Exegetical Gems from Biblical Greek

Serious students of the Bible often invest a great deal of time and energy in learning and holding on to the Biblical languages. Resources which assist students of the New Testament to retain and apply their Biblical Greek are sought after. Merkle’s Exegetical Gems aims to be such a resource. The book summarizes thirty-five Greek grammatical issues and seeks to describe their significance for New Testament interpretation by exploring key texts.

I found Merkle’s offering useful in its concise descriptions and explanations of these grammatical issues more than as a source of ‘exegetical gems’. He briefly explores alternative interpretations of various texts and details the grammatical options before stating his interpretive conclusion. However, the key deciding point is most frequently decided by context more than grammar. This is as it should be but is less supportive of the driving thesis behind the book.

The texts he explores represent a diverse set of passages from the Gospels (mainly Matthew), Pauline epistles and Hebrews. Some key texts explored include:

-Romans 5:1 ‘since we have been justified through faith, we have (or let us have) peace with God’.

-Ephesians 5:21-22 ‘Submit(ing) to one another out of reverence for Christ.’ Here Merkle argues that Αἱ γυναῖκες (Wives), in verse 22, although nominative is to be read as a vocative, and this is indicative of the beginning of a new section. This was an interesting argument, but I found myself convinced that both paragraphs which follow the ὑποτασσόμενοι of 5:21, one addressing Αἱ γυναῖκες and the next addressing Οἱ ἄνδρες (plus others which follow, e.g. Τὰ τέκνα, Καὶ οἱ πατέρες) also refer backward as well as forward.

-1 Timothy 3:6 ‘He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil’ explores the genitive τοῦ διαβόλου (as subjective or objective).

-John 1:1 where he explores why the Word ὁ λόγος has the article and θεὸς is anarthrous, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

-Matthew 16:24 where an understanding of verbal aspect is explored. This verse contains two aorist imperatives (ἀπαρνέομαι and αἴρω) and one present imperative (ἀκολουθέω). Merkle argues that interpretations which argue from the verb tense-forms that Jesus is teaching that we must decisively come to the point where we deny ourselves and take up our cross and then keep following Jesus (continuous discipleship) are not based on a right understanding of verbal aspect.

Exegetical Gems from Biblical Greek may prove a particularly useful resource for the Biblical Greek classroom with its concise explanations of various dimensions of the language and its interpretation and the key examples from key New Testament texts.

I thank the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book targets a specific audience: people who have already studied at least a semester or two (or equivalent) of koine Greek. If that’s you and you’re looking to enhance your understanding and/or brush up on your long-neglected biblical Greek, I highly recommend this book. If you don’t fit into that category, this probably isn’t worth your time. It might give you a basic overview of the kinds of things that knowing koine Greek can (and can’t) help you with in New Testament exegesis, but the frequent Greek text and technical jargon will probably make it an exercise in frustration.

The book is divided into many short chapters that cover grammatical issues related to case, tense, voice, mood, etc. Each chapter describes the concept under discussion and provides an example of how understanding it can help in accurate interpretation in a sample passage. There were a few times where I would have liked to see a little bit more thorough argumentation in the interpretation section, but that is the price of brevity I suppose. I appreciate that the author carefully avoids reading more information into a grammatical construction or vocabulary choice than is actually warranted. The whole book illustrates how a knowledge of biblical Greek should be used in ministry, avoiding the pitfalls of common exegetical fallacies.

Overall, this is an excellent resource for sharpening your understanding and use of Koine. If I were a professor of biblical Greek this would be at the top of the collateral reading list for second year (or maybe even second semester) students.

I found this book a very interesting look at Biblical Greek interpretation. It's a slow read, and I'm still plodding through the book, as I am only a beginner at learning Koine Greekr. In saying that, I still find the book useful for understanding a bit more about interpretation. I suspect it would be even more use for the book's target market - those with intermediate or advanced learning in Biblical Greek. The book is set out logically, and seems to provide excellent arguments for it's conclusions.

Studying Biblical Greek is a challenge for many of us trained in English. Not only must we grasp the challenges of grammar and a strange new pronunciation, we need to interpret the nuances that are revealed through different contexts. For those who are not gifted with language studies, the technical aspects of the language can be arduously dry. Author Benjamin Merkle designs this refresher of 35 examples to help three types of readers: Current Seminary students studying Greek; Former Greek students; and teachers of Biblical Greek. Current students would find the examples helpful to shed light and relevance in their studies. Former Greek students would be able to revisit what they had learned and forgotten. Greek teachers could use the examples to make their classes not only more interesting but more powerful.

Using a regular second year Greek syllabus format, Merkle titles each chapter according to the Greek syntax and exegesis course. While the book could be used like a reference book, for those who prefer to start from cover to cover, each chapter builds on the earlier ones. Readers get to learn or refresh themselves on the nature of koine Greek; interpretation from contexts and not just the texts; and the basic grammar and syntax to remember. As it is assumed that readers already have a knowledge of the Greek alphabet and the pronunciation, the Greek words in the book have not been transliterated. However, the meaning is often accompanied by an English translation in brackets. Like an able teacher, Merkle guides readers along with three clear sections: Introduction; Overview; and Interpretation. In Introduction, we get a gist of what the chapter is about. This is followed by an Overview with the key points reiterated with examples of how they are used in the other parts of the New Testament. The Interpretation portion is not only the longest, but comprises the main application of the concepts mentioned. Where appropriate, the author brings in exegesis and references from other sources to highlight the different ways to understand the grammar or how the grammar is used.


My Thoughts
For former students of Greek who have mostly lost touch of Greek grammar and exegesis skills, this book refreshes their memories. In some cases, it would bring back terms that one has totally forgotten. Language is something that needs to be used on a regular basis, otherwise it will be lost. That is why people say "Use it or lose it." This is so true for Greek studies. Even preachers who prepare messages regularly would tend to depend on secondary sources for Greek exegesis. Hopefully, this refresher book would help such people to go beyond these secondary sources to learn to exegete Greek a little bit more independently. Expectations however need to be set appropriately. This book may contain the concepts needed, but they are to be treated more like a pre-exam revision notes. Key points, acronyms, or pointers are there to open up a bigger reserviour of knowledge. If readers do not have that reserviour in the first place, these pointers would have limited help. For some, the concepts at the beginning might seem a little too intimidating. I would suggest such readers bring out their old Greek textbooks and notes for greater effect and learning, to use this book as a primer to unlock the old years of learning.

For current students of Greek, this refresher would be an immensely helpful supplement to ring in the grammatical concepts concisely. With the concepts fresh in their minds, they would be quick to move toward the application aspects. It would be good for such students to bring in their own illustrations and other texts to try to exegete on their own, alongside what is used in the book. This is one of the best ways to learn about the nuances of the Greek grammar. In other words, let them bring forth their own gems.

For teachers of Greek, this book would be a ready to use example to highlight the beauty and effectiveness of the language. One of the best times for me as a Greek student is to see the concepts come alive through the explanation of texts we often take for granted in the English translation. At the same time, we would grow to appreciate the difficulties translators have with regard to the choices they were forced to make.

Benjamin L. Merkle is Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Greek Editor of the Southeastern Theological Review. He specializes in the area of Biblical Studies. He is also a contributor to the ESV Expository Commentary series.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.