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Class Notes

Prepositions

Prepositions are adverbs specialized to define more clearly the meaning of case, many of which came to be used in composition with verbs. When the word functions as an adverb it does not need an object; however, when serving as a preposition it required an object.

Some words can function as either prepositions or adverbs, depending on whether they have an object:

Preposition: “She walked across the bridge.” (“Across” is a preposition because it relates to “the bridge.”)

Adverb: “She walked across.” (“Across” functions as an adverb because it has no object and modifies the verb “walked.”)

The Greek preposition is used to better define the idea of case. They assist the cases by aiding in clarifying the meaning of the case. The case governs the meaning of the preposition. Therefore, the preposition does not give the meaning to the case, for they do not govern the case.

As an example for how the meaning of the preposition is governed by the case it is used with we can examine the different meanings of παρά (para) based upon what case the noun is expressing.  παρά (para) primarily means “beside,” “alongside,” or “near. The English word parallel is derived from παράλληλος (parallēlos), which is a compound of two parts: παρά (para): Meaning “beside” or “alongside.” ἀλληλος (allēlos): Meaning “one another.”

Ablative: from the side of.

Locative: by the side of.

Accusative: beside, beyond, against (contrary to).

By the nature of the Nominative and Vocative cases, they do not use prepositions. Therefore, the cases that use prepositions are the genitive, ablative, dative, locative, instrumental, and accusative.

When used in compound with the verbs the prepositions have two common uses.

The preposition is merely local. I throw out combines ἐκ […]

Declensions

Class Notes Download Second Declension

In linguistic terms, declension refers to the way nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in languages, particularly inflected ones like Greek, Latin, or Hebrew, change their form to express different grammatical categories such as case (nominative, genitive, etc.), number (singular, plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter). In Greek and Hebrew, declensions are crucial because they help to indicate the function of a word in a sentence, such as whether it is the subject, object, or shows possession, among other roles.

First Declension: The first declension is characterized by long vowel endings like -η and -α in the nominative singular. Typically includes nouns that are mostly feminine but also some masculine nouns.

Second Declension: The second declension is categorized by o class vowels. Masculine nouns generally have endings in -ος (e.g., λόγος) in the nominative singular, while neuter nouns end in -ον.

Third Declension: This declension is more irregular and diverse, containing nouns of all three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter). The nouns in the third declension can have various stem endings and exhibit more complex case endings, such as -ς (e.g., βασιλεύς).

Gender refers to a system of noun classification that affects how nouns and related words (such as adjectives, pronouns, and verbs) are inflected in a language. In languages with grammatical gender, nouns are categorized into specific gender classes, which often determine the form of associated words (e.g., adjectives and pronouns) and can sometimes affect the verb conjugation.

In Koine Greek, there are three grammatical genders:

1. Masculine: This gender is often used for nouns referring to males but also includes many inanimate objects and abstract concepts. For example, ἀδελφός (adelphos) means “brother” and is […]