04.2. Greek vocabulary

4.2. Greek vocabulary

Just as with the Greek alphabet, you already know many Greek words. Many English words are derived from Greek. You may not be aware of them, since they are part of the English vocabulary. How many of the following words in the next paragraph do you think were derived from Greek? At school we studied biology, economy, philosophy, and grammar. We use megaphones; we send telegrams, watch television. We travel in taxis and airplanes to tropical countries. The first word is ‘school’. It is derived from the Greek word schole. In Classical Greek this was used for the time that a person kept for himself. The time of schole was the time when one learned important things and discussed issues with others. This is where our concept for school comes from; it is the time when we learn important things!

Other words in the list that are derived from Greek include:

·Biology (bios = life + logos = teaching) ·Economy (oikos = house +nomos= law, rules) ·Philosophy (philos= love + sophia = wisdom) ·Grammar (gramma = that what is drawn, letter) ·Megaphones (mega = big + phonē = voice) ·Telegrams (tele = far off + gramma = that what is drawn, letter) ·Taxis (taxis = arrangements) ·Tropical (tropikos= of the turning of the sun).

You probably also know a number of Greek words that appear in the New Testament.

This list illustrates that many English words were derived from Greek. However, we should not try to establish the meaning of an English word by means of its Greek etymology. In the example given above, ‘school’, we should be careful to say that ‘school’ in Greek means the time that a person has for himself, in which he can do what he wants. School today is certainly not the time when one can do what one wants.

There are also differences between Greek and English vocabulary. However, the meaning of these words can easily be established with the help of the dictionary. Let us consider a few words from the Greek New Testament.

4.2.1. Vain glory In Galatians 5:26 Paul exhorted the believers as follow:

·Let us not be desirous of vain glory (Galatians 5:26 KJV) ·Let us not become conceited (Galatians 5:26 NET) The word translated ‘conceited’ by the NET is interesting. The Greek word is κενοδοξοι(kenodoxoi). According to Robertson, the word is derived fromkenos and doxa. Vincent gives a more detailed study of the word. Originally the word meant ‘vain opinion, error’. People were having ‘vain opinions’ of themselves. Vincent said the following about the word: ‘This compound means having a vain conceit of possessing a rightful claim to honour.’ It was a vain, empty glorification of oneself. This person was not looking for the glory of God. One dictionary explained the word as ‘being proud without any good reason for it’.

Paul said in this verse that people who are being proud of themselves without any good reason are provoking others and are being jealous of others. Will this explanation of the text help you the next time you preach on this passage? Using TW and ES can help you do the same in-depth study for every sermon you preach or bible study that you teach.

4.2.2. Sincere In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul said that he recalled Timothy’s sincere faith. What did Paul mean when he said ‘sincere’? The KJV speaks about ‘unfeigned’. The Greek text speaks about ανυποκρίτου (anupokritou) faith. Thayer gives the following definition of the word: ‘unfeigned, undisguised, and sincere’. The word also means ‘not hypocritical’, that’s why it is translated as ‘sincere’. Timothy’s faith was not hypocritical; it was sincere. He was not a person with a ‘Sunday’s holy faith’. This word is related to the Greek word for an actor, hupokritēs. Timothy’s faith then was sincere; he was not acting it out.

4.2.3. From the beginning In Luke 1:3, Luke said he had a perfect understanding of all things that happened during the life of Christ from the very first. The NET translated ‘the very first’ with ‘from the beginning’. The Greek word here is G509 ανωθεν (anōthen). Thayer gave three definitions for the word:

1. From above, from a higher place. a. Of things which come from heaven or God.

2. From the first, from the beginning, from the very first.

3. Anew, over again. The translations followed the second meaning, which is the best in this context. However, in other verses, the first or the third meaning might be the best. In John 3:3, the Lord Jesus speaks about being ‘born ανωθεν (anōthen)’. The best translation here is born ‘anew, over again’ (KJV) or ‘born from above, from God’ (NET). Vincent gives a detailed discussion on the possible translations of this word in the New Testament (see also Robertson). A question that can be asked here is this: what does it mean to be ‘born anōthen’? Can you explain it to a person who is not a Christian? The lesson to be learned from this discussion is that the context should guide us in our understanding of the meaning of the word. Generally, words do not have a neutral, blank meaning. Words have meaning in their context. For bible study and preaching, I recommend a more advanced dictionary. Robertson and Vincent are very helpful, but sometimes they do not discuss all the relevant words. And their discussions have sometimes been superseded by modern works.

How would you explain the words ‘grace, peace, mercy’ that John used in his greeting in 2 John 1:3? What is the difference between these three words?