Chapter 6: The Greek Language

The Greek people may be biblically traced to Javan, the son of Japheth. Their language heralds from the eastern parts of India to the western shores of Europe. We find some of the greatest works of philosophy, history, architecture, mathematical science, and sculpture given to the world from this people and in their tongue. The language has changed over time like so many languages of the world through migration and military conquest. The common form, called Hellenistic or Macedonian, blended the previous forms to become the common tongue used in the Christian era.



Athens, Antioch, and Alexandria became the centers for education and literacy. The famous Alexandrian Library founded by Ptolemy Soter is still known throughout the world. The city of Alexandria contained a large number of Jews likely due to the relaxed political climate at the time. The Jews adopted the Greek language and soon came to be called Hellenists. It is common to call the Greek of the NT Hellenistic Greek for this reason. This influence of the Jews may have brought into the language some Hebraisms giving to the NT unique qualities not known before. The NT manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the apocryphal books are all given in Hellenistic Greek. The writings of Philo, Josephus, and the Apostolic Fathers also serve as examples of this form of Greek and are useful in learning its peculiarities.

The characteristics of Hellenistic Greek have been arranged into eight categories by Planck. He notes that biblical Greek bears the peculiarity of containing foreign words such as Aramaic and Latin. It is also noted that the New Testament writers did not follow a standard writing system. They each had their own manner of spelling words for example. Some of these differences may be attributed to a copyist and not necessarily the author. Compared to other Greek forms, the NT writers used peculiar flexion of nouns and verbs. Moreover, another peculiarity of the NT writers is nouns given in a non-uniform manner. Nouns are sometimes given in the masculine and neuter forms whereas in the Septuagint they would be given consistently and uniformly.

There is also to be found in the NT Greek text nouns that are given entirely new forms or are new words themselves. An addition, new meaning and significance was given to known Greek words. Careful and patient study must be given in order to trace any changes in such meanings. An example is the word euagglion. In classical times the word carried the meaning of the reward for a good message. Later, it came to be used of sacrifice for a good message, and then still later came to mean the good message, or news, itself. Therefore, the meaning in the NT is the good news, or Gospel, of Jesus Christ.

It is apparent that Hellenistic Greek adopted some Hebraisms. Perfect Hebraisms are seen in words, phrases, and contractions unique to Hebrew or Aramean appear to be transferred directly into the Greek language. Imperfect Hebraisms have some measure of probability of being introduced from Hebrew. Words such as hosanna are direct transfers from Aramaic to Greek, and the word translated ‘bowels’ in the AV draws the concept from the Hebrew. Certain expressions and grammatical constructions can also be traced as particularly Hebrew. This can be seen by noticing the verb following the preposition where in Classical Greek verbs stand alone in accusative or dative cases without a preposition.

Such Hebraist constructions and styles would be natural to the NT writers who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in expounding the Hebrew Scriptures which they were well acquainted with. The same Spirit that moved the prophets of old then breathed-out through the holy Apostles as they made known the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Hebrew Scripture in the New Testament. When the Lord dealt primarily in the world through the Hebrew people He spoke to them in their language. But when the fullness of times had come when Jehovah when the middle wall of separation be torn down between Jew and Gentile, He set His revelation in the language of the Greeks.