In The Word

 Here is a helpful graphic similar to the one found in Mounce’s BBG Book:

There are some great illustrations to help understand prepositions on this site.

Correct The Inflected Noun

Correct the Article

Mounce Vocab Lists

Online Quiz

If this doesn’t look like Greek you probably need to install this.

For additional help with this, including pronunciation examples of the direct articles and endings check out the free online NT Greek course.

Here are the fnoun rules which need to be committed to memory. I’ll be adding to this list as the chapters progress.

1. Nouns ending in Alpha or Eta are in the first declension, Nouns ending with Omicron are in the second declension, nouns ending in a consonant are in the third declension. (ch. 6)
2. Every neuter word has the same form in the nominative and accusative plural. (ch. 6)
3. Almost all neuter words end in alpha in the nominative and accusative plural. (ch. 6)
4. In the dative singular, the iota subscripts. (ch. 7)
5. Vowels often change thier length (“ablaut”). (ch. 7)
6. In the genitive and dative, the masculine and neuter will always be identical. (ch. 7)

Source: Basics of Biblical Greek, William D. Mounce

This week’s post is all about vocab and memorization. I’m working through chapters 5 & 6 in Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar. Chapter 4 introduced some basic grammar and chapter 6 builds upon that. Here are Some resources I’ve found helpful:
PocketScholar if you have a pocket pc or smartphone (don’t forget to download the accompanying audio.)

The free software at www.teknia.com is great.


If you don’t have access to a Greek new testament check out the Interlinear Scripture Analyzer(note: ISA defaults to all capital Greek letters which can be confusing, just go to the ‘configure’ menu option and select ‘lowercase modern font’ to fix.)

Today’s resources are all about learning the alphabet and pronunciation , chapter 3 of Basics of Biblical Greek. I learned the alphabet thanks to Bill Mounce’s Alphabet Song, and my pronunciation has been getting better and better by spending time reading 1 John 1:5-2:5 and paying close attention to how the words are pronounced by Dr. Mounce. The key here is consistency and repetition. I’ve also found it helpful to begin writing out some verses paying attention to the accent and breathing marks.

This is the first post in what I hope will be a long series. About 2 months ago I decided to begin studying Greek with the intent on actually being able to read the Bible in the original language. I was motivated by Bill Mounce’s book “Greek for the Rest of Us” and the more I learned the more I wanted to explore the language. I picked up the book Basics of Biblical Greek along with the workbook and have been slowly making my way through each chapter. As an exercise for myself, and as a help to any of you going through the same material I’ll be posting a weekly update with thoughts and resources which I’ve found helpful in my studies.The first section of Chapter 2 in Basics of Biblical Greek sums up what our goal of studying Greek should be. It could easily become a hobby which we devote large amounts of time memorizing vocab and paradigms loosing the central goal of studying Greek in the first place which is:

…to understand better and to communicate more clearly the Word of God

At this point in my studies there is very little ROI for studying Greek. I could very easily look up words in a Lexicon or compare translations to get a solid understanding of a passage, so for now I’d venture to say my short term goal would be:

The study of Greek must not hinder my study of the word of God.

This means, in a practical sense, two things to me:

1. My Greek study must be in addition to, not instead of my daily devotional reading and personal study.
   This could easily become the case if I suppose that somehow i would be “doing Bible study” by studying Greek. That is not the case. Eventually the two will intersect but in the early stages I need to make sure my devotional reading and application of the Word is not hindered, after all I would be opposing the goal if that were to happen.
2. My Greek skills cannot be trusted
   It’s been said that a little bit of Greek can be a dangerous thing. It can open your hermeneutic up to all kinds of problems. I must remember that I am doing “baby Greek” and need to consult the experts for real exegetical questions instead of relying on my own Greek expertise.

These two things form the parameters in which I can begin my study of Greek and will help me keep my studies in check and ensure that the long term goal of understanding and communicating the word of God more clearly is always at the center of this process.
Next Time: The Alphabet & Pronunciation or “I thought π was pronounced PIE not PEE”