Lesson 1 | The Basics
Vocabulary
You are now ready to learn some Greek words! Our goal in this class is to learn most of the words that occur 100 or more times in the Greek New Testament. This means that we will learn 17–18 new words for each lesson. Most of these words and definitions are coming from a book by Warren Trenchard called Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament.
At the outset, I want to remind you of one thing. Learning vocabulary is hard but crucial work. If you do not take the time to learn these words well, you will not be able to read your Greek New Testament. Instead, you will depend so much on Bible software to look up each word that you will not be able to read the text. So, commit right now to learn these words. Download the Quizlet app and search for “Biblearc” under classes. (You may also use this link to join the class.) Then, review these words while you are in line at the grocery store or waiting for the bus.
Today, we are going to learn 18 Greek words. Before we look at the flashcards, I want to point out three things.
- Many of the cards look like this: Ἰησοῦς, -οῦ, ὁ. The extra information next to the word will help you know how the word will look in different contexts. The first piece of extra information is a different ending to the word. The second part is the appropriate article. So, we would say “ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἰησοῦ” aloud when memorizing this word. We will learn more about these extras in future lessons.
- Many flashcards have the Greek word on one side and several English words on the other side. Why? Greek words do not equal English words. So, for example, sometimes it is best to translate λόγος as “word” but in other contexts the English word “message” communicates its meaning better. The range of English words will help you understand a specific Greek word’s range of meaning. So, you should memorize the Greek word and two or three of the English words.
- Make sure that you listen to and say each word aloud several times as you study them. This will help you memorize them.
Go slowly through the flashcards below. Practice saying each word aloud. (Note: you can switch which side of the card is presented first via the double arrow button below the cards.)
Here is a list of the words you just learned. Make sure that you can confidently say and understand each of these words before you move on.
Lesson 1 Vocabulary
Word
Definition
αὐτός, αὐτή, αὐτό
he, she, it (third person pronoun)
γάρ
for; because (connector)
δέ
now; but; then (connector)
ἐγώ
I (first person pronoun)
εἰμί
I am (verb)
εἰς (+ accusative)
into; in; towards (preposition)
ἐκ (+ genitive)
from (preposition)
ἐν (+ dative)
in; on; among (preposition)
θεός, -οῦ, ὁ
God (noun)
Ἰησοῦς, -ου, ὁ
Jesus (noun-Name)
καί
and; even; also (connector)
λέγω
I say (verb)
μή
no/not (negator)
ὁ, ἡ, τό
the (the article)
ὅτι
because; that; "..." (connector)
οὐ
no/not (negator)
πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν
each, every, all (adjective)
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Here is a spreadsheet with all the vocabulary from the course, should you care to print it out or the like.