Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 8
Class Notes
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 (ek): A preposition meaning “out of” or “from” and
βάλλω (ballō): A verb meaning “to throw” or “to cast.”
The preposition intensifies or completes the idea of the verb. ἐσθίω (esthiō) means, I eat. When the preposition κατά (kata) is added to the word, it intensifies the meaning, expressing “I devour”, or literally “I eat down.” This verb then emphasizes consuming something entirely or devouring it with intensity.
Preposition:
- ἀνά (ana)
- Accusative: up, again
- ἀντί (anti)
- Genitive: Against (opposed to).
- Ablative: instead of, in place of. Indicating substitution.
- ἀπό (apo)
- Genitive: from, away from.
- διά (dia)
- Genitive: through (intermediate agency).
- Ablative: through (source).
- Accusative: because of, on account of.
- εἰς (eis)
- Accusative: into, unto, with reference to, because of, against (hostility).
- ἐκ / ἐξ (ek/ex)
- Ablative: from, out from (source), out from within.
- ἐν (en)
- Locative: in, with in, among (in the plural).
- Instrumental: by (means of), with.
- ἐπί (epi)
- Genitive: upon, on (Emphatic, contact), at, by.
- Locative: upon, on, at, over (position).
- Accusative: upon, on the basis of, on the occasion of, against (oppression).
Up to (without going over).
- κατά (kata)
- Genitive: down upon, against (contrary to).
- Ablative: down from.
- Accusative: according to, with reference to, as measured by.
- μετά (meta)
- Genitive: with (loosely associated with, accompanied by)
- Accusative: after
- παρά (para)
- Ablative: from (The side of).
- Locative: by the side of.
- Accusative: beside, beyond, against, (contrary to).
- περί (peri)
- Genitive: about, generally concerning.
- Accusative: around (position); about (Specifically concerning).
- πρό (pro)
- Ablative: before.
- πρός (pros)
- Genitive: in interest of.
- Locative: at (facing).
- Accusative: to, towards, with, against (facing, conflict).
- σύν (syn)
- Dative: together with (intimately).
- Locative: with (close association).
- ὑπέρ (hyper)
- Genitive: On behalf of, for the sake of, in place of (substitution).
- Accusative: over, above, beyond.
- ὑπό (hypo)
- Ablative: by (Direct agency).
- Accusative: under.
To quench (σβέννυμι)
To quench (σβέννυμι) generally means to suppress something. It is used in Scripture concerning fire, lamps, and desires.
Isaiah prophesied concerning the coming of the Messiah. He will not be quarrelsome nor cry out. No one will hear his voice in the streets. He will be gentle, not bruising a reed, and will not quench a smoking lamp wick until the time of justice comes, Matthew 12:20. He did not challenge the judgment of those in authority who sought to unrighteously kill Him. Instead, He walked quietly among the people, healing them and instructing them to not make Him known, for He did not seek a reputation for Himself but to show forth the glory of God the Father and do His will.
As Israel waits in the wilderness for the second coming of the Messiah, some will be prepared for His return. Those who are not ready will miss Him as He sweeps through the wilderness taking what is His, Matthew 25:8. The parable of the ten virgins is used to represent what will happen at this time. Those who are prepared will ensure they have sufficient oil for their lamps as they wait, where the others will pay no attention until the last moment, but their lamps will be quenched because of their failure to prepare.
While speaking of the Kingdom of the Heavens to the Jews, Jesus lays out the rules of His Kingdom, which we also know as the Millennial Kingdom. In His Kingdom, righteousness rules, Matthew 13:41-42. The Jew will have the law of God written upon their heart, Jeremiah 31:33. Therefore, during this time God will hold them liable for a trespass, along with their sins. However, mercy will still be given during this time by the cutting off of the body part that was used to offend. This may seem harsh, but it is better to enter eternal life missing members than to go whole into the lake of fire where the worm is not quenched, Mark 9:44. The worm is referring to the sin nature of a human. In the lake of fire, the desires from the flesh will not be satisfied, Isaiah 66:24.
By faith, the saints of old quenched fire, escaped the edge of the sword, in weakness became strong, in battle were valiant. Women received their dead raised to life again, yet others were tortured and would not accept deliverance to obtain a better resurrection, Hebrews 11:33-35.
Through the armor of God, which is our heavy defensive armor that we put on when Satan is attacking us so that we are able to stand fast against him, we are able to quench all his fiery darts, Ephesian 6:16. These are the desires that he seeks to influence us by to follow his will over God’s.
