Bible Study Greek

A few translations miss the connector that starts v 4 and, unfortunately, hide the reason why older women should teach what is good. There are times when longer Greek sentences must be divided, but then you run the risk of not seeing the connection between the two halves.

The phrase “οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς (πιστοί)” occurs twice in Acts, once with πιστοί (10:45) and once without (11:2). Is the change significant, and should translations add in the word “believer” in 11:2 when the Greek doesn't say they were believers?

The challenge of translating “quench” is that 1 Thess 5:19 is a famous verse, the normal meaning of the word doesn't fit the biblical context, and the Greek word behind it has an interesting range of meaning.

The default translations work most of the time — like “of” for the genitive. But many times, “of” just doesn't make sense, and that is when you need to check the advanced uses of a case. Here is an example of what is called a “genitive of apposition,” #16.21 in Greek for the Rest of Us.

There are two types of double accusatives. Do you remember what they are?

As a general rule, concordance is a good thing. Concordance is using the same English word for the same Greek word. In Matthew 20:26, the translations correctly translated διάκονος as "servant" and δοῦλος as "slave." But both words refer to the same entity, so why the switch in Greek, and should English likewise switch?

Every once in a while, you will come across a translation that leaves you scratching your head. Why did the translators do that? Where is the Greek to justify the translation? My experience is that this is never a random translation. You may disagree with it, but there is always a reason.

One of the more difficult aspects of translation is when you need to translate a metaphor. Is it still understandable in your culture, or should it be interpreted? Members of translation committees often disagree on this point.

How can you tell when to use one of the special uses of a participle (or even an indicative verb)? When using “-ing” makes no sense. 1 Timothy 4:4 gives a good example of a conditional participle (“if”).

All words have a range of meanings, and σωτηρία can mean “salvation” or “deliverance.” I am not sure why the CSB chose “salvation” in this verse when the context is one of deliverance.

Sometimes translators will change the order of Greek phrases for the sake of clarity but often at the expense of emphasis. Which is more important to you?

Narrative literature tends to follow the normal Greek rules of grammar, but Paul is famous for often writing in a very compact style that may appear to be incorrect grammar. This is why we always need good commentaries that deal with the Greek.

This verse gives us two examples of how translation is often a compromise. Do you translate the words even though they don't mean anything, or do you help the reader understand? Do you keep concordance to help the reader see the play on words, or do you translate with proper English imagery? These are difficult issues.

When a masculine singular form refers to a male, “he” is a good translation. But when the referent is ambiguous such as an article–participle construction, then translators have to decide how they are going to use the word “he.”

Are you (singular) or all of you (plural) the temple of God, and what would it look like if we really understood this truth?

Sometimes when translators go more word-for-word, they (unintentionally) use an English idiom that has a different meaning than the Greek. They can kind of sneak up on you if you aren't watching.

When the author to the Hebrews tells them to "remember" those in prison, what does he mean? Are they supposed to say, "Oh, that's right. I forgot" (i.e., punctilear), or is he saying that they should constantly think of those in prison (i.e., imperfective)?

1 John 1:4 is pretty easy to translate, but it does have a periphrastic construction (BBG 30:16). It also provides a good example of textual criticism and why you should never talk about a textual variant without talking about its significance.

I am toying with the idea of starting a yet third blog that focuses on helping people review first year Greek. I will focus on just first year and, for the most part, not introduce second year grammar. You have enough to review without more stuff. I will be covering the passages in my Graded Greek Reader. Here is the first; please let me know if it is helpful.

Many of the newer translations often don't use the word Behold.” Why? Are there other ways to translate the Greek word behind “Behold”?

One of the more common constructions in Greek is the appositional construction. It is often downplayed in first–year Greek, but it is quite common. There are also two types of appositional constructions, the Simple Apposition and the Genitive of Apposition. The difference between the two is nuanced but important. We will be looking at three verses, Ephesians 1:1, 1 John 1:3, and Romans 4:11.

Sometimes first year teachers simplify the dative and have you use the one keyword “to.” This works until “to” makes no sense. I am thinking that it is better from day one to keep five basic definitions of the dative in mind. It's not that hard.

Sometimes translators have to make a decision; sometimes there is no ambiguous option. In 2 Cor 4:6, is the gospel glorious or is the gospel about the glory of Christ? It is one or the other, not both.

Why do translations all say that Jesus gave up “his” spirit when the Greek behind “his” is the definite article, “the”? This is a good example of why knowing a little Greek may not always be helpful and why I wrote Greek for the Rest of Us.

Paul uses a grammatical device called “epexegetical” to explain what the “mystery” is. There are several ways of doing this, but in Ephesians 3:6 he uses an epexegetical infinitive to show that Jews and Gentiles alike are fellow heirs.

We teach students to translate ἐάν as if, but often in a third-class conditional sentence doing so misleads. Sometimes "if" brings in an element of conditionality that was never intended by the speaker/writer."

What does it mean to "quench the Spirit"? Do you use the word "quench" other than to quench your thirst? Do you quench a candle? Satan's fiery arrows?

There are a few places where the order of Greek words is really significant, and Paul's instructions for communion are one of those places. If you know the Greek, you will know how to read 1 Corinthians 11:24–26 publically.

There is a thin line between translation and commentary. All Greek and Hebrew sentences need some level of interpretation to make sense in English, but sometimes translators go past that line and become commentators. Here are a couple examples.

Adverbial participles are capable of a wide range of meanings, and the translator has to use context to make a decision. In addition, Eph 2:1–7 is one long sentence, and sometimes subjects and verbs need to be moved around as the sentence is broken down into more manageable chunks.