THE WORD STUDY FORMAT

I have received several requests regarding the word studies and books which God has had me working on for the past 25 years. The first book "Foundation Truths" was done at the request of W.J. "Ern" Baxter who felt that the basic words listed in Hebrews 6:1, 2 are foundational for the Christ-like walk. This book uses lesson plans to discuss and develop the concepts involved in each of the major Greek words used in this passage of Scripture. I have since completed a book about angels entitled "Angels in Charge" which uses the word studies to develop a subject rather than an exposition of Scripture. In any case there are over 50 projected books based upon this word study format. Please keep in mind that although these books, and indeed all the word studies, can be studied by an individual they are really designed to be used in a group as a study guide.

The purpose of the word study is to help us focus on the definitions of words and relate them to our understanding of and relationship with God. Language is communication and understanding Scripture is a key to communicating with God. If we just open our minds and our hearts while studying His Word in this unique way we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us. And He is the best teacher of all!

One of the biggest problems facing the church today is the mis-use and mis-translation of the original languages used in Scripture. For the most part, our modern translations of Scripture have been done by men who don’t really know God. They have a head knowledge but no heart knowledge. They have intelligence but no wisdom. They have reason but no spiritual insight. Thus, their work reflects much doctrinal bias and it is this doctrinal bias which has lead to an apostate church, i.e. a church that has fallen away from the truth.

Lately God has shown me that this was all part of His plan. The Word of God is full of mysteries and these mysteries are only revealed by the Holy Spirit to men who seek for truth. He has kept the truth covered through the medium of language in order to shock the world as He begins to reveal the truth in His people in these last days.

God has also shown me that these word studies which He has inspired are a tool for His people to use to open and uncover and manifest and reveal His truth. A unique principle behind these studies and their related books is that once you have learned how to use them you become a teacher, able to pass on God’s truth to others as well as giving them this tool so that they, in turn, become teachers. Wasn’t this Paul’s commission to Timothy, to teach others to be teachers? This is how the nations of this earth will be brought into the Kingdom of God!

This is not a knowledge game. The goal is not to know more than others. The goal is that the truth of God will shine in His people and radiate His glory to all of creation. God’s people must not just know the truth, we must live it, and in living it we will attract the lost of this world just like a light in the darkness attracts insects.

 

The pages below have been taken from "Foundation Truths" and tweaked just a bit to give you a better understanding of how the word studies are created. After reading this article please read "A Sample Study" also found on this web site.

TOOLS USED TO PRODUCE GREEK WORD STUDIES

1. John Stegenga's "Greek/English Analytical Concordance."

This unique concordance combines all Greek words into some 1619 root words. A root word is the basic word from which other parts of speech are derived. The root is sometimes a part of speech which isn't even used in the New Testament, yet other words which come out of the root are used. By looking at any word in the Greek text we are able to trace it to its root word and examine all the different parts of speech, i.e. verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc. By examining these different parts of speech, each in its own context, we are able to produce accurate definitions through usage rather than preconceptions.

2. Englishmen's Greek Concordance

This concordance, which uses the same Greek text (Stephanus) as Stegenga, takes the various parts of speech and then lists the verses in which the word is used. A short section of each verse is listed with the word under consideration in italics. This concordance establishes a common and consistant phrase for each reference in our word studies in the King James Version. However, we use any translation which is useful in creating a good title.

3. Panin's Greek Interlinear New Testament

This Greek text is our ultimate plumbline. Every reference we use is checked against Panin's Greek. If a reference is missing from Stegenga or Englishmen's we add it. If a reference is omitted in Panin we omit it from our study (hence, the notation "omitted in best mss"). If the Greek case form is changed by Panin we change it for our study. Panin also provides extremely accurate contexts. (See "Numerics vs. Numerology" for more about Panin.)

4. Kittel's "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament"

We use this work as a plumbline to our accuracy in evaluating the meanings derived from our approach. The exhaustive scholarship that has gone in to this work makes it a worthy comparison. Any conclusions based upon a word study which do not agree in essence with Kittel are suspect.

5. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

This work provides a rapid reference for our word studies. It is useful in quickly providing basic definitions of words used with the word study being done. It is also a good reference to double check meanings which emerge from the word study.

6. A Note about Strong's Concordance

This concordance is such a popular one and again is based on the Stephanus manuscript. While we do not consider this book one of our vital resources, we do include the cross numbering system found in Strong's on the root word outline from Stegenga in case anyone wants to use Strong's numbering system as a resource. Doing a word study using Strong's can be extremely tedious just trying to track related parts of speech. Our word study approach supercedes Strong's in that the tedious research has already been done. Using Strong's would only be a duplication of our work.

7. Another work we strongly recommend is "KJV Hebrew-Greek Study Bible" by Spiros Zodhiates. Not only does this study Bible reference all of Strong's numbers for both Hebrew and Greek words but Mr. Zodhiates also indicates by bold type those words which carry significant theological value and for which he has created his own index of special thoughts and definitions.

UNDERSTANDING STEGENGA'S ROOT WORD OUTLINES

 

An important concept regarding Greek is that the different words in Greek come from a basic root word. By using these root words you can trace how parts of speech and meanings develop. The following is our word study outline, based upon Stegenga’s Greek/English Analytical Concordance, for the Greek word "CHAIro" which translates "to rejoice" and includes the concept of "grace".

 

RESEARCH PAPER #1559.1

CHAIro*, (395) TO REJOICE, HAIL

 

IA. CHAIro*, (74) TO REJOICE, HAIL

1. sug-CHAIro, (7) TO REJOICE WITH

IB. chaRA, (59) JOY, GLADNESS

ID. CHArin (Adverb meaning "wherefore" or "because of") OMITTED

2. eu-CHAristos ----- IIA.

IG. chariTOo, (2) TO TAKE INTO FAVOR

You can see that this word study has been broken down into five different studies. Each separate study is related to the root word, in this case a verb meaning "to rejoice". This means that although each word has a basic definition, that definition flows out of the meaning of the root word.

This concept takes on added importance when you find the same English word that has been translated from entirely different Greek words. EX: "CHArisma" translated "gift" does not have the same root word and therefore has a different meaning than the word "doreA" which comes from the root word "DIdomi" which means "to give". All English Bibles translate these two different Greek words as "gift" but CHArisma is a spiritual gift used for ministry while doreA is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The following rules apply to all Stegenga outlines.

1. Major parts of speech are given a letter, i.e. A, B, C, etc.

2. If there are two of the same part of speech related directly to the root word, i.e. two verbs, all major parts of speech are assigned a Roman numeral, i.e. IA, IB, IC.

EX: IA. CHAIro (to rejoice) \

IB. chaRA (joy) 2 verbs, hence the Roman numeral

IC. chaRIzomai (to forgive) /

3. Derivatives (usually involving prefixes or compound words) of any basic part of speech are indented and numbered with an Arabic number, i.e. IA.1, IA.2., IB.1., etc.

EX: IA.1. sug-CHAIro (to rejoice with) ("sug" is a prefix meaning with)

4. Derivatives which involve more than one part of speech are assigned a Roman numeral, i.e. IIA., IIB., IIC., etc.

EX: From IE.2. eu-CHAristos to:

IIA. eu-CHAristos (thankful)

IIB. eu-chariSTEo (to give thanks)

IIC. eu-chariSTIa (thanksgiving)

5. Some words descend through major parts of speech that are not found in the New Testament. So while the major part of speech has no references a derivative may have several.

6. Words related to a root which have no theological significance are omitted for the purposes of our word studies.

Many theologians discount "joy" or the ability "to rejoice" as a significant part of God's character. A breakdown of this word, however, shows us that the word "grace" comes out of God's ability to rejoice. If God did not find joy in unilaterally reaching out to man, where would we be?

