9:7 the word "cheerful" is the Greek word hilaros. If we were to transliterate this

word, we would have, "God loves a hilarious giver!" Obviously this is not the meaning of the verse.

"Cheerful" is a much better translation. Hilaros to the Apostle Paul meant the same as cheerful means

to us today.

If a person does not know Greek, how can he determine which Greek word underlies the English word

which he is studying?

For example, how can one discover that two different words for "love" are used in John 21:15-17 or

that "unction" and "anointing" are two ways of translating the same word in 1 John 2:20,27 or that the

word "messenger" in Mark 1:2 is the same word as "angel" in Matthew 1:20? To make such discover-

ies you need a TOOL! You need an interlinear Greek-English New Testament (in which the Greek

words are written directly above the English words).

The Importance of WORD USAGE.

USAGE DETERMINES MEANING.

The question ever before us is this: HOW WAS THE WORD ACTUALLY USED? How was the

word used in the New Testament? How was the word used by other Greek writers?

Compare a DICTIONARY. A dictionary is merely a listing of WORD USAGE (a catalog of how

words are used in any given language).

ETYMOLOGY CAN BE HELPFUL.

Etymology can be of great value in illustrating the meaning of words. But, the meaning must first be

determined by usage. Etymology can serve to illustrate a word whose meaning has already been de-

termined by usage.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE How to do Word Studies

• 19

Examples:

1) coveteousness pleonexia (pleonexiva)

pleon = more exia = to have

A covetous person is never satisfied. He desire to have more and more and more.

2) gospel euangelion (eujaggevlion)

eu = good angelion = announcement

The gospel is an announcement of good news, glad tidings!

3) moment (1 Corinthians 15:52) atomos (a[tomoς)

Compare the English word "atom"

a = un (a negative particle) tomos = to cut; hence atomos means "uncut, unable to be divided."

How quickly will the Rapture take place?

This is answered in 1 Corinthians 15:52, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." The word "mo-

ment" is interesting. It is the Greek word "atom." The word atom means "not cut, you cannot cut it

anymore." Suppose you were to keep cutting up a pie into smaller and smaller pieces. If you had a

knife sharp enough and small enough you could keep cutting the pieces down to the point where you

could not cut the pieces or particles any smaller. We call this an "atom." [However, we now know that

you can even cut atoms into smaller particles].

The term "atom" is also used of time. We can cut time into years and into days and into hours and into

minutes and into seconds. An "atomof time" is the smallest measurement of time (the point where you

can't cut time anymore). In English we might call this a "split-second." How fast will the Rapture take

place? In a split second, in the twinkling of an eye. If you blink, you will miss it!

4) confess (1 John 1:9) homologeō (oJmologevw)

homo = same logeō = to say This, "to same the same thing" (to agree)

When I confess my sins I am saying the same thing about sin that God does. I am agreeing with God

that what I have done is sinful. I am seeing my sin as God does. God says that I have sinned and I am

agreeing with God and saying, "Yes, Lord, I have sinned and done this evil in Thy sight" (Psalm 51).

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE How to do Word Studies

• 20

The Procedure for Doing a Word Study.

Step 1

Select the word that you desire to study.

Perhaps it is a word that you came across in your personal study or devotional time, and you want to better un-

derstand what this word really means and how it is used in the Bible. For our example we will choose the im-

portant verb in 1 Thessalonians 4:17—"caught up." In the Latin Bible this is the verb "rapturÇ" from which we

derive our English word "rapture." Thus this word study will shed important light on the true meaning of the

term "rapture." This verse which we have selected is our "target passage." We want to determine the meaning

of this particular verb especially as it is used here in this verse.

Step 2

Find every place in the Bible where this word is used.

The fundamental principle for doing word studies is this: USAGE DETERMINES MEANING. Sir Robert

Anderson has stated it well: "In dealing with a dead language, etymology (the origin or history of a word) may

sometimes afford a clue to the meaning of a word, but the only safe and certain guide to its meaning is its use."

Since usage determines meaning, we must see how our verb in 1 Thessalonians 4:17

(HARPAZÆ, aJrpavzw) is used elsewhere in the New Testament and hopefully this will shed light on its mean-

ing in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which is our target passage.

Note: The New Testament was written in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew (with the exception of a few

Aramaic passages). Since the Greek verb we are studying is in the New Testament, we need not consult the Old

Testament because God did not use the Greek language when He gave the O.T. The ambitious student, how-

ever, could study how the verb is used in the Septuagint which is an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testa-

ment, as long as he keeps in mind that the Septuagint is a translation, and is not the original text God gave.

In order to complete STEP 2, you need a tool called a CONCORDANCE.

1. Young’s Analytical Concordance or Strong's Exhaustive Concordance may also be used, but it will take you

many more steps to find the same information. This is because these concordances are arranged according to the

English words, not the Greek words.

