<![CDATA[NT GREEK STUDIES - Blog]]>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:14:14 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Greek New Testament Study App]]>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/greek-new-testament-study-appPicture
Pastor Jeff Jansen has done a tremendous work in creating the Greek New Testament Study App. In my opinion, this is without a doubt the best app for Greek study that exists, and best of all, it is FREE. 

  • Text of the SBL Greek New Testament
  • Tap any word for the gloss and parsings
  • All occurrences and all forms for all words in the GNT
  • Vocabulary flashcards by frequency, grammar book, or biblical book

You can see Jeff's detailed video review of it below. On his channel he also has numerous other videos explaining how to use the app.
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]]><![CDATA[Greek New Testament Reading Plan - 2026]]>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/greek-new-testament-reading-plan-2026Picture
As 2026 is around the corner, I thought I would recommend a Greek New Testament Reading Plan. Over the years there have been wonderful outlines, such as the well known and previously recommended Lee Irons Reading Plan. 

Timothy Paul Jones has a new take on Lee Irons' plan. This reading plan has several benefits over others that I believe sets it apart:

  • Read the books in order of increasing difficulty of their Greek
  • Longer chapters are broken up into 2 days
  • Numerous "Flex" days are given which can be a day off, or to read the LXX readings given.
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TIPS FOR READING THE GNT

1. Read every day – Don’t skip days. Playing catch-up with Greek will not work when you’re behind. Read every single day, even on weekends, as this will help to reinforce the habit and discipline. When you have to take a day off, for whatever reason, use one of the Flex days.

2. Try to set aside a dedicated time for each day – say, 30 to 45 minutes or so depending on your reading style/speed. Don’t be a perfectionist, as this will cause you to grow discouraged and weary. Press on even when you don’t understand every construction or nuance.  If you finish with some time to spare, and as your reading ability improves, you may choose to go back and look over the things that you didn’t understand in more detail.

3. Don’t use Bible software as your primary reading text. In other words, during your reading time, don’t read the GNT on a computer or phone. Remember that eventually your goal is to be able to read without crutches. You cannot sight-read the GNT if you are frequently accustomed to using computer software such as Logos or Bibleworks to help with the smallest things. Remember, no one gets a handle on language who regularly uses crutches.

4. Read out loud – Hearing the words will improve your comprehension and retention. It will also encourage you to slow down and take in the meaning one word at a time. I cannot stress this one enough.

5. Keep a notebook and write down your observations, or note any difficulties or uncertainties that you would like to delve into further in the future. Of course this requires additional time; don’t be too detailed and picky.

6. By using a Reader’s Edition like this one you will not need to look up rare vocabulary, since this will be provided in the footnotes. However it may still be a good idea to look up some words in a good lexicon.

7. Consult a Syntax Guide such as this one or this one. These provide concise explanations of rare usages and nuances that may not be immediately obvious even to a seasoned reader. 

8. Try to start thinking in Greek – Yes, this really is possible! In the beginning you may start reading by attempting a wooden English translation in your head for each verse. That is okay. This should follow the word order and grammatical structure of the Greek as closely as possible. In time, try to move away from translating and start processing as much as possible in Greek. Thinking in Greek is reading Greek!

9. Do not consult an English version too quickly when you encounter difficulty. Nevertheless, an English version like the ESV, KJV, NKJV, NASB 95, or LSB may be useful for pointing you in the right direction when you’re stuck. If you have to consult English, always go back and work through the text in Greek afterward, but only do this as a last resort.

10. For encouragement and motivation – I highly suggest reading A.T. Robertson’s The Minister and His Greek New Testament. You can also read Quotes on the Biblical Languages, which is sure to be an inspiration to press on in the midst of discouragement.
]]><![CDATA[Which Greek New Testament Should I Choose - 2026]]>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/which-greek-new-testament-should-i-choose-2026Picture
This is a much needed update to a post that I wrote in 2011.

Since that time, there have been multiple new editions of the GNT released. I will share my personal recommendations below. There is a plethora of printed Greek New Testaments in production today, and to be honest, it is overwhelming if someone is just beginning their Greek studies. 
As of the writing of this post, the UBS6 and NA29 are being released. I am not going to recommend them, because I do not believe they are necessary, they are expensive, and their bindings, paper, and fonts are less than desirable when compared to previous editions.

These are my recommendations:
If you want a UBS or Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, look on Ebay, as the UBS4 and NA27 can be purchased for $10-20 in great condition. If you need help finding them there just send me a message and I would be happy to help.

  • Koine Greek New Testament (Calkfskin) 
    • This is my personal favorite. It has a great binding, paper, font, and is the most portable. This is published by the Trinitarian Bible Society and is a Received Text edition. It is perfect for daily reading.
   