As members of the body of the Christ, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, He produces desires within us that we are to stop quenching, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. God does not speak to us with an audible voice. We do not hear a still, quiet voice when seeking His guidance. He does not move mountains, crush nations with fire and brimstone, nor is He visible present in the Temple in Jerusalem. Instead, because He indwells us, the Holy Spirit produces desires within us that are righteous. These desires are contrary to the wants from the flesh, Galatians 5:16-17. God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3. Therefore, when we have desires to do what is right, let us not suppress them. Instead, let us seek to live the remaining time we have in the flesh to the desirous will of God, not fulfilling the wants of the flesh, 1 Peter 4:2.
Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 7
Class Notes
Imperfect Indicative Active
The Imperfect Indicative Active Endings:
Singular
1st person: – ν
2nd person: – ς
3rd person: –
Plural
1st person: – μεν
2nd person: – τε
3rd person: – ν or σαν
The imperfect is a past tense that denotes continuous or repeated action in the past. Unlike the aorist when expressing past tense, which describes a simple, completed action, the imperfect emphasizes the ongoing, habitual, or iterative nature of the action. This tense is used to describe actions that were in progress or repeated over a period of time in the past, up to the point of writing, often without a clear indication of when they were completed.
Form and Structure:
- The imperfect is constructed by taking the verb stem (λου) and adding an augment (usually ἐ-) to the beginning of the verb to indicate past time, followed by specific tense endings. ἐ – λού – ον (“I was washing”)
- Syllabic augment (ἐ-): used with verbs beginning with consonants.
- Temporal augment (lengthening of the initial vowel): used with verbs that start with vowels.
Endings in the Imperfect Tense:
1st person singular: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν → “I was doing”)
2nd person singular: -ες (ἐ- + stem + ε + ς → “You were doing”)
3rd person singular: -ε(ν) (ἐ- + stem + ε + – → “He/She/It was doing”)
1st person plural: -ομεν (ἐ- + stem + ο + μεν → “We were doing”)
2nd person plural: -ετε (ἐ- + stem + ε + τε → “You (plural) were doing”)
3rd person plural: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν or σαν → “They were doing”)
Usage of the Imperfect Tense:
- Narrative: Often used in narrative passages to set the scene or describe background actions in progress when another action occurs.
- Iterative or Habitual Action: Expresses actions that were repeated habitually in the past. For instance, “he used to teach” or “they were visiting.”
- Inceptive: Sometimes used to highlight the beginning of a continuous action. For example, it can emphasize the start of an ongoing action: “he began to speak.”
The Rephaim (רְ֝פָאִ֗ים)
“Rephaim” means, “fallen ones” and is a description of the hybrid offspring of demons and humans. We first encounter the Nephilim (mutants) prior to the Noahic flood, when the demons forcibly took the daughters of men and bore these abominations, Genesis 6:1-2,4. These demons are the angels who left their first estate, Jude 6, and were put in chains as a result of their attempt to corrupt not only the seed of humans, but of all biological life, Genesis 6:12.
The only way that humans can directly interact with angels is when an angel takes on a human form. Gabriel, the angel sent to speak with Daniel, was referred to as a man when he directly spoke with Daniel, Daniel 9:21. Unlike mythology, angels do not have wings. This comes from mixing up different types of spirit beings. The Cherubim, Ezekiel 10:19, and Seraphim, Isaiah 6:2, are the only spirit beings that possess what appears to be wings. The two angels that meet with Abraham before destroying the valley of Sodom are described as men, Genesis 18:16. The angels, including the demons, saw God make man from the ground, Genesis 2:7. Therefore, they would know how to make a human body from the elements of the universe. An example of this is seen with Satan, who has a limited ability to create certain types of life as seen with the Pharaoh’s magicians who stood against Moses, Exodus 7:9. This does not make them human; for they are still a spirit being who is wrapped in flesh. However, the physical body is of the same type of a human and can therefore reproduce with females, Genesis 6:2. This type of twisting of a nature is similar in kind to what “scientist” attempt to perform with gene splicing. It produces a perversion of the human, or animal, nature.
