Week 2 Septuagint and New Testament Verses

Although you are not required to work through the Septuagint and New Testament verses in Croy, you will find it to be very valuable practice! Below you will find some commentary on those sentences.

If you want to work on the sentences and take a quiz about the sentences for extra credit, you will find the quiz at Desire2Learn. It consists of multiple choice questions, and you can earn up to 2 points of extra credit.

Septuagint Sentences

1. Ποῦ ἐστιν Αβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; . . . εἶπεν Οὐ γινώσκω·

Notice that Hebrew names do not have accent or breathing marks. Note also the absence of quotation marks, although you get a clue that there is a direct quote from the capital letter that is used at the beginning of the quote (Οὐ γινώσκω). The word ἀδελφός is in apposition to the word Αβελ (and we often use this same kind of construction in English, as in a sentence like "Mary, my niece, lives in Boston.").

2. φωνὴν ἀνθρώπων ἀκούω καὶ αὐτοὺς οὐ βλέπω

Notice that the objects (φωνὴν, αὐτοὺς) precedes the verbs (ἀκούω, βλέπω). This can take some getting used to for English-speakers! The antecedent of the pronoun αὐτοὺς is ἀνθρώπων.

3. γινώσκω ἐγὼ καὶ πιστεύω ὅτι πάντα . . . ἔσται

Notice that the subject (ἐγὼ) comes after the verb (ἀγινώσκω). This can take some getting used to for English-speakers! And don't worry about the fact that πάντα is technically a plural noun (all things) but the verb ἔσται is singular. One of the strangest things about Greek, as you will soon learn, is that neuter plural nouns take a singular verb!

4. ἔχουσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς . . . βλέπειν καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν καὶ ὦτα ἔχουσιν . . . ἀκούειν καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν.

Notice that the object (ὦτα) precedes the verb (ἀἔχουσιν). The infinitives (βλέπειν, ἀκούειν) are being used here to express purpose.

5. οὐ βλέπουσιν καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν καὶ οὐ γινώσκουσιν.

The verb γινώσκουσιν is being used here in the sense of to be aware, to be conscious of something.

New Testament Sentences

1. ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

The verbal form ἔχοντες is a participle, and like other verbal forms a participle can take an object. In this sentence, the objects of the participle (ὀφθαλμοὺς, ὦτα) precede the participle. Notice also that this statement is a question as indicated by the punctuation (but unlike English, Greek does not use a special word order to indicate a question).

2. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὀρθῶς λέγεις καὶ διδάσκεις

Notice that the adverb (ὀρθῶς) precedes the verbs (λέγεις, διδάσκεις), which can sometimes be confusing for English speakers! In English, adverbs normally come after the verb.

3. ὅτι τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγω, οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι.

Each time you see ὅτι you have to decide whether it is best translated into English as "that" or "because" ("[on account of the fact] that..."). Which translation is best here? Notice also that the object (ἀλήθειαν) precedes the verb (λέγω).

4. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Κύριε, . . . σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε.

Since there is not an expressed subject for the verb λέγει, you do not know - except from context - whether the subject is "he" or "she".

5. οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράφειν

Notice that the prepositional phrase (διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου) precedes the verb (in this case, an infinitive:γράφειν), which can be confusing for English speakers. Usually in English, the prepositional phrase comes after the verb.