Greek is a very versatile language. No wonder God chose it to promote the gospel message to us in the New Testament. The nuances in mood, tense and meaning are variable within the syntactical context of passages and make for endless hours of debate and discussion among scholars who study Scripture.
source: Greeka
Greek has also influenced our own language in many ways and is still widely used in the medical community, most recently as indicators of covid virus variants. You'd really be surprised to learn how many words that you use daily are based on Greek roots, prefixes or suffixes. According to one estimate, more than 150,000 words of English are derived from Greek words. (britishcouncil.org)
Just as English is the world's lingua franca today, Greek was used as the language of commerce between nations in the Roman world during Jesus' time and the Apostle Paul, fluent in several languages including Hebrew, was divinely influenced to use this idiom to reach countless people then and throughout the running centuries.
Personally, what I find fascinating about written Greek is that there were no punctuation marks used back in the day (see image above). Readers actually had to be critical thinkers to interpret the message and its meaning in a way that resonated with their understanding of thought and purpose in communicative ways. The good Lord has always been gracious to mankind and in an unexplainable way acknowledges the intelligence He created us with and expects us to use it for His Glory and purposes and our mutual benefit.
Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Contrary to what some adherents to Greek mythology believe, language did not spring forth from the forehead of Zeus nor did it evolve from the grunting of apes. It is a gift from God to us so that we can express ourselves intelligently and honorably before His eyes. So whatever you do in word and in deed, do it knowing that it is all recorded in heaven's database and we are to be accountable for it one day. (Matthew 12:36) Until then, enjoy the variance.
Variance by Patient Chill
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