Handy Guide to Difficult and Irregular Verbs (Kregel) PDF

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“Laansma and Gauthier have developed a new approach to an old problem— how to parse difficult verb forms. A helpful feature of this book is their treating all compounded forms of a verb in the same list. This will no doubt be a welcome aid to students of New Testament Greek as they learn to identif...

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“Laansma and Gauthier have developed a new approach to an old problem— how to parse diicult verb forms. A helpful feature of this book is their treating all compounded forms of a verb in the same list. This will no doubt be a welcome aid to students of New Testament Greek as they learn to identify these forms for themselves.” —Stanley E. Porter President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, and Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview McMaster Divinity College “Many students of New Testament Greek need help in the leap from basic introductory courses to eicient and enjoyable reading of the text. One part of that hurdle is the mastery of irregular verbs. Here is a set of ine tools to help you overcome the challenge. The key part of this volume is a listing of all irregular verbs, in both their simplex and their compound forms, in decreasing frequency of usage. That means the student can set realistic goals in the pursuit of the mastery of forms, gradually tackling the rarer forms. And if that student is really wise, he or she will use this tool in conjunction with regular reading of the Greek New Testament.” —D. A. Carson Research Professor New Testament Trinity Evangelical Divinity School “Jon Laansma and Randall Gauthier seem to have read the embarrassed minds of all of us who studied Koine Greek formally a long time ago, but still ind ourselves needing to treat it with sensitivity and precision—as of course we must do in order to render any reliable account of ancient sacred literature in Greek. The Handy Guide’s organization by frequency of verb forms and by groups of compound verbs is ingenious, cuting through the necessarily daunting layouts of lexicons and grammars and providing many shortcuts to the great question in every case: What is this verb, in its context, actually doing? The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs will live on top of my pile of reference books as I make the irst pass in my new translation of the Gospels.” —Sarah Ruden Author of The Face of Water: A Translator on Beauty and Meaning in the Bible “Irregular verbs regularly alict students of New Testament Greek. They are a source of intense frustration and the dread that initiates bouts of procrastination. Tools abound that help to some degree, but even the standard lexicon by Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich only lists the inlected forms of these irregular verbs that occur in early Christian literature. What has long been needed is a frequency list that shows the irregular principal parts and paterns of these verb stems. Brilliant ideas are often marked by the instant recognition that they meet a felt need. Laansma and Gauthier have provided this in a format that is elegant in its very simplicity.” —Daniel B. Wallace Senior Research Professor Dallas Theological Seminary

“Laansma and Gauthier are correct that irregular verbs are the bane of Greek students. Their approach facilitates the student’s understanding and acquisition of such verbs. The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs could be used as a basis for assignments over which students would be quizzed or as a reference resource for students to use when they encounter diicult forms. I would seriously consider using this book as a required text in several courses. We spend the last three weeks of the semester reading from the New Testament, and our students would be helped by using this resource when they encounter irregular verbs.” —David Turner Professor of New Testament Grand Rapids Theological Seminary “For Greek students wanting to prioritize their learning of irregular verbs, this book will be a valuable tool. I know of no other resource that arrays so much lexical and morphological data in such a helpful way for improving one’s Greek.” —N. Clayton Croy Tutor in New Testament Wyclife Hall, University of Oxford “After my Greek studies at Bob Jones University, I was asked by a fellow seminary student how I could read the Greek New Testament so easily. I responded that it was because my Greek professor required us to memorize the principal parts of irregular verbs. For over twenty years, I have required the same of my Greek students at The Masters University. Now Laansma and Gauthier have made it easier than ever before to decide which are the most useful principal parts to know. You will never be able to read the Greek New Testament luently without knowing these irregular and diicult verbs. The best endorsement that I can give for this invaluable book is that I will immediately adopt it for my classes.” —William Varner Professor of Bible and Greek The Master’s University “What a litle gem of a book! Just what the doctor ordered for ailing Greek students struggling with irregular verb forms! Not only have Laansma and Gauthier created a tool for students to focus upon and learn the most frequently-occurring inlected forms of an irregular verb, but they have given instructors a way to teach and assess their Greek classes more efectively. I plan on using the handy guide for writing my quizzes so I don’t test students on a form of the irregular verb which seldom appears in the New Testament. One of the guide’s best uses for teachers is its easy access to the most regularly used forms for typically hard to learn verbs like φέρω, ἔρχομαι, γίνομαι, ὁράω, ἵστημι, and the like. It is helpful to see in a glance all the principal parts of a given verb and note right away the most used diicult and irregular forms in bolded letering. Accessible, concise, simple in format, and fairly comprehensive in scope, this book is a go-to reference for the instructor and a life-line for the Greek student. Bravo!” —Max Lee, Ph.D. Associate Professor of New Testament North Park Theological Seminary