  • Tyndale Greek New Testament (Trutone)
    • This is a very nice edition with a Trutone cover from Crossway. It has a strong vinyl reinforced paste down binding. This cover is a much better quality Trutone than their ESV bibles, and will not deteriorate in time.
 
  • A Reader's Greek New Testament: Third Edition
    • This is a great portable New Testament. The font is improved over the second edition, as has the cover, which will not deteriorate as easily. This is a true "thinline" New Testament, and is much more portable than the Tyndale Reader. ​
]]><![CDATA[Learning Greek Part 3: Between First & Second Year Greek]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/learning-greek-part-3-between-first-second-year-greekPicture
In the first post of this series I wrote about where to start with learning Greek, namely the first year. So, once you are done with first year Greek, where do you go from there? Before jumping head first into second year Greek grammar, I have a few suggestions that should help to bridge the gap between the first and second year, between beginning and intermediate Greek.

Between 1st and 2nd Year:
This is a great time to review year one grammar as well as introduce yourself into newer aspects of more intermediate grammar.
1 John: A New Testament Greek Reader
This workbook from Merkle & Plummer goes through the letter of 1 John, and introduces new vocabulary along the way. It picks up right where their grammar Beginning Greek leaves off.

A Graded Reader of Biblical Greek – William D. Mounce
This workbook from Bill Mounce works through numerous passages or chapters of Scripture by increasing level of difficulty. It also introduces you directly to more advanced grammar and vocabulary, simply by reading the text.

Vocabulary:
Take this time and try to nail down the words you learned in year one while exposing yourself to new words. I recommend using Bruce Metzger's Lexical Aids, or even better, the Flashcards Deluxe app mentioned in part 1.

Read Read Read:
At this time it is recommendable to read as much as you can of the GNT. Reading will help to cement the grammar and vocabulary that you learned in the first year, and at the same time introduce you to new vocabulary.

Previous Post:  Learning Greek Part 2: Learning & Keeping Greek
]]><![CDATA[Learning Greek Part 2: Learning & Keeping Greek]]>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/learning-greek-part-2-learning-keeping-greek-practical-helpsPicture
One of the biggest challenges in learning Greek is remembering what we study over the long term. It is so easy to begin to lose Greek through negligence and a lack of consistency. It is indeed easy to temporarily memorize a list of rules or words, but to devote them to permanent heart memory is the result of diligent and consistent work. This is something that does not come overnight. Below I have tried to offer a few things which have helped me in my own Greek pilgrimage.





Grammar is a must: 
A language cannot be learned and understood without studying and knowing its grammar. Do not listen to the person who says that "Grammar isn't that important, you don't really need it." We use grammar every day and all the time in English, often without even knowing it. One may be able to pick up bits and pieces of Greek with a Strong's, Vines, or Interlinear, however you only learn enough to become dangerous, not to accurately divide the Word. You can glean some of what is being said through tools and computer programs (Accordance, Logos, etc), however you will not get a solid grasp and understanding of what is really being communicated, you will not see shades and nuances, but will leave with only an unrefined and partial product. Continue must continue to review grammar.
Read your GNT every day: 
There is no substitute for reading Greek. This cannot be emphasized enough. This is what you are striving to be able to do, read the NT in its original language.  You must read it frequently, often, daily if possible. You must have “maximum exposure” at every turn. You must get as many senses involved as possible. Read it aloud to help with pronunciation and to "hear" the language. Read it fast to work on fluid pronunciation. Read it slow to focus on the meaning. Read a passage a day. Read a few verses a day. Reading just 5-10 minutes a day can be the difference in keeping or losing the language. Make your GNT your close friend, take it everywhere you can. Take it to church and follow along with the teaching and sermon. Yes, some people may label you as being prideful just because you have the GNT on your lap when everyone else has the English. Be humble about it though and don't flaunt what you are doing. You are trying to learn this language. Some bring and English/Spanish parallel Bible to church, you bring Greek. This is something which every Christian has the right do to, many though make the decision not to, so don't feel bad if you are judged for doing it.

If you are asking yourself, “Which GNT should I use?” then click here to read this post.

Be careful with interlinears: 
Interlinears are good in their respective area of purpose, they can be helpful for Functional Greek. But, if you are learning the language, you may want to reconsider. You may think that these will help you, but more than likely they will tend to be a hindrance in the end.  Having the English translation right below the text can greatly hinder the progress that otherwise would and could be made, by causing an unhealthy dependency on the English. It is my recommendation to stay away from interlinears if your goal is to be able to read the GNT fluently and devotionally.