We can also see from this root word that God's grace includes forgiveness. God's plan of salvation for men and the grace which God gives is seen strikingly in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Obviously, the joy which God felt overrode the sorrow He felt in giving His Son to die for mankind.

Jesus Christ was willing to divest Himself of His divinity and come to earth to die as a man. He did this because of the JOY that was set before Him. Jesus knew that this joy, which was a future reward, would be greater than any sorrow or pain He would have to endure.

God the Father wants all of His children to experience the joy that grace, i.e. unilaterally reaching out to others, produces. The word "CHArisma" means a gift that comes out of grace and is used to pass on God's grace to others. When we exercise a supernatural gift as directed by God's Holy Spirit we are able to reach out to others and give them God's grace.

In many churches the word "eucharist" is common. This word comes out of the word grace which comes out of the verb to rejoice. The verb "eu-chariSTEo" means to give thanks. Giving thanks is the natural joyful response to receiving grace. When God helps us He is filled with joy. When we receive God's help we are filled with joy. Our response is to give thanks. The "eucharist" is sharing the joy of our Lord and is realized when we partake of His life (blood) and body (bread). The inference to this is that communion or eucharist should be a time of rejoicing, not just a solemn time of introspection.

THE RESEARCH PAPERS

 

In each of the Research Papers of this volume, the root word is the organizing principle under which each derivative appears. Normally the outline of the paper does not deal with a complete root with all of its derivatives. Rather, we have selected those words, derivatives, prepositional prefixes, and compounds which relate directly to the context of the present volume, using the title and passage as the organizing principle as well as the basis of our selection.

First is the outline, discussed above, taken from Stegenga’s Greek/English Analytical Concordance. Across from each vocabulary form in the right hand column is the corresponding Strong’s number for the Greek word.

Then all references for the word being studied along with their significant derivatives are listed in order Matthew through Revelation.

An accurate context based upon the numerics of Ivan Panin (in close agreement with Westcott and Hort) follows each reference.

The portion of KJV is found in Englishmen's Greek Concordance under selected vocabulary forms (parts of speech).

A transliteration of each Greek word exactly as it appears in the Greek New Testament (case form) is given for each reference, and if the reference is a verb, the tense of the verb is indicated. Our transliteration is based on modern Greek pronunciation and is similar to the Berlitz method of learning tourist Greek. A guide to modern Greek pronunciation follows (see THE GREEK ALPHABET).

Greek vocabulary words in the New Testament are taken from the everyday language of those times called "Koine", or the "common" tongue. This means that a word like "resurrection" can be used for a man "getting up" out of bed, or Jesus "rising from" the dead. Sometimes the distinction between the ordinary and theological use is not clear cut and the meaning becomes a matter of spiritual insight which will be reflected in the title. Since our titles reflect our own insight we invite each student to consider whether or not our distinction is valid and, if not, to create their own title.

Next, under each reference is the title which we have created to describe the word we are studying in its context. The title is the key to any word's inductive definition. Sometimes we include two titles to emphasize different applications of meaning for a given word.

Finally, after titling all references a tentative evaluation is written. The evaluation is tentative because it is not inspired and is subject to change based upon other related words and concepts. We invite pastors, teachers, and students to write their own evaluation based upon personal research.

We have completed over 700 Greek word studies based upon this format and anticipate producing over 50 separate books, each with their own series of Greek words.

NUMERICS VS. NUMEROLOGY

 

What is numerics? At the turn of this last century a Russian mathematician by the name of Ivan Panin declared Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior. Ivan Panin was brilliant. He lectured at the world's top universities on the highest levels of mathematics. He was a professor at Harvard with Albert Einstein as one of his students. After meeting Jesus Christ, Ivan Panin mastered Greek and Hebrew within four years. He was fascinated by the fact that Greek and Hebrew are both languages in which their alphabets also contain their numbering system. Each of these languages has an alphabet and by adding an apostrophe or tick mark next to a letter a number is created. Thus, in Greek, adding a tick next to the letter "a" like this a? creates the number "1" (b? = 2, etc.). Ivan Panin began playing with Greek manuscripts of the Bible paying particular attention to mathematical principles and formulas found by converting letters to numbers. This is the basis of numerics. Each letter is converted to a number and the numbers are incorporated into mathematical formulas which ultimately establish the exact letters, words, sentences, sub-paragraphs, paragraphs, sections, books, and ultimately the entire New Testament. The same is true of Hebrew (although Ivan Panin died before completing a "numeric" Old Testament). This mathematical method is so precise and interlinked that to take away or change even one letter can destroy the whole system.

