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New Testament Greek Exegesis

This guide highlights essential sources for New Testament exegesis.

Available Tabs

Textual criticism provides a text to study based upon multiple variants and MSS.

Word Studies analyze key words valuable to your specific text or surrounding text. Provide, both, a diachronic ("through time") and synchronic ("with time") word study. This will aid you, as the exegete, to observe the origins of various words, linguistic developments through the history of each term, and how it potentially affects your understanding of your text.

Greek Analysis observes the grammar and discourse features of an assigned text and context to assit in tracing the argument of a text.

Exegetical Method (2 of 3): Textual Study

  • Solve relevant text-critical problems.
    • What are various textual critical issues that need further investigation?
    • Are there any variants that could potentially influence a standardized text?
    • Do variants offer a "history of interpretation" of a given text?
  • Solve any lexical problems or theologically motivated words pertinent to the study of your text
    • Provide a two fold study: Historical (diachronic) and Contextual (synchronic)
    • Historical/Diachronic Word study
      • Attempt to locate the philological origins of a word (being mindful of a genetic or root fallacy).
      • Describe the historical development through various periods of Greek in secular and religious text (Attic, LXX, Pseudepigrapha, and more).
    • Contextual/Synchronic Word Study
      • Locate the contextual meaning within the koine era and in the biblical corpus.
      • Try to determine if the word is used in any unique ways by individual authors (e.g., Matthew, Mark, Paul, etc.).
      • Describe how the word is used in the book you are studying.
  • Solve any grammatical elements, structural relationships, and discourse features
    • If possible, diagram the passage through a word-by-word analysis (similar to John Grassmick and Dr. Schreiner’s approach) or a phrase-by-phrase analysis (similar to the philosophy of Zondervan Exegetical Commentary) highlighting form and possible functions of each term, phrase, and clause.
    • Consult numerous Greek grammar’s to identify the syntactical function of each word
    • Refine your translation based on your understanding of the grammar and syntax.