Learn New Testament Greek to Engage God's Word More Deeply

Please take a few minutes and read my blog post Which Logos Package Should I Buy? (www.dannyzacharias.net/blog/2018/12/20/which-logos-package-should-i-buy)

If you have decided that you would like more detailed instructions in how to use Logos by making use of my video course, you can purchase Mastering Logos Bible Software on my own platform with this 50% off coupon. (https://belearning.teachable.com/p/mastering-logos-bible-software/?product_id=172551&coupon_code=50%25OFF&preview=logged_out)

Here is the page with more information and links to purchase my mobile flashcard app FlashGreek (www.dannyzacharias.net/flashgreek)

To find the Logos vocabulary lists in Logos 8, go to Docs>Public and search "biblical greek made simple"

The Greek Audio New Testament mentioned in the video is here (https://www.logos.com/product/26968/greek-audio-new-testament)

Students can also find the answer key on the textbook page: www.dannyzacharias.net/biblical-greek-made-simple

Here are the books I recommended in the video:

• How Biblical Languages Work by Silzer and Finley (http://geni.us/36nn)

• English Grammar to Ace New Testament Greek by Lamerson (http://geni.us/C3o)

If you find you are really needing to pause and work on English grammar even more, check out englishgrammar101.com.

What’s the Point: Here is a statistic for you—100 percent of the New Testament was written using Greek letters. How else can you learn how to read and speak a language than by learning the alphabet? Learning this chapter thoroughly will equip you for proper reading, recognition, and pronunciation of the Greek New Testament.

A quick check to ensure you are ready to proceed

What’s the Point: 20 percent of the New Testament is nouns; all of the people, places, and things mentioned in the New Testament are nouns. They are one of the primary parts of any language and thus essential to understand.

a final checkup before proceeding

What’s the Point: While the focus on morphology in the previous chapter is a lot to take in, the reality is that the more important question to ask about a noun is, “What are you doing in the sentence?” The previous chapter gave you the base uses of the four cases, but this chapter will introduce you to the myriad of ways Greek nouns can function in a sentence.

What’s the Point: 20 percent of the New Testament is verbs, 28,110 in total—half of these are in what is called the indicative mood (you’ll understand what this means soon enough!). Verbs are a core component of any language, describing the action in sentences. Greek verbs are also very nuanced, robust, and flexible—and inflected like nouns. Having a thorough knowledge of Greek verbs is essential to understanding the Greek New Testament; they are quite literally where all of the action is!

What’s the Point: In the same way that the English verb “go” can be written in three alternative ways (“go,” “went,” and “going”), Greek verbs have six spelling pattern variations. While some are very similar (like those introduced in the previous chapter), many differ greatly (like comparing “go” to “went”). This chapter introduces you to the spelling pattern variations of Greek verbs.

What’s the Point: 32 percent of the New Testament is composed of words that fill in detail and give life to the text. Pronouns stand in place of nouns; the word “the” in Greek does a lot more than “the” in English; and adjectives have a robust life in the Greek language. Learning and appreciating these types of words will bring out the life and color of the Greek New Testament as you read and study it.

What’s the Point: Phrases and clauses are groups of words that work together to say something. Every word in the Greek New Testament is in a phrase or clause. While we can trust for the most part the editors of our modern Greek New Testament who added commas, colons, and periods, it is because of the the knowledge of Greek clauses that they knew where to place those marks in the first place. Understanding how these units are introduced and what they do in larger paragraphs will help you better understand Greek structure.

What’s the Point: Many a grammarian has echoed the sentiments that the mastery of the Greek participle is mastery of Greek itself. Participles are robust in their meaning and usage—it often takes many words in English to translate what a participle is doing. One out of every four verb forms is a participle; they are everywhere! Because of their frequency and complexity of usage, it would be better to start working with participles earlier, except a student needs many other pieces in place first, because participles are part verb and part adjective. Let the fun begin!

What’s the Point: The difficulty with participles is not only how they are formed, but also how they can function. Participles can do such a wide range of things that they can be daunting. But because participles are so numerous, you cannot ignore them.

What’s the Point: Wandering outside of the indicative mood takes us into the realm of possibility. When a command is given, request is made, or a possibility is discussed, verbs in the subjunctive, imperative, and optative are used. About 3,556 of these nonindicative verbs occur, which is almost one in four verbs in the New Testament.

What’s the Point: While not quite as difficult or frequent as participles, infinitives are nonetheless another verbal form that is peppered throughout the NT. One out of every ten verb forms is an infinitive, so they occur quite often. Because infinitives are another hybrid form, this time part verb and part noun, they can function in numerous ways.