Steps to Learning the Greek New Testament

Pastors and Bible teachers should, in my opinion, learn Koine Greek. That will enable them to study the New Testament in the original language and use it as they teach. Many Bible colleges and seminaries still require students to learn basic Koine Greek, even if for just a year.

What about small group leaders? What about people who teach Sunday School or other church teaching programs? What about leaders in children and youth groups? I think a basic knowledge of Koine Greek is helpful to their knowing how to correctly handle God’s Word and teach young people about Jesus Christ.

What about parents who homeschool? Would it be good for them to know at least basic NT Greek? I believe so. The same for teachers in Christian schools (K-12). Even a basic knowledge of Koine Greek is helpful as they teach students and answer questions about the New Testament. What about parents who don’t homeschool? My answer is the same. It’s good for every Christian to know enough about the original language of the New Testament to look up words and recognize when a pastor or teacher is not handling God’s Word correctly.

The reason I’m writing this series is to help you go as far as you want in learning Koine Greek. For that reason, I’ve divided the process into steps. You can read Step One here, Step Two here, and Step Three here. Let’s move now to Step Four.

Step Four

Once you learn the Greek alphabet, know how to pronounce each letter, and can read words, you’ll find it helpful to know about basic Greek grammar. The Greek of the New Testament is a subclass of Ancient Greek known as Koine (Common). It was the conversational Greek used by most people during New Testament times.

English grammar was not one of my favorite subjects in school, but I’m so glad it was a required subject. It prepared me for my career in journalism, writing, and mass communications.

Grammar is:

  1. The study of how words and their component parts combine to form sentences.
  2. The study of structural relationships in language or in a language, sometimes including pronunciation, meaning, and linguistic history.
  3. The system of inflections, syntax, and word formation of a language. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

While that may not sound exciting (unless you’re a language major), it can be when studying the New Testament in Greek. How cool is it to read and study the New Testament in the language the Holy Spirit used to inspire the writing of God’s Holy Word? What treasures might be waiting for the student who has the tools necessary to mine the depths of God’s wisdom and revelation?

The first tool I recommend is learning basic grammar for Koine Greek. If you’ve studied English grammar, you will find that Greek grammar is similar, though there are some differences. Some of the most obvious differences are with verb tenses and noun genders. You’ll also find some differences with articles, participles, and prepositions. Don’t let that dissuade you from continuing in your desire to learn how to read the New Testament in Greek. Grammar is something that can be learned over time – and it will take time. So, relax and enjoy the journey!

The Learning Process

I remember attending Sunday night services during my first year as a Christian and hearing the pastor reference Greek words and grammar as he taught verse by verse through the New Testament. He also taught Greek at a local Christian college. The insights he brought out from the original language stirred up something inside of me that led me to eventually take classes through a Bible college. The more I learned about the richness of Koine Greek, the more I wanted to know.

The Internet wouldn’t be available to me for more than 20 years from when I began studying Greek, so I relied on what I learned from books, mentors, and professors. That’s still a good way to learn, but access to the Internet gives you even more tools and resources.

Some of the books that helped me learn NT Greek grammar in the 70s were:

  • How To Read The Greek New Testament, Guy Woods, Gospel Advocate Co., 1970
  • A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Dana and Manley, The MacMillan Company, 1955
  • New Testament Greek For Beginners, J. Gresham Machen, The MacMillan Company, 1923
  • An Idiom-Book of New Testament Greek, 2nd Edition, C.F.D. Moule, Cambridge University Press, 1959
  • The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, 1978 Edition, Harold Moulton, Regency Reference Library, 1978

You may want to purchase a couple of NT Grammar books to help you get started. Others worth mentioning are:

  • The Elements of New Testament Greek, 2nd edition, J. W. Wenham, Cambridge University Press, 1973
  • Learn New Testament Greek, 3rd edition, John Dobson, Baker Academic, 2014
  • Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar: Fourth Edition, William Mounce, Zondervan Academic, 2019
  • Reading Koine Greek: An Introduction and Integrated Workbook, Rodney J. Decker, Baker Academic, 2014

Other options are to find some good online sources, including online courses in Koine Greek, take courses at a local Bible college, or join a study group with a pastor or Bible teacher proficient in NT Greek.