Ivan Panin essentially combined the various Greek manuscripts into one Spirit-inspired Greek text. So confident was he that this was God's design that he challenged anyone to write even one paragraph using numerics and matching the system which God included in original scriptures. He offered a prize of $200.00 dollars which at that time was equivalent to thousands and no one was able to meet the challenge!

Even more amazing is the fact that this numeric system has since been confirmed independently of Ivan Panin's work. In 1975 Jerry Lucas, a former professional basketball player, introduced his memorization through pictures approach to memorizing scripture. Later he and a fellow computer enthusiast, Del Washburn, found the same numeric patterns to Scripture which Ivan Panin had discovered over 50 years earlier through the use of a computer. They published a book about the phenomenon they found which they called "Theomatics". Del Washburn has since published a second book titled "Theomatics II". While "Theomatics" takes a different direction it is in agreement with the numerics of Dr. Panin.

The greatest hurdle numerics faces is its assumed relationship with numerology. What is numerology? In the strictist sense numerology is the study of numbers. In an application sense numerology assigns mystical values to numbers. Numerology has been around for a long long time and is seen mostly in astrology. Astrology uses different numbers to represent symbolic meaning. This has nothing to do with numerics. It must be the similarity in names that causes people to associate the two. They have NOTHING in common except the letters n, u, m, e and r.

 

THE NEWPAPER HEADLINE or HOW TO CREATE "TITLES"

 

Following is an article taken from a typical daily newspaper.

More than 10,000 tiny temblors have jostled an eastern California volcanic area since an earth quake swarm started almost two weeks ago, a scientist said Thursday.

But the activity has gradually declined since Feb. 21 and there is no reason to believe the quakes signal an upcoming volcanic eruption, said Jim Mori, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena.

Now let's pretend that you are the author of this article and that you are now required to create a title for it. You want the title to stand out (since this is going onto the front page) and cause people to want to read it. You are limited by these variables---who, what, where, when, why and how. You are also limited in the length of the title, it must be limited to eight words or less in length. This title by necessity will naturally be limited to what is being discussed within the article. Let's identify the principles:

who - Jim Mori, a seismologist

what - earthquake temblors (or small tremors)

where - eastern California (Death Valley?)

when - 2 weeks beginning before Feb 21 and tapering off since then

why - possible volcanic eruption (nature in action)

how - God knows

Now we put these principles together to make a possible headline. An easy way to do this is to use a verb to join two thoughts together.

SEISMOLOGIST MEASURES EARTH TREMORS

SEISMOLOGIST DENIES POSSIBLE EARTHQUAKE

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY HITS EASTERN CALIFORNIA!

Another method is to use a colon to separate two thoughts.

EASTERN CALIFORNIA: SITE OF A COMING EARTHQUAKE?

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY: EXTREMELY ACTIVE FOR TWO WEEKS

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY: DECREASES OVER THE LAST WEEK

10,000 TEMBLORS: A LOT OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

NATURE ON THE MOVE: CAUSES VOLCANIC TREMORS

We use these same techniques to create titles for the Greek word study references. The difference is that instead of having a free-for-all we zero in on one word---the word we are studying---and relate who, what, where, when, why and how to that word. We are allowed to use different parts of speech regardless of the specific part of speech used in the Greek.

Let's use a simple story in the Book of Acts to illustrate.

HOW TO CREATE TITLES (cont.)