“The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs by Laansma and Gauthier is the next logical step in time saving tools for students who have come to see that mastery is within their grasp. As is the case with all such guides, including Kubo’s Reader’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT and Mezger’s Lexical Aids for Students of NT Greek on whose shoulders it stands, this litle volume is a resource one hopes to outgrow. Those two earlier works are by functional necessity linked to the irst principle part (almost exclusively) even though that form is rarely the most commonly encountered element of the word. The rationale in the opening pages of the Handy Guide (which all teachers and second year students could beneit from reading) clearly lays out the nature of this disconnect. Students need a simple, eicient means for connecting atested forms with the nearly theoretical lexical ones they have labored to learn. Teachers have long recognized the conundrum this creates even for a diligent learner (to say nothing of the more haphazard student). Too often, the learners are left to their own devices after being saddled with the responsibility for connecting the various dissimilar forms of a single verb. While in isolated cases, thoughtful pedagogy may tailor instruction and perhaps exercises to address the gap created by the structure of our tools, this parvum opus meets the need by hitting the target at which it aims, making it unnecessary to reinvent the wheel. I expect this work will become a welcome element of the Greek learner’s tool kit. I anticipate requiring my students to use this booklet to complete assignments aimed at demonstrating to both the teacher and student a growing familiarity with its contents through retention. The student’s expanding facility with recognition, a quicker and easier comprehension, and consequent gains in reading speed will all serve as tangible encouragement and evidence of progress in their quest for facility with Greek verbal forms. Through the use of this guide, ultimately, reading will become more enjoyable.” —Douglas Penney Associate Professor of Classical Languages Wheaton College “Laansma and Gauthier’s work does three important things: (1) draws atention to a critical but overlooked and underappreciated area: learning and knowing the irregular verb stems that occur commonly in the New Testament, (2) prioritizes the most relevant stems to be learned, and (3) suggests that the Greek New Testament “must be read.” So thanks to Laansma and Gauthier, students of Greek don’t just have a list of randomly-selected principal parts to learn. They have a smart list—a list that has been carefully selected based on frequency of occurrence. But more important, they are encouraged and empowered to read, and to read the Greek New Testament! So perhaps Laansma and Gauthier will help banish a “paint by numbers” approach to Greek New Testament, put to light the notion that the Greek text is merely one of many tools at the minister’s disposal, and in general ignite a renaissance in the study of God’s word in the original language. There is only one thing left to say: buy it and reduce it to taters through constant use.” —Jay E. Smith Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary

