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NT GREEK STUDIES
Learn to Read the Greek New Testament


FUNCTIONAL GREEK


Do you wonder why different English Bible versions translate things differently? Do you want to know just enough about Greek so that you can find out what the words really mean? Or to be able simply to read the best technical commentaries? If you don't have the time to devote years of in-depth study into NTG, but still desire to understand and use some of it, then this page is for you. With Functional Greek, you will learn enough about New Testament Greek to be "functional", without mastering the language and spending years studying grammar and memorizing vocabulary. With Functional Greek, using the textbook mentioned below by Bill Mounce, you will learn how to:

  • Recite the Greek alphabet
  • Read and pronounce Greek words
  • Learn the basics of the Greek noun and verbal systems
  • Conduct Greek word studies
  • Decipher why translations are different
  • Read the best technical Greek Commentaries, and more.

It is important to note that Functional Greek is not a shortcut nor a substitute for actually learning Biblical Greek itself. You will be able to do all of the above, however with the help of study tools and resources. This will greatly help personal Bible study. However, if your desire is to learn the language, deeply understand it, and read it devotionaly while not being strongly dependent on tools and computer programs, then you will need to study Greek grammar itself. You can find more info about this here.

Textbook for the course:

Greek for the Rest of Us: Using Greek Tools Without Mastering Biblical Greek - Bill Mounce

The free lectures for the course which accompany this textbook are also available online below. These will walk you through the book, explaining as you go. This will be a huge aid in getting through this book and is something worth taking take full advantage of:

Bill Mounce's Free Lectures

Other Recommended Reference Tools:
(my recommendations, not Bill Mounce's)

Greek New Testaments:

Whether you are going to learn Greek in order to read it fluently and devotionaly, or just to do word studies, you should have a Greek New Testament.  There are many out there with lots of differences in format and size.  I recommend this one first, as it is very easy to read, has large font, and plenty of column space.  It is well made and will not fall apart if taken care of.  The manuscripts of this GNT are the same that are used to translate the ESV and NASB, and as such, they are different from the KJV.  There are other GNTs out there with the same text, however the font is either small, italicized and hard to read, or they are jumbled with textual variant notes that you do not want or need. This GNT would be more challenging than the next option.

The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader’s Edition

There is also the option of an interlinear, which has the Greek text on top with a literal translation of the English below. You may find this more user friendly, especially if you are choosing the Functional Greek route. This can be helpful for quick and easy reference or for seeing the way in which words are translated without being too technical.

NASB/NIV Greek Greek and English Interlinear New Testament

Lexicon/Dictionary:

In Greek, the word Lexicon is used instead of Dictionary, the two are synonymous. To read more about the word Lexicon, click here. There are many lexicons out there, but there is one that you want, so don’t just buy any one. There was a time when Joseph Thayer's Lexicon was the standard for Greek. Though it is still useful, today others have surpassed it. The one that most trustworthy scholars and pastors use costs about $140 new, BDAG 3rd edition. I have linked to the 2nd BAGD, which is nearly identical to the 3rd, and can be purchased for only $15-30 used!

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament & Other Early Christian Literature – 2nd Edition 1979 used

Below is the abridged version of the lexicon mentioned above. Unlike the full lexicon above, this one  does not contain the information about Greek words used in early Christian literature, but only the New Testament. This abridgement is very helpful and can also be purchased used for a much lower price.

Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament – 2nd Edition – F. Wilbur Gingrich

Further Word Study:

This is a great book which I highly recommend. It gives a verse by verse commentary on the Greek of the New Testament, pointing out nuances, difficulties, rare words, and differences that stand out between the Greek and English which may not be seen by reading a translation.  It is necessary though to be able to read some Greek to use it, so it would not be very profitable until after you are nearing the end  of the textbook.

The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament – Cleon Rogers

Greek Exegetical Commentaries:

These commentaries are a bit technical, being based on the Greek New Testament text, as opposed to the English text, and as such, they will necessitate some knowledge of NTG. These focus on the original language for the purpose of exegesis, interpretation, and to see shades of nuance and meanings of the language which are not seen clearly in English. For a list of recommended Greek commentaries, you can go here, and see the third group. The first two offer other types of commentaries.

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Greek Quotes:

Another result when pastors do not study the Bible in Greek and Hebrew is that they, and their churches with them, tend to become second-handers. The harder it is for us to get at the original meaning of the Bible, the more we will revert to the secondary literature. For one thing, it is easier to read. It also gives us a superficial glow that we are “keeping up” on things. And it provides us with ideas and insights which we can’t dig out of the original for ourselves. - John Piper

Not only is this the only well from which we can draw the original force and meaning of the words and phrases of divine utterance, but also those languages (Hebrew & Greek) possess a weight of their own – a vividness which brings home to the understanding fine shades of meaning with power which cannot survive the passage into another tongue. - John Owen
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