ACTS 20:7-12 On Sunday, we gathered for a communion service, with Paul preaching. And since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight! The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps; and as Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the window sill, went fast asleep and fell three stories to his death below. Paul went down and took him into his arms. "Don't worry," he said, "he's all right!" And he was! What a wave of awesome joy swept through the crowd! They all went back upstairs and ate the Lord's Supper together; then Paul preached another long sermon---so it was dawn when he finally left them! (The Living Bible)

Let's assume we are studying the word "death". We want to think of who, what, where, when, why and how concerning the word "death".

who died - Eutychus

what happened - he fell off a window sill 3 stories to his death

where did it happen - in an upstairs room of a house

when - late at night (midnight)

why - he fell asleep

how - the room was full of smoke and probably hot and stuffy,

Paul kept droning on and on, he was tired

Possible titles (remember our title guidelines) include the following:

A YOUNG MAN FALLS TO HIS DEATH!

TIRED EUTYCHUS: FALLS ASLEEP AND FALLS TO DEATH

A YOUNG MAN'S DEATH: OVERCOME BY PAUL

PAUL: BRINGS A BOY BACK FROM DEATH

Now let's pretend the word we are studying is "joy".

who got joyful - the crowd

what were they joyful about - that Eutychus was alright

where - downstairs and outside

when late at night (midnight)

why were they joyful - a dead boy was brought back to life

how were they joyful - probably by smiling, laughing, shouting, clapping

Possible titles include:

A CROWD REACTS TO RESURRECTION WITH JOY!

JOY: A CROWD'S RESPONSE TO A RESURRECTION

PAUL'S GOOD WORK PRODUCES JOY IN BELIEVERS!

RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD: A REASON TO REJOICE

TITLES AND CONTEXT

 

Context is the setting or situation in which thoughts are expressed through language and actions. Context involves people, places, ideas, and events---all of which are interacting at the same time. When you separate words or actions from their context you strip them of their original intent or meaning. This concept is especially critical when doing word studies. To allow the word being studied to reflect its true meaning demands that the title reflect the context. This is why we list the context, in this case the verses which surround a specific reference, after each verse.

Often the context is similar to a paragraph, but the verse numbers and paragraph beginnings and endings which we find in our English translations are not found in the Greek manuscripts. They have been invented by translators to make the text more readable. The contexts which we are using in our Greek word studies and in our books are established numerically*. This causes some contexts to extend between paragraphs, but we regard these contexts as more accurate than the paragraphing translators have invented.

Regardless of how contexts are established the important thing is that context is used to help define the word being studied. And it is this principle at work that reveals the individual aspects of meaning for a given word. This principle can be compared to a many-faceted diamond. Each surface reflects its own light but all work together to give the whole gem its beauty. So it is with a word's meaning found within various contexts. Each meaning has its own contribution and together they all work to provide a complete definition and enlightened understanding.

 

* See the section on Numerics vs. Numerology for further explanation.

GREEK VERBS

 

One of the biggest problems translators face is conveying the meanings found within Greek verb tenses. This problem is due to the English language's inability to precisely define the nuances of these Greek verb tenses. One of the goals of a paraphrase, i.e. the Living Bible, is to adequately convey meaning---a translation process which requires many extra words and even then sometimes fails. However, a thorough understanding of Greek verb tenses can greatly increase the value found in doing a word study. Remember that verbs are words that help us convey the sense of time. Let's put on our English grammar hats and learn a little about Greek verbs.

1. Aorist Tense. This tense has no real equivalent in the English language although it is most often used as a past tense. It is much more powerful, however, than the past tense in English. This is because this Greek tense indicates a pinpoint event in time. It pictures an action that is over and done with in an instant and its effects last forever. It is sudden and complete and may occur in the past, present or even the future.

EX: Matthew 2:10 they REJOICED (IA. eCHAresan, aor.) with exceeding great joy.

We do not see the wise men in the act of rejoicing, but rather as a pinpoint event. This action is like a snapshot in time, a black and white picture of a specific event of the past.

