New Greek/English Interlinear New Testament - Flipbook - Page 12
INTRODUCTION
xii
Some Common Idioms
1. ἵνα μὴ
LEST
2. μὴ γένοιτο
MAY IT NEVER BE
3. δεῖ
IT IS NECESSARY
4. διὰ τοῦτο
THEREFORE
5. καθ᾽ ἡμέραν
DAILY
6. τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν
THAT IS
7. διὰ παντὸς
ALWAYS / CONTINUALLY
8. ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό
TOGETHER
Transliterations
A number of Hebrew and Aramaic words carried over into the Greek language have been
transliterated rather than translated, such as “Abba” (see Gal. 4:6), “amen” (see Eph.
3:21), “Marana tha” (see 1 Cor. 16:22), and “raca” (see Matt. 5:22). Also, measurements,
weights, and currency have been transliterated rather than translated, such as “stadia”
(see John 11:18), “talents” (see Matt. 25:15), and “denarii” (see Matt. 18:28).
VERBS, INFINITIVES, AND PARTICIPLES
Tense and Voice
We have attempted to translate verbs, infinitives, and participles within the strict
tense guidelines listed below. However, conditional sentences, idiomatic phrases, and
at times the very context of the passage demand a less rigid approach. The paradigm
below could give the impression that tense for Greek verbs, infinitives, and participles
is primarily temporal. Therefore, it must be said that “tense” in Greek indicates the
kind of action more than the time of action. For example, an aorist participle may
not indicate some action done in the past; rather, it could designate a present action
done at a particular point in time (rather than being a continuous action, or an action
having continued results). In fact, the aorist participle may function as a participle of
attendant circumstance without reflecting the temporal sense at all (which is instead
conveyed through the main verb). At its core, the aorist reflects a kind of action (called
“punctiliar”—referring to a point in time) more than an action done in the past, even as,
in translation, the English past tense might frequently work best.