Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek - Clover Sites

1 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek A Seminar by Dr. Todd Bounds 2015 2 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek 3 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek Purpose The Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation is designed for the purpose of giving the Bible student a brief overview of various components of Koine Greek . The objective is to create an ability in the Christian to utilize the various language resources available to better understand how the Grammar of words and sentences affect their meaning. There are many Koine Greek grammars available to the Bible student. All of which require the student to spend hours upon hours studying their pages in order to learn how the language works, how to identify different parts of speech, and memorizing copious amounts of vocabulary.

2 This demands much time and determination of the Bible student. It could take years for the Christian to ascertain the information needed to be fluent in the language and comprehensively understand its inner workings. The Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation shortcuts the learning of the rules of Grammar , definitions of vocabulary words, and word construction. Rather than spending the time learning the inner workings of the language, the Bible student is able to allow those who have already learned the language to reveal the various parts of speech to them. By trusting others who know the language to identify the different parts of speech the believer is able to apply specific morphological knowledge to the analysis provided and get a quick understanding of how the Grammar affects the words in the context of the verse.

3 The result is that the Bible student gets to a place where he can quickly understand how the Grammar affects the verse or verses he is studying. Such is the objective behind the Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation. Simply put, the Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation purposes to equip the Christian to learn how the language affects Scripture, rather than to learn the inner working of the language. Two Brief Notes Firstly, it is important to recognize that while this portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation provides an extremely valuable skillset for the Bible student, that the Bible student should pursue a personal knowledge of the language himself in order to grow in his ability to utilize the language of the New Testament in his study time. The Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation does not replace a linguistic knowledge of Koine Greek .

4 Rather it allows the student to get to the fruit of the language quickly. The Christian should pursue an ever growing knowledge of Koine Greek . 4 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek Secondly, the Christian should adopt the mantra, A little bit of Greek is dangerous in response to his knowledge of the various parts of speech and the morphological changes that arise from them. This mantra is designed to remind the Christian that he is not a Greek scholar, yet. The purpose is to keep in mind that more is to be learned, and because of that, the student should recognize their personal limitations when studying Scripture from the Koine Greek . Be confident of what is known, aware of what is unknown, and never blur the lines between what is known and what is unknown in applying the following language tools to Bible study. A Brief History of Koine Greek Koine Greek is a mutt.

5 However, it is not a cheap mutt which often times end up in the street, then in the shelters, and then into a new family s loving arms. Koine Greek is an extremely valuable mutt. When Philip of Macedonia was assassinated in 336 BC, his son Alexander took the throne over a newly united northern Greece. Philip had worked hard to change northern Greece from a diverse, infighting society to a united single society known as Macedonia. Alexander intended to continue the great work of his father, this time taking the people of Macedonia and uniting them with southern Greece as one people. Yet, Alexander was not finished there; he continued to make the world a homeland for Greece. Through military wit and a gentle touch in conquered cities and nations, Alexander the great conquered the known world. Rather than making the people of the cities and nations he conquered slaves to Greece, Alexander the Great welcomed them into Greece as citizens of Greece.

6 He required however that all of Greece be united under a single language, Koine Greek . In each city he conquered he established an administrator from the Jewish race, creating the framework for the gospel proclamations which were to come some 330 years later. It is by no mistake that Alexander the Great was successful in his conquests. Neither by his own might and military wit, nor by the cunningness of his gentle touch, but by the very allowance of God Almighty was Alexander the Great successful. The result of Alexander the Great s legacy was the language of the known world Koine Greek . With the entire known world speaking Koine Greek , Alexander the Great unwittingly created the perfect language for the Holy Spirit to record the exact words God revealed to humanity. Koine Greek When Alexander the Great took the Macedonian throne there were four dialects being spoken in Greece.

7 The four dialects were the Aeolic, the Attic, the Doric, and the Ionic. Each dialect contained various components that, over time became Koine Greek . The best aspects of each of the dialects were taken and brought into Koine Greek , making Koine Greek one of the most 5 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek precise and exact languages in the history of humanity. Ironically, both the Hebrew language and Koine Greek utilized a common alphabetic structure in spite of their obvious scripted differences. It is the exact language of Koine Greek that was the common language of the known world when the New Testament was being written, some 330 years following its creation by Alexander the Great. Through Alexander the Great, God created the language of His New Testament revelation to humanity. And so it was that the entire known world received writings of God s Word over a brief time in the first century AD that was written in a very exact language and in a language which all would understand.

8 The Language Components As with any language, Koine Greek contains letters, words, Grammar , and syntactical rules which govern its operation. The Koine Greek alphabet contains 24 characters which have phonetic expressions similar to those found in English. A Koine Greek alphabet and pronunciation guide is provided in the Appendix of this writing. The words of Koine Greek range from simple to extremely complex. In a single Koine word one may say a paragraph of information. Koine Greek words may contain a root word, a suffix, a prefix, a prepositional compound, a double compound and various augments. With each additional component the word gets more complex and more meaningful. Grammar is utilized in order to make sense of it all. When one follows the Grammar he is able to accurately understand the meaning of words and thus sentences.

9 This can be both an art form and a nuisance. Parts of speech are identified in this grammatical category. Syntactical rules govern the relationship between words and sentences to other words and sentences. Proper syntax keeps the words and Grammar in its proper order. Syntax is the framework which the words and sentences must fit into in order to make sense. Without syntax there is no order to the language. The primary focus of the Grammatical and Morphological portion of Tools for Biblical Interpretation is on the teaching the Grammar s effects upon the words of Scripture. In doing so, the Bible student is able to understand the meaning of the New Testament more clearly and accurately. The exact detail of Koine Greek allows for the Bible student to understand in exact detail the Word of God. However, the rules of Grammar and the rules of syntax must be properly maintained in order for this objective to be accomplished.

10 6 Grammar & Morphology of Koine Greek Verbs Koine Greek verbs express action and states of existence. It is through verbs that Koine Greek expresses the movement or state of an individual or object. Verbs have 5 basic aspects of Grammar in Koine Greek : 1. Tense: Identifies the type of action 2. Voice: Identifies the relationship of the subject of the verb to the action. 3. Mood: Identifies the setting of the verb in one of four specific settings. 4. Person: Identifies the relationship of the speaker to the subject of the verb. 5. Number: Identifies the number of subjects of the verb. The verb is an amazing part of Koine Greek . Through the verb the Christian is able to identify who is doing the action, to whom the action is being accomplished, how the action occurred, whether the action is ongoing or completed, and the person of object which is the subject of the verb.