2. Present Tense. The present tense in Greek is a good contrast to the aorist because it shows us action happening over time. A present tense makes us look at an action as it is happening. We see the action taking place like a motion picture in slow motion.

EX: Matthew 18:13 he REJOICETH (IA. CHAIrei, pres.) more of that sheep.

Here we see a shepherd who is jumping up and down, smiling and laughing, because he is rejoicing. His job is to take care of sheep and he has found one that was lost.

3. Imperfect Tense. While the present tense deals with continuous action in the now, the imperfect tense stresses action that begins in the past and proceeds to the present. Sometimes the imperfect tense can be seen as several actions over a long period.

EX: Luke 13:17 all the people REJOICED (IA. Echairen, imperf.) for all the glorious

The crowds that followed Jesus are seen through this verb as having periods of joy. When He stopped to minister to people we see the people smiling and clapping hands, shouting out praises, slapping each other on the back, showing their joy. Each time He stops to minister the people rejoice. This verb tense shows us a series of actions in the past.

 

 

 

GREEK VERBS (cont.)

4. Perfect Tense. The perfect tense represents an action done in the past. The effects of this action are valid up to and including the present. This tense tends to combine an aorist pinpoint with an imperfect continuous action.

EX: Jn 16:11 prince of this world HAS already BEEN JUDGED (IA. KEkritai, perf.)

Satan has been judged by God not as a once-and-for-all pinpoint event (the aorist tense). If that were true then Satan would be experiencing God's eternal punishment now, instead of being free to roam this world like a lion. Instead, God's judgment against Satan has been made and is still in effect even though Satan is free. His final judgment is coming in the future.

5. Pluperfect Tense. The pluperfect tense is the same as the perfect except that the past action is also completed in the past. This tense is rarely used.

EX: Matthew 12:7 "if ye had KNOWN (IA. egNOkeite, pluperf.) what this meaneth"

If the Jewish religious leaders had known that God desires mercy more than sacrifice they would not have been so upset about Jesus' disciples eating raw grain on the Sabbath. All of their rules were sacrificial, i.e. they made people give up their normal activities. Jesus changes the perception of the Sabbath by making known that not judging His disciples for eating grain on the Sabbath is an act of mercy. The Jewish leaders had already judged the disciples "guilty". This judgment would have changed if they had known God’s desire.

6. Future Tense. The future tense in Greek is the same as it is in English. An action that has yet to happen or be accomplished.

EX: Luke 1:14 many SHALL REJOICE (IA. chaREsontai, fut.) at his birth.

An angel came to the priest, Zacharias, and told him he was going to have a son that would cause people to rejoice when he was born. This rejoicing was going to occur in the future at a specific time, i.e. his birth.

7. Participles are a part of verb tenses. They are used to emphasize that the action which the verb accomplishes is done by a specific subject, i.e. whoever or whatever is doing the action.

EX: Luke 15:5 layeth it on his shoulders, REJOICING (IA. CHAIron, part. pres.)

Back to our shepherd finding a lost sheep. He is rejoicing because he found it.

(We include participles as part of our verb tenses in any references in our word studies.)

 

 

 

GREEK VERBS (cont.)

8. Moods affect verb tenses. We already know that the aorist is a very strong pinpoint event in the past. The aorist subjunctive is a mood which adds a condition to this past tense. Something must happen for the aorist to become a pinpoint. This event may or may not happen dependent upon whether the condition is met.

EX: Mt 21:21 If ye have faith, and DOUBT (IVA. diakriTHEte, aor. subj.) not,

This is the passage where Jesus is explaining the power of faith. If we have faith and doubt not (this is the condition that must be fulfilled) then our belief in what we say can literally move mountains. (We always indicate the subjunctive mood when used with an aorist tense in our studies.)

Other Moods. The subjunctive is one of four moods which affect Greek verb tenses. The others are indicative, which states a fact; imperative, which is a command; and optative which indicates a remote possibility (seldom used).