Basic Greek Grammar

I wrote this in the first part of our series:

First, I want to assure you this is not a course in learning the Greek language.

My goal is to help you understand the process of learning Greek, share some basics, and point you to helpful resources. With that in mind, let’s learn some basic Greek grammar using John 1:1 as a guide.

  • English: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  • Greek: εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος (Stephanus Text)

The word εν is a preposition and usually means “in, inside, within,” but can also mean “on, at, by, with, among.” A preposition is basically a word used for “location.” It’s also “a word used as an aid in the expression of substantive relations” (Dana and Mantey). The root meaning of εν is “within,” so we consider that as we study a particular text.

Knowing which “case” a preposition is associated with helps us determine the best meaning of the preposition. In John 1:1 the preposition εν is associated with the noun αρχη, which is in the dative case. The dative case indicates an object of interest or reference. In John 1:1 the word εν governs the idea of time or place. The noun αρχη gives us the time – “the beginning.”

There are eight cases in Koine Greek:

  1. nominative
  2. vocative
  3. accusative
  4. genitive
  5. dative
  6. ablative
  7. instrumental
  8. locative

Nouns also have “number” and “gender.” The word αρχη used in John 1:1 is “singular” in number and “feminine” in gender.

There are two numbers and three genders in Koine Greek:

Number

  1. singular
  2. plural

Gender

  1. Masculine
  2. Feminine
  3. Neuter

The next word, ην, is a verb. It’s in the active voice, imperfect tense, indicative mood. The active voice “describes the subject as producing the action” (Dana and Mantey). The imperfect tense addresses the time element. The indicative mood is the mood of certainty. The writer, John, made a simple assertion of fact. It’s also third person singular. It’s translated “was” and speaks to the idea of existence. The idea here is that something or someone existed in the beginning. Some Greek scholars (e.g. Marvin Vincent) believe that ην in John 1:1 denotes absolute existence, which would mean that something or someone existed prior to the beginning (αρχη).

There are three voices, six tenses, six moods, and three persons for verbs in Koine Greek:

Voice

  1. active
  2. middle
  3. passive

Tense

  1. present
  2. imperfect
  3. future
  4. aorist
  5. perfect
  6. pluperfect

Mood

  1. indicative
  2. imperative
  3. subjunctive
  4. optative
  5. infinitive
  6. participle

Person

  1. 1st person
  2. 2nd person
  3. 3rd person

The next word, ὁ, is a definite article. It translates as “the.” The case is nominative, the gender is masculine, and the number is singular. Articles point to a person or thing. They draw attention to individual identity.

The word ὁ points to the next word – λογος. It is a noun in the nominative case, masculine gender, and singular number. λογος translates as “word.” It comes from λέγω, which means “speaking to a conclusion.” λογος is used in Koine Greek as “intelligent, reasonable, logical thought or speech.”

The next word is και, a conjunction. Conjunctions connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. The word και is the most common conjunction in the New Testament and usually translates as “and, even, also.” In John 1:1 the word και connects “In the beginning was the Word” to “the Word was with God.”

The next word is the definite article ὁ. It points to λογος again. That’s followed by the verb ην and the preposition προς. The λογος, which was in the beginning, was also with something or someone.

The next two words are the definite article τον and the noun θεον – “the God.” τον is accusative, masculine, singular. θεον is also accusative, masculine, singular. The accusative case “relates primarily to action, and indicates the direction, extent, or end of action” (Dana and Mantey). Webster’s Syntax and Synon. of the Greek New Testament explains that the accusative, “signifies that the object referred to is considered as the point toward which something is proceeding: that it is the end of the action or motion described.”

