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Recently I was chatting with my grandma on the phone while waiting to pick up my kids from school. I mentioned that I normally use the time while I am waiting to review my Greek vocabulary words. “Why are you studying Greek?” she asked – a fair question considering picking up a foreign language, especially a classical one, is not something you normally do late in your career, after you have already been teaching college for more years than people usually attend. And while it may not be commonplace, spending the better part of the past year learning Biblical Greek has been beneficial. So much so that I hope more people join me in this endeavor.

If you, like my grandmother, are curious why I am studying Greek, and wonder whether maybe you should consider doing so too, here are several reasons I think you should:

You can read the New Testament in the original language

Last year, my family and I visited the Museum of the Bible. Although it was a great blessing to look at historical manuscripts, it was an even greater blessing to be able to read some of the words through the protective glass. Ancient manuscripts appear different than a “modern” Greek New Testament; scribes did not use punctuation and wrote all their letters in the same case, so while reading the museum artifacts wasn’t seamless, it was possible. Even when I am not visiting a museum, it is a wonderful gift to be able to look at a digital version of the Greek New Testament and to read the words the authors actually penned. It is amazing to live in an age where we have a variety of biblical translations in our native languages, and I will forever my grateful for that. However, there is a richness in reading the words of Scripture in the language of those who wrote them. God choose a particular time in history to send His Son; a time where Greek was the predominant language. To read the words that were inspired by the Holy Spirit, in the language of those who were given the stewardship of writing them, is a wonderful gift.

You develop a deeper appreciation of the New Testament cultural context

Language is a significant aspect of cultural, and the Bible is filled with words and phrases that have particular cultural significance. The Bible is the authoritative Word of God for all time. However, we can (and should) esteem Scripture as the eternal source of truth, and also recognize that it contains symbols, metaphors, and certain patterns of speaking which are often language-specific and are influenced by the culture enveloping that language. Recently, my daughter was asking about head coverings and we were specifically discussing the instruction given to women regarding this in I Corinthians 11:5. Understanding the cultural context of that directive, helps us understand the reason why that instruction was given and its significance for us today. Knowing the language of a culture helps a reader understand the values and normative behaviors of people who are part of it. Our understanding and application of Scripture is richer when we understand the culture in which God selected to transmit His revelatory Word.

You can more fully respect literary nuances

As anyone who has studied a foreign language can tell you, there are some aspects of one language that have no equivalent in others. To use a modern-day example, if I say something is “cool” – your first instinct is likely to interpret that as meaning that I think something is “good” not that its temperature is low. In context it is understood that the speaker (me) doesn’t what the hearer (you) to interpret the word “cool” based on its literal meaning but based on what it colloquially means. If you were to translate my words into another language, you would probably use a word that is closer to “good” than a word than means “cold.” This shared understanding always occurs within a shared language setting. When you understand Biblical Greek, you are more equipped to notice the nuances and areas of emphasis that might not have an exact equivalent in English. Bible translators do a wonderful job of translating what is written in Greek into the language that they are translating. It is noteworthy however, that regardless of their native tongue, they start with the Greek when they begin the translation process. They want to make sure that when rendering the words of Scripture into a different language, they understand the literary nuances and meanings in the language it was written. When we understand Greek, we can more fully understand those nuances even without a translated text.

You are equipped to more rightly handle the Word of Truth

Understanding the original language, appreciating the cultural context in which Scripture was given, and respecting literacy nuances, all work together to further equip you to more rightly handle the Word of Truth. It is not uncommon to read a best-selling book or to listen to a podcast, and to have a Christian author tell you that because of the meaning of a certain Greek word, you should live your life in a specific way or affirm a specific statement as true. Perhaps the author is right, but if you don’t know and study the language of Scripture you would have no way of knowing if that is truly the case. You may be inclined to repeat what you heard or read, and never engage in the due diligence to ascertain whether their interpretation of that Greek word is actually what the word means, let alone whether we should apply it to our lives in the way they have suggested. The more we know the Truth, the better equipped we are to identify falsehood. And knowing the language of Scripture is one way we can increase our knowledge of the Word of God. It is, after all, difficult to study biblical Greek without investing considerable time in studying the Bible.

You can be strengthened for ministry

Every once in a while, one of my business students will ask me about getting a second major that has nothing to do with business. “I want to study philosophy” they might say, “what do you think?” My standard response is that they want to study something that is good and noble, they should, even if I can’t directly tell them how a philosophy major will benefit their business career. But I can tell them that by investing their time and energy in learning something that may be challenging for them, they will build mental muscles that will help them in their chosen field, even if neither of us can currently articulate how. They will think differently, and they will have another tool in their proverbially tool chest for considering situations they face. Because of that, their philosophy major will equip them to be a better businessperson.  

What is true for my students, is true to an even greater degree when we invest time and energy into studying Scripture. Perhaps you will never stand in front of an audience and teach a Bible lesson, and so you think learning Greek will have little usefulness for you. You may be right that you will never have a teaching ministry, but every Christian is called to have a ministry. And the more you know the Bible, the more you understand the Word of God, the more you will be strengthened to do that ministry with excellence – even if you never spend time declining a Greek verb with a congregation.

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I recognize that for many, the immediate response to this post will be a list of reasons why it doesn’t pertain to them. But I hope that before you dismiss it in totality, you will consider that even if God is not calling you to learn biblical Greek, He calls all His children to know and love the Word of God – and the more you spend time with something that is good, the more you know and love it. You may choose to engage in this endeavor without learning a biblical language, but please don’t neglect the calling all together. If more Christians spend more time knowing and loving God’s Word, the more our lives will be conformed to His Son, and the more we will be a light in a dark and dying world.

If after reading this you are interested in learning more Greek, here are a few helpful resources:

• Daily Dose of Greek – a repository of information, anchored by 2-minute videos where a New Testament verse is read in Greek, translated and discussed. This has been a wonderful addition to my morning quiet time and ensures that each and every day I making at least a tiny gain in my understanding of Greek.
• Beginning with New Testament Greek and Going Deeper with New Testament Greek – these are the books that have served as the foundation for my Greek studies. When you scroll down on these pages there are a variety of helpful tools and resources. The Memrise app (for learning vocab) has been especially helpful to me.
• Learn Biblical Greek with Bill Mounce – I have not personally used this site as my studies have been supported by the above resources, but it appears to contain a wealth of information and has been highly recommended.
• Biblical Greek Memory Songs – This is also from the Daily Dose, and these musical videos are helpful in learning and recalling Greek paradigms.