Previous Post:  Learning Greek Part 1 - Getting Started
Next Post:         Learning Greek Part 3 - Between First & Second Year Greek
]]><![CDATA[Learning Greek Part 1 - Getting Started]]>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/getting-started-with-greek-part-1Picture
This is a much needed update of a series of articles from 2012. When I began studying Greek, this is what I recommended. There have been new resources released since then, and some offering more simplified approaches. I hope to share help make your journey as easy as possible. It can be daunting learning a new language, and many people burn out and quite because they do not know where to start. You may not see your favorite grammar listed here (Mounce, Black, Decker, Harris, Campbell, etc). That does not mean that I am opposed to them, only that in my experience, I now believe that the following grammar is the best for most people.

If you follow this plan, you will be ready to jump in and start reading portions of the GNT. 
First Year Greek Grammar: (Merkle & Plummer)


Vocabulary:


Choosing A Greek New Testament:



Next Post:  Learning Greek Part 2: Learning and Keeping Greek
]]><![CDATA[Daniel Wallace - Is What We Have Now What They Wrote Then?]]>Thu, 25 Jul 2019 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/daniel-wallace-is-what-we-have-now-what-they-wrote-thenIf you have followed this website for any length of time you know that one of our passions is Textual Criticism, and how it builds trust in God's Word. Many of us know Daniel Wallace for his work in Greek grammar studies. What we may not know is his passionate and profound work in Textual Criticism, which you can find here.

In the following two part lecture, given at Biola University in 2011, he presents the question ''Is What We Have Now What They Wrote Then?". Are our Bibles today what the original writers wrote then, or have the become corrupted through years of copying and omissions? 
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]]><![CDATA[Bill Mounce - Lecture on Canonicity]]>Wed, 10 Jul 2019 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/bill-mounce-lecture-on-canonicityThe topic of the Canon and Textual Criticism are two fascinating and important topics of biblical study. They are, however, far too often neglected, and in many cases unheard of by many common church goers. 

Many of us blindly believe that the bible is the Word of God, but on what basis? How do we know that the 66 books in our bibles belong there? How do we know these are the ones God wanted us to have? The study of the Canon shows us how exactly these books which are in our bibles came to belong there. For a detailed study on the Canon I highly recommend reading the masterpiece from F.F. Bruce: The Canon of Scripture.

Below Dr. Bill Mounce gives a passionate and convincing lecture on these two great fields. Enjoy!
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]]><![CDATA[Daily Dose of Greek - Free Greek Lectures]]>Wed, 03 Jul 2019 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/daily-dose-of-greekPicture
Daily Dose of Greek is a website and ministry run by Rob Plummer. He is a New Testament professor at Southern Baptist Theology Seminary in Louisville, KY. 

​He states that this website has 3 objectives: learn Greek from scratch, a daily dose/study, and recommended resources. If you are a student of NTG and do no subscribe to him you should should consider it.

One thing I'm really excited about are his lectures that coincide with Dave Black's wonderful introductory grammar ''Learn to Read New Testament Greek". You have seen me recommend the great work by Bill Mounce "Basics of Biblical Greek". This grammar by Dave Black is also one I recommend without hesitation. His teaching style is fun and keeps you captivated while not sacrificing depth. Even if you have gone through another first year grammar, or if you are just beginning, get a copy of Dave's book and follow along with Rob.

You can find his lectures here. 
]]><![CDATA[Recommended Book! - Canon Revisited]]>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.ntgreekstudies.net/blog/recommended-book-canon-revisitedPicture
The study of the Canon is one of my favorite topics and areas of interest. I have been greatly blessed by it, and if nothing else, it has strengthened my faith in God and His Word. Thankfully, we have been blessed with the excellent and highly recommended work of F.F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture, which is in my opinion, the reference standard on the subject.
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Michael Kruger has written a book that all students of Scripture and the Canon should take a serious look at. He takes a different approach than Bruce, and while it does not seek to correct Bruce's work, as necessary as it was, rather it complements it.

I will leave you with the publishers description, as it does a great job of what lies ahead:

''Given the popular-level conversations on phenomena like the Gospel of Thomas and Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus, as well as the current gap in evangelical scholarship on the origins of the New Testament, Michael Kruger's Canon Revisited meets a significant need for an up-to-date work on canon by addressing recent developments in the field. He presents an academically rigorous yet accessible study of the New Testament canon that looks deeper than the traditional surveys of councils and creeds, mining the text itself for direction in understanding what the original authors and audiences believed the canon to be.

Canon Revisited provides an evangelical introduction to the New Testament canon that can be used in seminary and college classrooms, and read by pastors and educated lay leaders alike. In contrast to the prior volumes on canon, this volume distinguishes itself by placing a substantial focus on the theology of canon as the context within which the historical evidence is evaluated and assessed.

Rather than simply discussing the history of canon-rehashing the Patristic data yet again-Kruger develops a strong theological framework for affirming and authenticating the canon as authoritative. In effect, this work successfully unites both the theology and the historical development of the canon, ultimately serving as a practical defense for the authority of the New Testament books.''


This book can be purchased here.
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