The next two Greek words are the connecting conjunction και and the noun θεος – “and God.” You’ll notice that the endings on the Greek words for God are slightly different – θεον and θεος. The endings of similar Greek words are important to notice. The word θεον is accusative, masculine, singular. The word θεος is nominative, masculine, singular. The nominative case in the Greek has a root idea of designation – “the nominative is more than the case of the subject: it is the case of specific designation, and is in appositional relationship” (Dana and Mantey).

[Studying the Greek New Testament is similar to studying an English translation of the New Testament. We study word by word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book. You may be interested in reading a short (29 pages) eBook titled “How To Study God’s Word.” It’s free and will explain a bit more about the importance of studying the Bible inductively and methodically.]

The next Greek word in John 1:1 is the verb ην. It’s imperfect, indicative, active, 3rd person, singular. It’s about being, existence (often without limits). Greek verb tenses are important to note and understand. There are six of them and they help students understand the “action” of the verb – usually the element of time and the kind of action. The imperfect tense deals more with the time element than the present tense. Translating ην as “was” is appropriate here.

[English has three primary tenses: past, present, future. However, keep in mind that even English tenses are more complex than just those three. Each of the three tenses also has four variations: simple, perfect, continuous, and perfect continuous.]

The next two Greek words in John 1:1 were used before – ὁ λογος. The article ὁ points to λογος. ὁ is nominative, masculine, singular. λογος is also nominative, masculine, singular.

Solving a Problem

John 1:1 is one of the most interesting and important verses in the entire Bible. It reminds us a bit of Genesis 1:1, but it’s claiming something else. Genesis 1:1 claims that God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:1 claims that the λογος (word) was in the beginning, was with God, and was God. If we look at verses two and three, we learn that the λογος was in the beginning with God. That’s both a restatement and support to verse 1 – “In the beginning was the Word.” Verse three claims that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” That is a reference back to Genesis 1:1. All things were made through the λογος. As we continue through the next several verses in John 1, we learn that the λογος is Jesus of Nazareth – Jesus the Christ.

The opening verse of the Gospel of John in Koine Greek introduces the reader to the λογος who is God. Most English translations use “Word” for λογος in John 1:1.

Unfortunately, some false teachers argue that the λογος in John 1:1 is the “speech” of God rather than a Person. However, that teaching doesn’t work for several reasons. One is that the Greek plainly says that the λογος was God. God’s speech could not be God. Speech is an action of an individual, not the individual himself.

Let’s return to the Greek grammar for a moment to see how it might help us solve this problem.

Here, the subject is “the Word” because it has the article ὁ (ho) with it. In this instance, “the Word” is emphatically being described as “God,” with “God” also being in the nominative case and connected by the verb “to be.” Thus, the predicate nominative in this instance is “God” since the verb “to be” is restating who “the Word” is, or “was,” that is, “God.” Blue Letter Bible

John 1:1-18 is often called the Gospel’s Prologue. Those verses make clear that Jesus of Nazareth is God. He was in the beginning with God, created everything that exists, became flesh to live on the earth among the people He had created bringing grace and truth to them. While some false teachers attempt to change that, either by rewriting portions of the New Testament or interpreting the clear writing of the New Testament, the Greek text supports the truth that Jesus Christ is the Eternal God who came to earth, became flesh to shed His blood and die for our sins, and rose from the dead that we might live forever with Him in Heaven.

When you run into a question or challenge about words in the English New Testament, run to the Greek New Testament. It will almost always help you solve sticky issues, in addition to casting great light on the wonderful and life-giving Truth of God’s Word.

In Conclusion

Studying the New Testament from the Greek is one of the most exciting experiences for a student of the Bible. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle John and other authors of the New Testament to write in Koine Greek. It was the primary language of the common people of the 1st century AD, and for several centuries after that. Knowing how the people living during that time would have understood the meaning of the words used in the New Testament helps us know how they understood the Gospel of Christ as it went out from Israel to the rest of the world.

Whether you want to dip your toes in the waters of Koine Greek or dive into the deep end, I think you will find your time and efforts rewarded with a richer understanding of and appreciation for the majesty that is the Word of God.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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