As a student of God’s word, one of the most indispensable tools to have under your belt is understanding the Greek language. Even just understanding the very basics of the Greek language will completely change how you study the New Testament as well as bring new insight into what a passage, or verse of scripture is intended to mean. The Greek language provides information you just cannot get anywhere else, and the Greek language is just so incredibly vivid and descriptive. With the Greek language, you will find words that paint such beautiful and powerful pictures giving you a new perspective on the New Testament. The Greek language is the Mona Lisa of languages; it’s the Beethoven Symphony of languages. By examining five vivid and descriptive Greek words I hope you will find encouragement and motivation to venture out into studying the Greek language yourself.
The first word to examine is oikodoméō (οἰκοδομέω). It is translated in English to the word edify. We find the use of this word in a passage in 1 Corinthians 8:1 - Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth (oikodoméō). In this chapter, Paul is dealing with the issue of purchasing and eating meat that was sacrificed to pagan idols. Meat that was offered on pagan altars was usually divided into three portions. The first portion was burnt in honor of their false god, the second portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat, and the third portion was given to the priest. If the priest didn’t want to eat his portion, he could sell it on the market. Typically, the sacrificed meat that was sold at the market was cheaper and who would say no to a bargain? Especially because of the cost of meat in the markets today! So, the question now from the Corinthians is: can we buy, serve, and eat this sacrificed meat? Instead of talking about food, Paul dives in by discussing two things: knowledge and charity. There were some Christians in the Corinthian church that knew of the liberty they had through the gospel. They were no longer bound by Jewish law or ceremonies. Such knowledge of liberty causes them to be prideful and careless in their thoughts of offending weaker brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Instead of being puffed up with knowledge, Paul states they should behave with charity towards the weaker brother, and that charity will edify (oikodoméō) them. So, what does our word oikodoméō mean? The Greek word oikodoméō means to be a house builder; to construct or confirm. In the King James Version, this word could also be translated as build (-er, ing, up), edify, or embolden. Jesus used this word in Matthew 7:24 - Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and then again in Matthew 16:18 - And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. A house builder knows that a good house needs good strong walls. It needs a roof, to be wired, proper plumbing, it needs walls, etc. To construct these things that a good strong and sturdy house needs, the builder needs the proper tools to do so. In order to help the weaker brother grow we are to build them up with the tool of charity. The weak brother already has the foundation laid which is Christ. Through charity, we are to help build up others on top of that foundation through charity. This means if we are to build up others through charity, it may require us to give up some liberties for the growth of other believers.
The second word to examine is hupŏkritēs (ὑποκριτής). This word is a transliteration meaning there is no other word better to translate this word in English other than from the original language. This Greek word in English is our word hypocrite. Hupŏkritēs means an actor under an assumed character, a stage player, a dissembler. Jesus mentions these types of people when teaching us how not to pray. Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. This tells us everything we need to know about people like this. They are fakes. They play pretend and they hide who they really are and their true intentions. The etymology of this word also helps us understand the type of character we are dealing with here. Hupŏkritēs comes from another Greek word hupŏkrinŏmai (ὑποκρίνομαι) which means to decide to speak or act under a false part. These people choose on purpose, they are fully aware that they are fakes and playing religion! When you see them praying in church or out and about, it may seem spiritual and deep, it may seem genuine, but God knows their true intentions and their thoughts: “Are they watching me”, “How many people are looking?”. The sad part is there are people in the church who are good actors. There are people in ministry that are good actors. Jesus says those hypocrites have their reward!
This next word is quite interesting! This next word in Greek is one word but in English, it translates to three words. The Greek word is klēróō (κληρόω). It is from this Greek word where we get our English words clerk, clergy, cleric, and cleromancy. In the New Testament, this word is translated to as obtained an inheritance and it is only used in one verse and that is Ephesian 1:11 - in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. The Greek word klēróō means to allot or assign. The etymology of this word comes from another Greek word klēros (κλῆρος) which means casting lots. The meaning of this word tells us that it was by the will of God that we obtained our inheritance. God chose us for the inheritance. Unlike today where casting lots is a game of random chance, in the Old Testament casting lots were used to determine the will of God. The priests would cast lots to figure out who God would choose to do a certain priestly responsibility. In the book of Jonah, the sailors cast lots to determine who had brought the wrath of God upon them. Speaking of inheritances, in the book of Joshua, the casting of lots took place to determine which portion of land God wanted each tribe to obtain. The same thing goes for our inheritance. As born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the lot has fallen on us. God chose us for this wonderful heavenly inheritance. How humbling!
The last two words are by far my favorite words on this list. These two Greek words, apolýtrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις), and aphesis (ἄφεσις), are connected to our salvation experience. Apolýtrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) is translated in English as redemption. In Greek, it means to pay the ransom in full so that one could be released from captivity or slavery. The Roman Empire had nearly six million slaves. The buying and selling of slaves was a major business. If you or I wanted to free a loved one or a friend who was a slave, we would have to buy that slave for ourselves and then grant him freedom along with a certificated testifying of the deliverance of that slave. This is the exact idea found here dealing with redemption. All of mankind is born in this world enslaved to sin (John 8:34, Romans 7:14, 8:21). Christ suffered a brutal death on the cross, and with the shedding of His blood, He paid the redemption price to buy for Himself fallen mankind. That leads us to our next word aphesis (ἄφεσις). This word translated into the English language is the word forgiveness. In Greek, its meaning paints us with an image of freedom. Through the paying of the redemption price, which is the blood of Christ, I have been set free! I am free from the bondage of sin! I am no longer held by the chains of sin! The forgiveness of my sin has now set me free in Christ! Thank you Jesus!
How amazing are these words! Through the Greek language, vivid and descriptive pictures are painted for us so that we may truly understand what the scripture intends for us to see. Pictures are painted to show us how we are to help others grow in their walk with the Lord. We see a drawing of the identity of those who play the part of religion but behind their mask, they intentionally seek the attention of men. We see painted pictures of the story of our inheritance and of our redemption. There are more words that are like this! Through the examination of these Greek words, I hope you are encouraged and now motivated to go and study the Greek language and allow it to change how you study God’s word.
