Greek for the Week

In Ephesians 6:15, we are told that peace is like the sandal of a Roman soldier that enabled the solider to stand his ground. The phrase "having put on" (hypodesamenoi) is found in the middle voice and indicates the part we play in having peace that comes from God's Word.

In Matthew 5:10 it says Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. The word “righteousness” here is dikaiosynes. Here it means a whole life that is oriented toward God. It is set against the establishment of the systems of this world. And, because of this, it is easily noticeable and stands out. Because of this, it attracts persecution.

In Matthew 5:4, Jesus says, “blessed” (well off) are those who mourn. The Greek word for “mourn” here is “penthountes” which means passionate grief that leads to action. It entails weeping over sin, being saddened by the loss of our own innocence, and being distraught by the wickedness in the world.

Being "poor in spirit,” as in Matthew 5:3, means feeling our need for God and reaching out to himwith the total trust that he alone can supply what we lack. This term “poor in spirit” (ptochoi to pneumati) comes from Ps. 33:19 in the Greek Old Testament. It means one who humbly trusts God in their impoverished state.

In Matthew 5:3-11, we find the Beatitudes. The beatitudes display the attitude of a true disciple of Jesus, one who has chosen the way of the Kingdom over the way of the world. A disciple who practices this will be “makarioi.” This is often translated “happy,” “blessed,” and it describes one who is well off, has a deep inner joy, and is even to be envied.

As believers, we should endeavor to partner with the Holy Spirit so that he can point out potential hazards along the way. This is so essential to our victory as Christians that God commands us to do this in a very strong way. In Philippians 3:2, the apostle Paul tells the Philippian church to be on the “look out” for harmful things three times. He repeats the command “blepete” back to back to back. It’s like saying “beware! Beware! Beware!” The force of this would caution any reader that there are going to be traps that come along the way and, unless we are paying attention to the Holy Spirit, we might miss them and fall into them.

When you pray, are you interceding on the behalf of just your closest and favorite people or are you fervently praying for others outside of your social sphere as God leads? In Romans 1:9-10 Paul said that he prayed for the Roman Christians “without ceasing” and “always.” The Greek words “without ceasing” adialeiptos and “always” pantote intensifies the statement and expresses intense, personal, and heartfelt prayer. The interesting thing is that the Roman Christians were not part of Paul’s social interaction or those under his apostolic responsibility. Yet, he genuinely cared for them and had their best interest at heart when he prayed.

Is Greek something you want to begin studying in 2020? One of these three texts books can help you. Chris gives his favorite three textbooks to start learning the language of the New Testament.

Do you want to pray accurately? Let the Holy Spirit help you! In Romans 8:26, we are told that the Spirit “intercedes” for us. The Greek word for intercedes is “hyperentynchanei.” It means “to hit a target really well.” It was used to describe lightning striking a person or a tree and a crocodile attacking its prey with force.

In Jude 16, God’s Word calls those who complain against his moral Law “malcontnets.” Here the Greek word is mempsimoiroi. This word actually describes a character that appeared in Greek comedies, known as “the Grumbler” or "the Complainer."