God had promised Satan that the seed of the woman would crush him. To prevent this from happening, Satan instructed some of the demons to attempt to corrupt all seed so God’s promise could not come true, Genesis 3:15. Even after the Noahic flood, these demons again attempted to pervert the human nature, which is when they ended up in chains awaiting judgment (Nephilim on the earth in those days and also after – Genesis 6:3). After the flood the Nephilim are known by different names, along with being referred to as Rephaim (fallen ones). The Moabites called them Emim, Deuteronomy 2:11. The Ammonites called them Samsummim, Deuteronomy 2:20. We find them in the time of Abraham when Chedorlaomer sacked Sodom and took Abraham’s nephew, Genesis 14:5-16. As part of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, the land of the Rephaim was given, Genesis 15:18-21. They were in the promised land, when Israel first came out of the wilderness to take the land, and caused the Israelites to fear taking the land, resulting in them rejecting God’s protection and wandering in the wilderness for forty years, Numbers 13:33. Due to their fight with Moses, the kingdom of Og, one of the last remaining of the Rephaim until the time of King David, resided in Ashtaroth and Edrei, Joshua 13:12. The last of them was destroyed by King David, Deuteronomy 3:11, 13; Joshua 12:4, bringing an end to the Rephaim upon the earth. The Philistines had a couple of Rephaim in their midst, one of which David defeated with a stone – Goliath, 1 Chronicles 20:4.
Now they reside in Hades, Isaiah 14:9, and will not be resurrected, Isaiah 26:14, but cast directly into the lake of fire along with death and Hades because they are abominations of God’s creation, Revelation 20:14. They know of God and tremble because of Him, Job 26:5; however, they will not praise God, Psalm 88:10, for they are a corruption of His creation.
The way of the Rephaim is corruption and perversion of one’s nature. The seductress walks in this path, Proverbs 2:18, and it is the path unwise men are led down when following foolish women, Proverbs 9:18. Along with the seductress and foolish women, men who wander from the way of understanding rest with the Rephaim in Hades, Proverbs 21:16. Those who reject God and turn Him into the image of corrupt men (superheroes, false gods, etc.), turning to serve creation rather than the Creator go down the path of the Rephaim, while thinking they are wise, Romans 1:22-24. Just as the demons attempted to take what God had created and corrupt it, in a similar manner humans who walk down this path of destruction that reject the truth also seek to pervert their nature.
Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 6
Present Indicative Passive
βάλλω (ballō) – I throw
διδάσκω (didaskō) – I teach
ἐγείρω (egeirō) – I raise up
ἀγγέλλω (angellō) – I announce
κηρύσσω (kēryssō) – I proclaim/announce
κρίνω (krinō) – I judge
πέμπω (pempō) – I send
ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) – I send (with a mission)
σώζω (sōzō) – I save
εἰς (eis) – into, because of
ὑπό (hypo) – Ablative, by; Accusative, under
The Present Indicative Passive in Greek is a verb form used to express that the subject is being acted upon in the present time. The Present aspect signifies that the action is ongoing or habitual, while the Indicative mood indicates a statement of fact. The Passive voice means the subject of the sentence is receiving the action rather than performing it. The Passive voice does not have a separate set of endings from the middle voice, except in the future and aorist.
Present Indicative Passive Endings:
Singular:
- -ομαι (-omai) – First person singular (I am being loosed).
- –ῃ (-ēi) or -ει (-ei) – Second person singular (You are being loosed).
- -εται (-etai) – Third person singular (He/she/it is being loosed).
Plural:
- -όμεθα (-ometha) – First person plural (We are being loosed).
- -εσθε (-esthe) – Second person plural (You all are being loosed).
- -ονται (-ontai) – Third person plural (They are being loosed).
Key Features of the Present Indicative Passive:
- Voice: Passive voice means the subject is receiving the action. For example, “λύομαι” means “I am being loosed,” not “I loose.”
- Aspect: The Present tense conveys continuous or ongoing action, implying the subject is currently or habitually being acted upon.
- Mood: Indicative mood denotes a statement of fact. It indicates real actions or events happening in the present time.
The Present Indicative Passive forms:
Singular:
- λύομαι (luomai) – I am being loosed
- λύῃ (luēi) – You (singular) are being loosed
- λύεται (luetai) – He/she/it is being loosed
Plural:
- λυόμεθα (luometha) – We are being loosed
- λύεσθε (luesthe) – You (plural) are being loosed
- λύονται (luontai) – They are being loosed
Examples:
βάλλομαι (ballomai) – I am being thrown
And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, Matthew 3:10
ἤδη δὲ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.
Present Indicative Passive of βάλλομαι:
Singular:
- βάλλομαι – I am being thrown
- βάλλῃ – You (singular) are being thrown
- βάλλεται – He/she/it is being thrown
Plural:
- βαλλόμεθα – We are being thrown
- βάλλεσθε – You (plural) are being thrown
- βάλλονται – They are being thrown
ἐγείρομαι (egeiromai) – I am being raised up
saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Matthew 27:63.
λέγοντες· κύριε, ἐμνήσθημεν ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν· μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι.
