Transcript Beginning Greek for Bible Study - Grace Bible Church

Evgw, eivmi to; A[lfa
Greek for Bible Study
Class #1
Introduction, Alphabet,
Pronunciation, Translations
kai; to; w=
An example
For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; - Ephesians 2:8
What is the gift?
Th/: ga;r cavritiv evste sesw/smevnoi dia; pivstewV kai; tou:to
ouvk evx uJmw:n qeou: to; dw:ron
The Dangers of Learning a Little
Greek (pp. xviii-xx)
A little knowledge can be dangerous!
Remember you are learning how to use the tools
of Greek. You will not be a Greek expert by
taking this class.
After this class, you will sound authoritative to
others. Be careful!
Guard your heart from pride (James 4:6).
Humbly rely on those who ARE Greek scholars.
Remember Prov. 1:7.
The Greek Language
Koine Greek (koinhv)
Koine, or biblical Greek, is the type of Greek we
will be learning.
Koine means “common,” as it was the common
language of the people.
Because Koine was a universal language, it was
very easy for the New Testament to spread
during the first century.
It is also significant that God used a common,
universal language to communicate the gospel
of Jesus Christ to people.
The Greek Alphabet
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Delta
Epsilon
Zeta
Eta
Theta
Iota
Kappa
Lambda
Mu
a
b
g
d
e
z
h
q
i
k
l
m
a
b
g
d
e
z
e
th
i
k
l
m
Father
Bible
gone
dog
met
daze
obey
thing
intrigue
kitchen
law
mother
Nu
Xi
Omicron
Pi
Rho
Sigma
Tau
Upsilon
Phi
Chi
Psi
Omega
n
x
o
p
r
s-V
t
u
f
c
y
w
n
x
o
p
r
s
t
u
ph
ch
ps
o
new
axiom
not
peach
rod
study
talk
oops
phone
loch
lips
tone
Alphabet helps
If you can say the name of the letter, you know
the sound of the letter.
Though you don’t need to know the capital
letters right away, you’ll need to learn them in
order to read in the Greek NT.
g normally has a “g” sound, but when it is
followed by g, k, c, or x, it is pronounced as a n
which has a “n” sound. Hence, a[ggeloV is
pronounced, “angelos.”
Sometimes an iota occurs underneath an a, h, or
w. This is called an iota subscript. This type of
iota is not pronounced, but it is significant for
meaning.
Dipthongs
ai – as in aisle
ei – as in eight
oi – as in oil
au – as in Sauerkraut
ou – as in soup
ui – as in suite
eu & hu– as in feud
Breathing Marks
Every word beginning with a vowel or r has a
breathing mark
Smooth – not pronounced



j
ajpostoloV
jIsrahl
Rough – pronounced as an “h” sound

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J
Juper
Jrabbi
Breathing Marks
Every word beginning with a dipthong
takes a breathing mark over the second
vowel