2. There may be computer programs which can give you the information you need. But what you need to find

is every place in the New Testament where the verb HARPAZŌ is found.

Note: You don’t want to find every place where “caught” or “caught up” is found because these English words

may be translated from different Greek verbs, and we are only concerned about the verb HARPAZŌ. Also there

are places where HARPAZŌ is found but the English text does not translate it as “caught” or “caught up” at all

(such as John 10:28 where it is translated “pluck” or Jude 23 where it is translated “pulling”).

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE How to do Word Studies

• 21

With the help of a concordance you will find that in addition to 1 Thess. 4:17, the verb HARPAZŌ occurs in 12

other places in the N.T.

Matt. 11:12 take John 10:28 pluck 2 Cor. 12:2 caught up

Matt. 13:19 catcheth

away

John 10:29 pluck 2 Cor. 12:4 caught up

John 6:15 take by force Acts 8:39 caught away Jude 23 pulling

John 10:12 catcheth Acts 23:10 take by force Rev. 12:15 caught up

Step 3

Study and classify usage.

What meaning makes the best sense in each passage? Is the word used in different ways? Pay close attention to

the context of each passage. Look at each passage where the word is used and try to get a “feel” for the word.

On a piece of paper write down some comments as to how the word is used in each of the different passages

that you look at. The following is a study of the word HARPAZŌ and how it is used:

Matthew 11:12. Used of something being taken violently by force.

Matthew 13:19. Used of the devil snatching away and removing the seed (of the Word) that was sown in the

heart.

John 6:15. Used of the Jews who wanted to take Christ by force and make Him King.

John 10:12. Used of a wolf who catches and takes away the sheep (snatches them, grabs them by force).

John 10:28-29. Used of God who will never allow the true believer to be plucked out (removed, taken,

snatched) from Christ’s hand and from the Father’s hand. No wolf will ever catch or snatch these sheep (cf.

John 10:12). The believer will never be raptured from God’s hand.

Acts 8:39. Used of Philip who was supernaturally caught away (removed, suddenly taken from one place to an-

other). In this case it involved sudden disappearance (“the eunuch saw him no more”).

Acts 23:10. Use of Paul who was taken by force, grabbed and taken away from the Jews for the sake of his own

safety.

2 Corinthians 12:2,4. Used of Paul who was caught up (snatched up, quickly taken up) to the third heaven or

paradise. He was not sure whether this happened in the body or out of the body, but he knew that he was re-

moved from earth to heaven.

Jude 23. Used of snatching (pulling out, quickly removing) something from the fire.

Revelation 12:5. Used to describe the ascension of Christ. He was caught up (quickly removed) from earth to

heaven.

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE How to do Word Studies

• 22

Step 4

Summarize your conclusions.

Write a brief paragraph in which you describe how this word is used in the New Testament. Here is an example

of a summary paragraph that might be written for the verb HARPAZŌ:

As used in the New Testament, the verb HARPAZŌ means “to take, take by force, snatch, snatch up, grab, re-

move quickly, catch up, catch away, pluck out.” It always involves some force outside the person (or thing) act-

ing upon it and causing the person (or thing) to be taken or snatched up or removed. It often implies sudden re-

moval and it often refers to a person being quickly (and supernaturally) taken from one place to another.

Step 5

Apply your results to the target passage.

How does what I have learned about this word help me to understand its meaning in the target passage? How

does my study of HARPAZŌ help me to understand the meaning of “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17?

It is helpful to write out your results. Here is our example: The verb “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 means

“snatched up, caught up, taken away quickly, suddenly removed.” Just as Philip was supernaturally and quickly

caught away from one place to another (Acts 8:39), just as the Lord was supernaturally caught up to heaven at

the time of the ascension (Rev. 12:5), just as Paul was supernaturally taken to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2,4),

so it will be that living believers at the coming of the Lord Jesus will be supernaturally caught up and suddenly

removed from earth to heaven. It also implies “sudden disappearance” (Acts 8:39 and compare Hebrews 11:5).

Someday believers will be suddenly acted upon by an outside force as our Lord calls us to be with Himself!

“Even so, be coming, Lord Jesus!”

Read the Bible, and read it again. Do not despair of help in understanding

something of the will and mind of God. Though you have no commentaries

and expositions, pray and read, and read and pray. A little from God is better

than a great deal from man. What is from man is uncertain and often lost, but

what is from God is fixed as a nail in a sure place.

There is nothing that so abides with us as what we receive from God. The

reason many Christians are at a loss as to some truths is that they are con-

tent with what comes from men’s mouths without searching and kneeling be-

fore God to learn of Him. Even known truths are new to us when they come

with the breath of heaven upon them.