9. Although gender does not affect Greek verbs it should be mentioned. Greek uses three genders --- masculine, feminine and neuter. It is very important to understand that linguistic gender has nothing to do with sex. There is a teaching going around the Body of Christ that says the soul is female because the Greek word "PSYche" uses the feminine gender. This is absolutely not true.

10. Prepositions also affect Greek verb tenses but deserve a page of their own.

 

Knowing about Greek verb tenses will provide additional ammo for discussions. Teaching others to recognize the importance of these tenses will help them better understand overall word definitions.

 

 

PREPOSITIONS

 

These little words have a very big effect on Greek verbs. Prepositions describe the action a verb is taking. Below is a simple chart that illustrates the directions a preposition gives to verbs. When you see a derivative using a preposition you can look at this chart and think about how the preposition affects the verb and is used to communicate meaning within your verse and context.

 

huPER

(over)

? ?

? ePI (upon)?

pros (toward)? ???????????????????? 'aPO (off, away from) ?

? ?

? ?

eis (into, within)--?--? en ----?-----? 'ek (out of, from within) ? (in) ?

? ?

DIa (through) ---???----------------???--?

? ?

? ?

??PEri (around)---?? ? paRA (beside)

????????????????????

HUpo

(under)

? ?

KAta

(down)

?

Other prepositions include: anTI (over against, facing); pro (before); oPIso (behind);

sun (together); meTA (in the midst of, among, between, or after).

When introducing prepositions to your student, do not use overkill. Introduce each preposition as it occurs in the lesson plans and discuss just that one preposition at a time. (Although you may want to give each student a copy of this chart for future reference.)

EX: The word for repentance is metanoEo which is the prefix meTA, in this case meaning "after", and noEo, meaning "to weigh in the mind or think". Repentance is a change of mind that occurs after thinking or weighing your thoughts about sin and your relationship to God.

EX: TIthemi means "to put". Epi means "upon". epiTIthemi, or the laying on of hands, is putting your hands upon someone or touching them.

EX: KRIma means "a judgment or decision". Kata means "down". kaTAkrima is a judgment or decision that comes down on someone and is, in effect, condemnation. This kind of judgment brings a sentence of guilt and punishment with it as it comes down.

THE GREEK ALPHABET

NUMBER LETTER NAME TRANS. PRONUNCIATION NOTES

1 A ? AHL-fah AH In stressed syllables, pronounced like "a" as in father.

ah In unstressed syllables like "u" in but.

2 B ? VEE-tah v Like "v" in voice.

consonantal "y" as in young when it occurs before the sound "ee" as in beet or "eh" as in get.

gh This sound is not present in English. It occurs when "y" stands before the sounds "ah", "o", or "oo" or before a consonant (except for special combinations).

4 ? ? DHEHL-tah dh Like "th" in though.

5 E ? EH-psee-lon e, eh Between the "e" in get and the "e" in they.

7 Z ? Zee-tah z Like "z" in zeal.

9 ? ? THEE-tah th Like "th" in thin.

y When "i" stands before another vowel it is pronounced like an English consonantal "y".

20 K ? KAH-pah k Before the sounds "an", "o", or "oo" and most consonants, "k" as in kale.

g When "k" follows "n" it is usually pronounced like "g" in go.

usually pronounced like "ch" in the Scottish word loch.

30 ? ? LAHM-dhah l Like "l" in leap.

40 M µ mee m Like "m" in my.

50 N ? nee n Like "n" in no.

60 ? ? ksee ks Like "x" in axe.

70 O o O-mee-kron o Between the "o" in note and the "o" in not.

80 ? ? pee p In most situations like "p" in spin.

b After an "n" or "m" sound, pronounced like "b" in boy.

100 P ? ro r Not exactly present in English. It is made with the flip of the tongue like a Scottish "r", but shorter.

200 ? ? s SEEGH-mah s Like the "s" in hiss, though sharper, in most situations.

z Before "b", "g", "k", and "v" it is usually pronounced

like "z" in zeal.