“This well-designed and carefully compiled resource is an invaluable aid for all who want to develop the habit of regular reading in the Greek New Testament. Every teacher and aspiring student of New Testament Greek knows how diicult it is to develop a ready recognition of certain commonly occurring irregular verb forms (e.g., second aorist stems, etc.). On the other hand, teachers and their persevering students know how liberating it is for reading New Testament texts when these are inally mastered! To be able to read the New Testament and other Hellenistic Greek texts comfortably, and without constant recourse to grammatical helps, should be the goal of all who want to interpret the New Testament capably. This book is unequalled in the help that it provides toward reaching that goal. I recommend it enthusiastically.” —Buist Fanning Department Chair and Senior Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary “This book gives students of Greek access to irregular verb forms in a way that will greatly assist them in actually navigating and learning this material. The only wonder is that no one thought of writing this book before.” —Douglas J. Moo Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Chair on Commitee on Bible Translation Wheaton College “Most students of Greek tend to become overwhelmed at some point by the sheer variety of forms that must be learned. This handy new resource provides just the guidance that is needed to help new readers navigate the more challenging verb forms in the Greek New Testament, so that through a consistent habit of reading, they will begin to internalize and truly learn the language.” —Martin M. Culy Founding Editor Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament “Students frequently struggle to recognize irregular Greek verbs. With this handy guide from Laansma and Gauthier, professors can now provide their students with a pedagogically-sound and innovative method for mastering the heretofore recalcitrant forms. I am pleased to know of and recommend this resource.” —Robert L. Plummer Professor of New Testament Interpretation Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

THE HANDY GUIDE TO

DIFFICULT AND IRREGULAR GREEK VERBS Aids for Readers of the Greek New Testament

•

Jon C. Laansma Randall X. Gauthier Douglas S. Huffman SERIES EDITOR

Kregel Academic

The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs: Aids for Readers of the Greek New Testament © 2017 by Jon C. Laansma and Randall X. Gauthier Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., 2450 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505-6020. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmited in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without writen permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews. ISBN 978-0-8254-4479-1 Printed in the United States of America 17 18 19 20 21 / 5 4 3 2 1

Diiculties reveal heroes and cowards. Every war does precisely that. The Greek New Testament is a standing challenge to every preacher in the world. ~ A. T. Robertson

I have irmly decided to study Greek, nobody but God can prevent it. ~ Ulrich Zwingli

In so far as we love the Gospel, to that extent let us study the ancient tongues. ~ Martin Luther

It is no use for someone who wishes to be regarded as a specialist in the Bible to be in a position that he or she must take translations on trust. ~ F. F. Bruce

Paul wrote in an ancient language. That language only makes sense as koine Greek, understood in the light of the usage of koine Greek in the irst century of the common era…. Anyone who tries to dispense with or to ignore the boundaries indicated by grammarian and lexicographer only confuses invention with understanding. ~ James D. G. Dunn

contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 A Note to Instructors and Interested Students . . . . . . . . 15 List of Sigla and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Part I

• Frequency List of Difficult

and Irregular Principal Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Preliminary Notes / 21 Difficult and Irregular Stems Occurring 10x or More in the New Testament / 23 A. Stems occurring 1000–200x in the NT / 23 B. Stems occurring 199–100x in the NT / 23 C. Stems occurring 99–60x in the NT / 23 D. Stems occurring 59–40x in the NT / 24 E. Stems occurring 39–30x in the NT / 24 F. Stems occurring 29–25x in the NT / 24 G. Stems occurring 24–20x in the NT / 25 H. Stems occurring 19–15x in the NT / 25 I. Stems occurring 14–13x in the NT / 25 J. Stems occurring 12–10x in the NT / 26

Part II

• Alphabetical List of Verbs

with their Compounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Preliminary Notes / 27 Alphabetical List of Verbs with Principal Parts and Compounds / 28

Appendix I

• The Conjugations of εἰµί, εἶµι, and ἵηµι.