—John Bunyan

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE New Testament Word Studies

• 23

New Testament Word Studies

A. Translation Tools that are available

1. The Greek New Testament - According to the Majority Text

2. Interlinear Greek-English New Testament

3. Expository Dictionary of the New Testament

4. Strong's Concordance

5. Analytical Greek Lexicon

6. Your King James Bible – comparing Scripture with Scripture

B. Three primary Translation Methods

1. Mechanical - used in interlinear Bibles.

2. Fluidic - Word for word translation, but in the correct English word order, according to context, and

Scripture author style.

3. Dynamic - Paraphrasing. Most modern bibles are dynamic in their translation mode.

C. Translation Rules

1. The Lexicon gives the most possible meanings of a word, not the best possible meaning.

2. Context defines the best meaning from the lexicon/dictionary.

3. Cross-checking of meanings according to other Scripture passages can affect the meaning, because

the wider context can help you identify the best meaning.

4. Previous translations may have foreseen definitions that you can't, so don’t be afraid to use older

translations, or translations in other languages.

D. Rough Translation Exercises

1. There are three Scripture portions that follow that need to be mechanically translated. You don’t

have to be “inspired” and perfectly correct… yet!

2. Use your Lexicon to roughly translate each portion under each word on the blank line following

each line of Greek text.

3. Do not use your Bible to help you. You must only use the Lexicon at this time.

4. Once all three portions of Scripture have been roughly translated, go back through your translation

and smooth out the words you first chose, and see if there are other words that would better present

the truths of the Scripture, and write your new translation in the last space following.

E. Using your Translation Tools

1. Interlinear Greek New Testament

2. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

3. Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words

4. The Online Bible, or E-Sword, etc

5. Learning Various Synonymns for the same word

6. Learning Meaning by the Context

F. When should you use your Greek Tools?

1. As a foundation for language studies in general

2. As a weapon against the lies of cults, and extremist Christian groups that force the Bible to say

what they want it to say

3. As the basis for translating the word of God into another language that does not yet have it

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE New Testament Word Studies

• 24

II. How to do the following Exercises:

A. Write out each word on a separate line

B. Identify the root word and write it out next to it

C. Then describe whether it is a Noun, Verb, Prep-Preposition, Art-Article, PN-Proper Noun, Pro-

Pronoun

D. If a Noun,

1. Then tell whether it is Mas-Masculine, Fem-Feminine, or Neu-Neuter

2. Also, see if you can tell if it is Nom-Nominative, Gen-Genative, Dat-Dative, Acc-

Accusative, Voc-Vocative

3. Then, describe it as 1

, 2

, or 3

Person, Singular, or Plural

E. If a Verb, classify as PIA, PIM, PIP, IIA, IIM, IIP, FIA, FIM, FIP, PSA, PSM, or PSP

F. You will also discover Adjectives (Adj), and Adverbs (Adv), and Particles (like καὶ “and”)

G. Then mechanically translate the meaning, first from memory, then, if unfamiliar, from a Lexi-

con

H. Now take that English word and place it under the Greek on the following page

I. At any point that you are unsure, or cannot classify the word, place a “???” at that stage

J. You will quickly discover there are many words that you haven’t learned about yet!

K. This will seem like very tedious work, but you have to get used to examining every word, and

classifying it as far as possible before tanslating it

L. Do your best, and use every resource available to you (E-Sword, Lexicons, etc).

M. See the following example:

1. ἐν ἐν Prep “in”

2. ἀρχή ἀρχή Noun Fem Dat “beginning”

3. ἦν ἦν Verb IIA (Irregular) 3

S “was” (as in “existed”)

4. ὁ ὁ Art “the”

5. Λόγος, Λόγος, Noun Mas Nom “Word”

6. καὶ ______ ________ _____________ ______ ________________________

7. ὁ

8. Λόγος

9. ἦν

10. πρὸς

11. τὸν

12. Θεόν

13. καὶ

14. Θεὸς

15. ἦν

16. ὁ

17. Λόγος

18. οὗτος

19. ἦν

20. ἐν

21. ἀρχῇ

22. πρὸς

23. τὸν

24. Θεόν

25. πάντα

26. δι᾿

27. αὐτοῦ

28. ἐγένετο

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE New Testament Word Studies

• 25

John 1:1-13

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE New Testament Word Studies

• 26

29. John 10:1-6

PRACTICAL DOCTRINE New Testament Word Studies

• 27

30. Romans 1:16,17

N. Revised Translation Exercise. Make your mechanical translation into a fluid on by copying your English transla-

tion from each of the three portions of Scripture into the lines provided below, making adjustments for word order

and sense.

1. John 1:1-13

_________________________________________________________

2. John 10:1-7

_________________________________________________________

3. Romans 10:16,17

_________________________________________________________