300 T ? tahf t Like "t" in stop in most situations.

d When it follows an "n" or "m" sound, "t" is usually pronounced like "d" in dog.

 

GREEK ALPHABET (cont.)

400 Y ? EE-psee-lon ee Like "ee" in feet in most situations.

and "en", "v" becomes a consonant. Before another vowel or vowells with or "l", "m", "n", "r", "b", "g", "d", "z"

it is pronounced like "v" in voice; before other consonants it is pronounced like "f" in fact.

500 ? ? fee f Like "f" in fact.

600 X ? khee kh Before the sounds "ah", "o", and "oo", "x" is a harsh sound like the "ch" in the Scottish word loch; before the sounds "ee" and "eh", it is softer, like "ch" " in the German word ich. After an "s", "x" is sometimes pronounced

like "k" in kale.

700 ? ? psee ps Like "ps" in topside.

800 ? ? o-MEHghah o Between the "o" in note and the "o" in not.

 

DIPHTHONGS (Combinations of letters)

?? ee Like "ee" in beet.

o? oo Like "oo" in boot.

?? ahv, ahf "ahv" before vowels and voiced consonants.

"ahf" before unvoiced consonants.

"ef" before unvoiced consonants.

?? ng Like the "ng" in sing.

pronounced in three different ways, depending upon the individual word.

g At the beginning of a word like "g" in go.

g or ng In the middle of a word, it is like "g" in go or "ng" in sing.

nk In certain words borrowed from other languages it may be pronounced like "nk" in bank.

?? nx Like "nx" in sphinx.

?? ngkh Like "ng" of sing followed by the "kh" sound.

µ? b, mb Usually pronounced like "b" in boy; sometimes, in the middle of words, it can be pronounced

like "mb" in Cambridge; in some lone words it can be "mp".

?? d, nd Like "d" in down; sometimes in the middle of words it can be pronounced "nd", and less

often "nt".

DISCUSSION TIPS

 

1. Translations --- Encourage people to bring various Bible translations and have them read the reference verse or the context before trying to create titles. This will provide variety and a better sense of the word's meaning. Many of our original Greek studies were done using a four column parallel Bible with KJV, Living, Amplified and RSV translations.

2. Comparisons --- Compare synonyms. Use a thesaurus to list synonyms for the word being studied. These synonyms can be substituted in titles for the more rigid translation of the word and often add new insights. Create the title using the original word as translated, then substitute synonyms.

You can also compare parts of speech. Use the Stegenga root word outline (see index) to show develpment of words into different parts of speech. You will find ideas to share by doing this. For example, the noun "salvation" conveys a different concept as the verb. You would expect "salvation" to convert to the verb "to save", but in fact it converts to the verb "to make whole" or "to heal". How does this knowledge influence your understanding of the noun "salvation"?

Once you have completed several lessons you will be able to compare words and the overall concepts and ideas that different words carry. How do faith and repentance relate? Faith and works? Faith and laying on of hands? Etc. Doing this motivates you to want to study other words (not necessarily found in this book) simply so you can learn how they relate. (Many of our other books do exactly this---they group words that are related in order to separate definitions and then compare them.)

3. Reference Assignments --- Assign (or ask for volunteers) a reference from the next lesson to individuals with the idea that at the next meeting they will be expected to share their own titles and thoughts gained through personal study. This can get sticky if many people fail to study. It can also motivate them to study to avoid embarrassment.

4. Teams --- Organize larger groups into teams (composed of at least 3 people) and assign each team a reference to study. Each team would be prepared to discuss their reference and titles at the next meeting. Teams would not necessarily have to study together to create titles or thought for discussion. But having teams is one way to assure that each reference would have someone assigned to discuss it.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: These helps are only suggestions. You may want to try them at different points during the weeks of study remembering that it is impossible to incorporate all of these techniques and still cover the lesson material. You may not need or use any of them. The basics can be enough to generate great in-depth discussions.