Aijtew – “I ask”
Pronunciation
Accents
Greek has three accent marks:
Acute
v
aijtevw
Grave
;
qeo;V
Circumflex
:
jIhsou:V
Punctuation
There are four punctuation marks found in
the Greek New Testament:
Comma
,
qeo;V,
Comma
Period
.
`
qeo;V.
Period
qeo;V`
Semicolon
;
qeo;V~
Question mark
Period
above
Semicolon
Pronunciation
Ejn ajrch: h\n oJ lovgoV kai; oJ lovgoV h\n pro;V to;n qeovn
kai; qeo;V h\n oJ lovgoV.
Ou[twj ga.r hvga,phsen o` qeo.j to.n ko,smon( w[ste to.n
ui`o.n to.n monogenh/ e;dwken( i[na pa/j o` pisteu,wn eivj
auvto.n mh. avpo,lhtai avllV e;ch| zwh.n aivw,nionÅ
Bible Translations
An Example: John 1:18
NKJV - No one has seen God at any time. The
only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has declared Him.
NASB - No one has seen God at any time; the
only begotten God who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has explained Him.
NIV - No one has ever seen God, but God the
One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has
made him known.
NLT - No one has ever seen God. But the one
and only Son is himself God and is near to the
Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.
4 Reasons Why there are
Differences in Translations
Textual Differences
Philosophical Differences
Interpretive Differences
Translation Differences
Textual Differences
Sometimes translations are
different because we don’t know
what the words were in the
original text.
Textual Differences
A textual difference means that translators
are not certain what the exact words were
in the original text.
Remember that none of the autographs
(originals) of the Bible have been found.
However, enough early copies of the Bible
have been found such that the vast
majority of the time there is agreement as
to the exact words of the original text.
Textual Differences
For the Old Testament, the tedious
practices and careful training of the
Scribes resulted in accurate copies being
made over the years.
The Dead Sea Scrolls helped confirm the
accuracy of the Old Testament
manuscripts.
Textual Differences
For the New Testament, copying
procedures were not as tedious as with
the Old Testament, but many more copies
of the New Testament were produced.
The vast number of copies allows scholars
to accurately reconstruct the original text
with a high degree of certainty. This is
called “textual criticism.”
Textual Differences
However, sometimes scholars disagree
about the original text.
It is important to remember that these
differences are minor, and do not change
any major doctrines of Scripture.
None the less, sometimes translations are
different because we don’t know what the
words were in the original text.
Textual Differences
For example: 1 Peter 1:22
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
NASB - Since you have in obedience to the
truth purified your souls for a sincere love of
the brethren, fervently love one another from
the heart
ESV - Having purified your souls by your
obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly
love, love one another earnestly from a pure
heart
Textual Differences
When dealing with manuscripts, generally
speaking the “earlier” reading is to be
preferred.
Sometimes older translations are different
than more recent translations because
they relied on “later” manuscripts.
The King James Version
AD 100
400s
New Testament
Completed
1200s
1611
King James
Translation
completed, based
on later
manuscripts
1800s
Earlier, more
accurate
manuscripts
discovered
1900s
Modern
translations
appear,
based on
earlier, more
accurate
manuscripts
The King James Version
Most of the time, variations between the KJV &
modern translations are no big deal: 2 John 3


KJV - Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from
God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
kuri,ou VIhsou/ cristou/
NASB - Grace, mercy and peace will be with us,
from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in truth and love.
VIhsou/ Cristou/
The King James Version
However, sometimes they are a big deal: 1
John 5:7
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
KJV - For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one.
o[ti trei/j eivsin oi` marturou/ntej en tw/| ouvranw/|( o` path,r( o`
lo,goj( kai. to. {Agion Pneu/ma\ kai. ou-toi oi` trei/j e[n eivsin
NASB - For there are three that testify:
o[ti trei/j eivsin oi` marturou/ntej(
The King James Version
The KJV & NKJV are not bad translations,
since we know the places where they
differ with earlier manuscripts.
Usually, the KJV & NKJV will note any
manuscript differences in a footnote.
However, it may be easier to adopt a
newer translation which is based on earlier
and thus more reliable manuscripts
Philosophical
Differences
Sometimes translations are
different because translators have
different philosophies of Bible
translation
2 Main Philosophies of Bible
Translation
Formal equivalence, also called “literal
translations” or “word for word” translations.
Examples include the Revised Standard Version
(RSV), King James (KJV) and New King James
Versions (NKJV), and the New American
Standard Bible (NASB)
Dynamic equivalence, also called “functional
equivalence” or “paraphrase” translations.
Examples include the New Living Translation
(NLT), New International Version (NIV),
Contemporary English Version (CEV), Today’s
English Version (TEV) and The Message.
Some Examples – 1 Peter 1:1
GK - Pe,troj avpo,stoloj VIhsou/ Cristou/ evklektoi/j parepidh,moij
diaspora/j Po,ntou( Galati,aj( Kappadoki,aj( VAsi,aj kai. Biquni,aj
NASB - Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To
those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
who are chosen
NLT - This letter is from Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ. I am writing to God's chosen
people who are living as foreigners in the
provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia.
Some Examples – Eph. 4:26a
GK - ovrgi,zesqe kai. mh. a`marta,nete
ESV - Be angry and do not sin
NIV – “In your anger do not sin”
NLT - And "don't sin by letting anger
control you.
Formal Equivalence
Formal equivalence translations seek to
reproduce the grammatical form, structure,
and language of the original text, not just
the meaning.
Formal Equivalence
PROS
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Least interpretive
Preserves the form and structure of the
original
Least prone to the bias of the translator
Reflects a high view of the inspiration of
Scripture
Reflects a desire to let the reader determine
meaning, not the translator
Formal Equivalence
CONS
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
Puts more responsibility on the reader to
determine meaning.
Sometimes translations can come across
feeling “wooden” or awkward.
Sometimes trying to reflect the formal
structure of the original obscures meaning.
Sometimes certain Formal Equivalent
principles, such as translating the same word
in the original with the same English word,
results in poor translations.
Dynamic Equivalence
PROS:


