Sentences

Five lines you already know in English. Name the Greek: subject, verb, and the word that joins the clause. Two of them use the aorist before the lessons do. The New Testament will not wait.

• John 1:1Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος

  In the beginning was the Word.

  ἐν takes the dative, ἀρχῇ. ἦν is the imperfect of εἰμί, was. ὁ λόγος is nominative, the subject, even though in English the subject comes first.

  • Ἐνin
  • ἀρχῇbeginning, dative
  • ἦνwas
  • ὁ λόγοςthe Word, subject
• 1 John 4:8ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν

  God is love.

  The noun with the article, ὁ θεός, is the subject. ἀγάπη has no article, so it is the predicate. A grave on θεός is the same word as θεός. The accent softened because another word follows.

  • ὁ θεόςGod, subject
  • ἀγάπηlove, predicate
  • ἐστίνis
• Mark 1:1Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  There is no verb. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου and Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ are genitives: of the gospel, of Jesus Christ. Some copies add υἱοῦ θεοῦ. This is the opening phrase.

  • Ἀρχήbeginning
  • τοῦ εὐαγγελίουof the gospel
  • Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦof Jesus Christ
• Romans 3:23πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον

  For all sinned.

  γάρ cannot stand first, so πάντες precedes it. πάντες is nominative plural, the subject. ἥμαρτον is aorist of ἁμαρτάνω. The aorist is not in the lesson path yet. The text does not wait for the syllabus.

  • πάντεςall, subject
  • γάρfor
  • ἥμαρτονthey sinned, aorist
• John 3:16Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον

  For God loved the world in this way.

  ἠγάπησεν is aorist of ἀγαπάω, he loved. The subject ὁ θεός follows the verb. τὸν κόσμον is accusative, the object. οὕτως is thus, or in this way.

  • Οὕτωςin this way
  • γάρfor
  • ἠγάπησενhe loved
  • ὁ θεόςGod, subject
  • τὸν κόσμονthe world, object