Lesson 2 | Vocab
Memorization
In each vocabulary lesson, you're going to work on memorizing John 1:1-5 in Greek. There are three reasons why we have included Bible memorization in the original language in this course:
1. It will help you learn inductively.
You have already been given new vocabulary to memorize in a list. But that's not the most natural way to learn a language. As children, we learned words as adults talked to us; we learned phrases and idioms that we didn't understand, but could use; our full understanding came later. The ultimate way to learn a language isn't through paradigms and rules but through extensive exposure.
So in John 1:1-5, you'll learn words as they occur “in the wild,” in the text of Scripture itself. The more you memorize and even just read, the more words and syntactical constructions (groups of words) you’ll absorb in the process.
2. It will help you quickly improve your Greek through a passage you're already familiar with.
You've probably already memorized at least part of John 1:1-5. Memorizing it in Greek is a way of "cheating," so that you can learn words and phrases faster than through a textbook.
3. It will be a means of grace.
The psalmist wrote,
When you internalize God's words, they will guide your heart and mind into righteous ways and away from sinful ways. May God “equip you with everything good that you may do his will ... through Jesus Christ” as you memorize these verses (Heb 13:21).
Setting The Stage
Here's the process you'll follow in each memorization step:
1. Listen to me read all of John 1:1-5, following along in the text below.
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2. Then listen to me read verses 1-2. Do so at least five times.
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Working On Pronunciation
3. Now listen to me read each phrase of verses 1-2, and then say each phrase after me.
Ἐν ἀρχῇ (in [the] beginning)
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ἦν ὁ λόγος, (was the word)
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καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν (and the word was)
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πρὸς τὸν θεόν, (with the God)
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καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. (and God was the word)
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οὗτος ἦν (this one was)
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ἐν ἀρχῇ (in [the] beginning)
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πρὸς τὸν θεόν. (with the God)
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Committing It To Memory
In this audio track, I read through verses 1-2 a phrase at a time, giving you time to repeat after me. After two run-throughs, the phrases that you are to repeat become longer. Again, this is done twice. And so the track continues until you are repeating these two verses in their entirety.
Of course, you will need to listen through the full track many times before you have it down. Be patient with yourself and persevere! (Download the MP3 to listen as you drive, etc.)
4. Listen and repeat during the pauses. Repeat until you have this text memorized.
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