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
Often result in smoother, easier to understand
translations.
Generally allow for younger age groups or
less literate people to understand meaning.
Take less work on the part of the reader to
determine meaning (the translator does more
interpreting for the reader)
Sometimes offer a refreshing, and often
devotionally appealing approach to Scripture
reading
Dynamic Equivalence
CONS:
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More interpretive and usually overly interpretive.
Often exercise too much freedom in translation since
grammatical structure is usually viewed as having
little connection to meaning.
Masks more of the original structure and language.
More prone to the bias of the translator.
Gives more weight to English style than the form of
the original.
Often reflects a low view of the inspiration of
Scripture.
The translator, not the reader, is given the most
responsibility in determining meaning.
Usually employs more gender-neutral language.
So what type of Bible should I
use?
Use a formal equivalent translation as your
regular Bible and for Bible study.
Use dynamic equivalent translations as
you would commentaries, and for
devotional reading (compare with a formal
equivalent translation).
But more importantly, understand why
translations are different and use them
each accordingly.
Interpretive Differences
Sometimes translations are
different because translators
aren’t certain what the words in
the original mean.
Interpretive Differences
Even when the original words are known
and translators agree philosophically,
sometimes it is not clear what the original
means. For example: Ruth 1:13
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
Hb - ~K,êmi
‘daom. yliÛ-rm;-yKi(
ESV – “for it is exceedingly bitter to me for
your sake” (Naomi is bitter because Ruth is
suffering)
NIV – “It is more bitter for me than for you”
(Naomi’s life is more bitter than Ruth’s life)
Interpretive Differences
For example: 2 Cor. 5:14
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Gk - h` ga.r avga,ph tou/ Cristou/ sune,cei h`ma/j
NASB - For the love of Christ controls us
NIV - For Christ's love compels us
NLT - Christ's love controls us.
Translation Differences
Sometimes translations are
different because translators don’t
agree on how to translate a
particular word or phrase into
English.
Translation Differences
Even if the original words are known, a
translators’ philosophies are the same, and the
meaning of the word or phrase is known,
translators may disagree on how to translate it
into English (often influenced by translation
philosophy). For example: Matt. 27:25
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Gk - To. ai-ma auvtou/ evfV h`ma/j kai. evpi. ta. te,kna h`mw/nÅ
ESV - "His blood be on us and on our children!“
NLT - "We will take responsibility for his death -- we
and our children!"
Translation Differences
Gk - o]n h`mei/j katagge,llomen nouqetou/ntej pa,nta a;nqrwpon kai. dida,skontej
pa,nta a;nqrwpon evn pa,sh| sofi,a|( i[na parasth,swmen pa,nta a;nqrwpon te,leion evn
Cristw/|\
ESV - Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone
mature in Christ.
NASB - We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and
teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may
present every man complete in Christ.
NLT - So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone
and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has
given us. We want to present them to God, perfect1 in
their relationship to Christ.
4 Reasons Why there are
Differences in Translations
Textual Differences
Philosophical Differences
Interpretive Differences
Translation Differences
Other Challenges
Audience
Ambiguity
Implicit information
Filling out the story
Potential misunderstandings
Inclusive language
Theological biases
Sensitivity & Euphemisms
Blue Letter Bible Demo
Homework
Do the exercises in chapters 1-4 (use the
online interlinear)
Read chapters 1-4. If you’re dying for
more, read chapters 5-8 in preparation for
next week’s class.
Teach the Greek alphabet song to your
parents, children, grandchildren, or to a
random child you come across in Walmart.