Appendix II

57

• The Perfect and Pluperfect Indicative

and the Optative Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Toward Reading: A Select Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Alphabetical Index of Verb Forms in Parts I and II . . . . . 73 9

preface The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs: Aids for Readers of the Greek New Testament is a set of vocabulary aids for students of New Testament Greek. Its key contribution is a list of diicult verb forms (2nd–6th principal parts) in order of frequency of occurrence; the frequencies represent counts of all of the verbs (simplex + compounds) that share the same stem. This learning aid resulted from classroom experience, in part through helping undergraduate students in Greek reading classes but also through watching graduate exegesis students struggle with the original language requirements of their programs. For many of the later, their introduction to Greek had been the usual “three-and-out”— three semesters and then out into the wilds of detailed exegesis. After three semesters the language has usually been introduced but not yet learned. Nor will the practices of exegesis on their own do more than reinforce select and isolated features of the language. Reading ability will steadily decline unless there is a regular practice of reading. We are reminded of the advice of a weight lifter: If you want to lift heavy weights, you have to lift heavy weights. The missing step for many students of Greek is broad reading. It was the desire to assist in this step that most directly motivated the present text. There are many published lists of the principal parts of the verbs of the New Testament (NT), but no list to our knowledge that records them in order of frequency of occurrence. Still less is there available a tabulation that counts the simplex stem together with its compounds under one frequency. Without frequencies, however, the beginning student has no way of knowing which stems merit special atention in the initial stages of learning. The simple (though hard-won) organization of these forms into frequency blocks should give students conidence that their time is being used eiciently. Likewise, an explanation of the morphological paterns that account for many of these “diicult” forms is helpful but dwarfs the list of the forms themselves; most students will never master these paterning principles nor retain them for ready use. What is more, many forms do not conform to any known patern but are the result of the beautiful freedom of evolving human languages. We encourage the broader study of morphology but believe it might beter be carried out while one is already reading. The Handy Guide to Diicult and Irregular Greek Verbs as a set of aids for readers is not a mater of improving on an existing type of resource 11

12

PREFACE

but of providing something new to add to those already available. Standard irst year grammars, for instance, lay a foundation of principal parts of verbs. The most common stems are adequately covered. A closer look, however, will reveal that the stems drilled omit some that are in fact common in the NT and include stems that are very infrequent (perhaps occurring only 3–5x in the NT). This is because the usual approach is keyed to lexical forms. It does not account for compounds of irregular stems in particular, and it makes no atempt to prioritize irregular stems the way it does lexical stems. As a result, students who have been at work for two or three semesters have a mixed bag of tense stems—many on target, some out of the way, some just missing—with no way of improving their situation short of memorizing as many stems as possible regardless of frequency and/or constantly looking them up via parsing aids until they eventually “stick.” The resource before you prioritizes the most relevant stems and then presents them in a straightforward list. This is not the only approach necessary to mastering the vocabulary of the NT, but it is a signiicant addition to time-tested strategies. To avoid misunderstanding, it should be said immediately that the phrase “diicult and irregular” in this work relects the perspective of a beginning student who takes the 1/s present indicative (lexical stem) as the touchstone; it avoids further technical distinctions. We comment further on this in the “Note to Instructors and Interested Readers.” It is our hope that in time digital versions of this work could be made available that integrate with a tagged NT text and would ofer additional ways to learn these stems, e.g., by calling up sentences that use particular stems or randomizing each frequency block with forms drawn from NT texts. If the unruliness of many of the verbs in this list is appreciated, so also the diiculties of simpliication. Hopefully our limited goal of providing a straightforward learning aid for beginning students will have been achieved. To some the work required for such a list would seem frighteningly tedious. Can it be believed that friends would enjoy the labor of shared interests and the privilege of service? The astute editorial eye of Alexa Marquardt removed several infelicities from our prose. The remaining problems are to be laid at our feet. Thanks go to our families, especially our wives, for their support as we rummaged through these details; to our teachers for passing on their learning; to our colleagues for their fellowship in work worth doing; to our students for their eagerness to keep the tradition going and for their many questions. June, 2016

introduction After a year or two of elementary Greek grammar the best thing a student can do is read, read, read. Turn of all parsing aids and close all interlinears. With a text and a print dictionary in hand, read, read, read. Read the Greek NT, the LXX, the Apostolic Fathers, Josephus, Epictetus, Aesop, Herodotus, and Homer. Much is learned through exposure. Of course, composition (English to Greek), too often neglected, is a key ingredient in gaining a...