Present Indicative Passive of ἐγείρομαι:
Singular:
- ἐγείρομαι – I am being raised (or I am being awakened)
- ἐγείρῃ – You (singular) are being raised
- ἐγείρεται – He/she/it is being raised
Plural:
- ἐγειρόμεθα – We are being raised
- ἐγείρεσθε – You (plural) are being raised
- ἐγείρονται – They are being raised
κρίνομαι (krinomai) – I am being judged
“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 1 Corinthians 10:29.
συνείδησιν δὲ λέγω οὐχὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου. ἱνατί γὰρ ἡ ἐλευθερία μου κρίνεται ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως;
Present Indicative Passive of κρίνομαι:
Singular:
- κρίνομαι – I am being judged
- κρίνῃ – You (singular) are being judged
- κρίνεται – He/she/it is being judged
Plural:
- κρινόμεθα – We are being judged
- κρίνεσθε – You (plural) are being judged
- κρίνονται – They are being judged
σῴζομαι (sōzomai) – I am being saved
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:2.
διʼ οὗ καὶ σῴζεσθε, τίνι λόγῳ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν εἰ κατέχετε, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ εἰκῇ ἐπιστεύσατε.
Present Indicative Passive of σῴζομαι:
Singular:
- σῴζομαι – I am being saved
- σῴζῃ – You (singular) are being saved
- σῴζεται – He/she/it is being saved
Plural:
- σωζόμεθα – We are being saved
- σῴζεσθε – You (plural) are being saved
- σῴζονται – They are being saved
Church (ἐκκλησία)
Often translated as Church, ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) actually means a regularly summoned assembly. It is used of a legislative body, casual gathering, or an assembling of people. The English word “Church” is derived from the Greek word κυριακόν (kyriakon), meaning “pertaining to the Lord,” which was used to describe the place of meeting, the Lord’s house, referring to the building the assembly meets in. Due to its predominant use to describe the building or place of meeting, over the centuries, Church became the word of choice to describe more than just the physical building, incorporating within its meaning the local meeting of the members of the body of The Christ as well as the institution of Christianity. In Anglo-Saxon England, the word circa was used to refer to both the congregation and the building. This use influenced modern English translations to adopt Church over the Greek word assembly.
In Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen, Jesus speaks to Peter about an assembly He will build with its foundational rock being Christ Himself, Matthew 16:18. Context clarifies that Jesus is not speaking of the Jews but an assembly of people to come. After the resurrection of Christ, this assembly came into existence on the day of Pentecost when the promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in the upper room who were waiting as Christ had instructed them before His last ascension. Assembly is used to describe this group of believers in the resurrection of Jesus, indicating their uniqueness from the general population of Jews, Acts 2:47.
Assembly is used to describe the gathering of Israel in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, Acts 7:38. However, this does not refer to those who are in Christ, for nothing at that time had been revealed concerning what was coming, 1 Corinthians 2:9.
When Demetrius of Ephesus stirred up the whole city against Paul because the teaching of Christ was highly impacting his business of making idols from silver, everyone rushed into the theater, filled with confusion. This gathering is referred to as an assembly, Acts 19:32.
Predominately in the New Testament, the English word church is used concerning the assembly that belongs to God, Acts 20:28. This assembly is uniquely separated from Israel and the Gentiles as God’s assembly, 1 Corinthians 10:32. Before his conversion, Paul persecuted this assembly, driving them out of Jerusalem, 1 Corinthians 15:9.
Synagogue means a gathering together and is a Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word for assembly ( עֵדָה – Exodus 12:3). In the New Testament, synagogue (a place of leading together) is not used for the Church because it is translated from the Hebrew for the meeting places of the Jews; therefore, from the very beginning the gatherings of those who believed in the death for sin and resurrection of Christ three days later are referred to as assemblies, Acts 2:47; 5:11. This also shows a distinction between the synagogues and the assemblies of believers in Christ and that even the Jews who believed in the resurrected Messiah were not counted among Israel anymore.
Assembly ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) is not a word specifically used to describe those in the Body of the Christ. Due to the influence of the Anglo-Saxon, as the Greek and Hebrew were translated into English, the more commonly used term circa, which came from κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning “pertaining to the Lord,” was used to replace the word assembly ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) when it is used of those in the Body of the Christ. Although care was given to ensure that “church” was only applied to the saints of the Dispensation of Grace, confusion can arise when examining the original Greek word without understanding its uses, which is applied to any gathering of people, not just the saints. Therefore, the reader needs to consider the context to determine the group described by the use of “church” and the original Greek word assembly ἐκκλησία (ekklesia).