Greek for Bible Readers

011

In interpreting the words of the Greek New Testament we use several distinct, yet interdependent methods. These include lexical analysis (the meaning of words), syntactical analysis (the relationship of words to one another), structural analysis (the overall arrangement of the text), rhetorical analysis (the relationship of form and style to meaning) and tradition-critical analysis (the tradition behind and within the text). Each of these methods will be taken up in turn, beginning in this lesson with lexical analysis—more commonly known as word study.

There are three basic principles of word study. First, we must know the possible range of meanings of a word, which can be quite large in Greek. For example, hJmevra (heµmera, “day”) can be used for the interval between sunrise and sunset (Revelation 21:25), a 24-hour period (Matthew 6:34), a time of judgment (Hebrews 10:25), time in general (John 14:20) and even a court of law (1 Corinthians 4:3). The point is that a Greek word usually has several meanings, only one of which need be its semantic contribution to any particular passage.

Our second principle is that words must always be studied in context. The possible meanings of Greek words (like English ones) are context-determined to a significant degree. Hence only when an entire text has been studied can the meanings of its component words be determined.

Determining the significance of the word for our understanding of the text is the final principle of word study. Word study is not complete until we appreciate the message of the author and its relevance for modern readers, ourselves included.

The basic procedure of word study involves three steps: selecting the word to be studied (usually any unclear or important word), examining the history of the word in both biblical and non-biblical usage and, finally, determining the meaning of the word in the passage under study.

Be careful to avoid the common fallacies of word study. One can rely too heavily on etymology, the study of a word’s roots. A notorious example is ejkklhsiva (ekkleµsia, “church”), a combination of ejk (ek, “out of”) and the root kal (kal, “to call”). Many an imaginative interpreter has concluded from this that the church is a separatist group, called out from the rest of the world. However, ejkklhsiva simply means “assembly,” and the meaning of the word has little to do with its etymology (compare to English “pineapple” or “butterfly”).

Another danger is illegitimate totality transfer, which occurs when the various meanings of a Greek word are gathered together and then presumed to be present in any single context. Though ejkklhsiva generally means “church,” in Acts 7:38 it clearly does not have this meaning (though some interpreters improperly read that meaning into the text); it means “congregation.”

Also be aware of the principle of semantic neutralization, which states that synonymous terms may be used interchangeably without any significant difference in meaning. For example, ajgapavw (agapaoµ) and filevw (phileoµ), two words meaning “love,” are used interchangeably in some contexts. We therefore need not insist upon a hard and fast distinction in a passage such as John 21:15–17 (“Simon, do you love me?”), where both words for love are used.

Finally, it is necessary to distinguish between words and concepts. All languages have several ways of expressing a concept, and only rarely does a concept consist of only one word. Hence a word study of ejkklhsiva alone would hardly be sufficient as a basis for a discussion of the New Testament concept of “church” (a study of 1 Corinthians or Ephesians would also be helpful).

One way to avoid these fallacies is to keep a constant eye on word study reference works. The most useful tools include The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 4 vols., edited by Colin Brown (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975–1986); A Greek-English Lexicon by H. G. Liddell and R. Scott (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1968); A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by Walter Bauer et al. (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1979) (this is the standard New Testament lexicon); and A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, ed. by Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida (New York: United Bible Societies) (for studying range of meanings).

On the relation of linguistics (the scientific study of language) and semantics (the study of meaning) to New Testament word study, see Louw, Semantics of New Testament Greek (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982); Anthony Thiselton, “Semantics and New Testament Interpretation,” in New Testament Interpretation, ed. I. H. Marshall (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), pp. 75–104; my Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), chapter 5; and my “The Study of New Testament Greek in the Light of Ancient and Modern Linguistics,” in New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, ed. D. A. Black and D. S. Dockery (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), pp. 379–406.

Our next column will provide an example of a Greek word study based on the linguistic principles discussed in this lesson.

Please send me your questions about the Greek New Testament and about its interpretation to “Greek for Bible Readers,” Bible Review, 3000 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20008. I’ll try to answer them in future columns.