11

John 3:1-17

(3:1)

, , = ruler, lord, prince (of Christ), (generally of those in authority), authorities, officials under BAGD 113b.

(3:2)

aorist indicative .

, , = night, (literal), (general), (dative answering the question when?), (figurative as the time for rest from work) under BAGD 546a.

aorist indicative . One of those verbs in Greek that uses a different verb stem for different tense-forms.

perfect indicative . How often do we see this tense-form in the NT?

, , = teacher, master (in the British sense of teacher) under BAGD 191b.

= I can, am able (passive deponent) under BAGD 207a.

, , = sign, the sign or distinguishing mark by which something is known, token, indication under BAGD 747b.

- present active subjunctive .

Grammatical note = Genitive Case. Time or Place. The genitive of time or place indicates the location in time or space where an action occurs. The focus is on kind or quality, and reference may be made to both position in space (in, at, on, under) and extension through space (toward, from). In the NT, time is indicated by as many as three cases: the genitive, the dative, and the accusative. In general, kind of time (or time during which) is indicated by the genitive; point in time (answering the question When?) by the dative; and extension of time (answering the question How long?) by the accusative. For more examples of the genitive of time, see John 3:2. See KMP, 99 and 46.

Grammatical note = Present State Perfect. This category applies to certain verbs that are stative in nature with no implication of a previous act that produced the state. Verbs found in this category include , , , . The reason why such perfects have the same semantics as presents is frequently that there is very little distinction between the act and its results. Or to put it differently, the results have become the act. Thus, this category is lexically influenced and verbs found in this category should be treated as virtual present tense-form verbs. For more examples of the present state perfect, see John 3:2. See KMP, 301 and 57.

(3:3)

aorist passive = answer, reply, (Hebraistically of the continuation of discourse like ) under BAGD 93a-.

- aorist passive subjunctive = beget, (of women) bear (Aeschylus and others), bring forth, produce, cause under BAGD 155a.

= (locally) from above, (temporally) from the beginning, for a long time, again, anew under BAGD 77a.

aorist active infinitive . Another verb that uses a different verb stem for different tense-forms.

, , = kingship, royal power, royal rule, kingdom, (especially) the

royal reign or kingdom of God, (a chiefly eschatological concept, beginning to

appear in the prophets, elaborated in apocalyptic passages) under BAGD 134b.

Grammatical note = Subjunctive Mood. Conditional Clause. The subjunctive with the particle (if clause) of a third class conditional sentence and expresses a probable, though at times hypothetical, condition. This use of the subjunctive is common, occurring nearly 300 times in the NT. Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. See KMP, 203.

Grammatical note = Instantaneous Present. This use of the present tense-form involves an action that is done, not progressively, as is typical of the present indicative, but instantaneously (similar to some uses of the aorist tense-form). Note that the action is still performed at the present time (not the past) but is perfective (aoristic) with regards to the aspect. Because the Greek verb system does not have a tense to communicate the perfective aspect (an action completed or viewed as a whole) in the present time, the present tense-form at times functions in that capacity. Consequently, this use of the present tense-form communicates an action that is done in the present time but is completed at the moment of speaking. Thus, the aspect of the verb is suppressed and the time of the action becomes prominent. This category is lexically influenced because certain verbs, such as verbs of saying and thinking, are commonly used in this category. Some grammars refer to this as a Performative Present because the verb accomplishes or performs an action by the very fact that it is spoken.

Notice several features from these examples. First, most of the instantaneous (or performative) uses o fthe present tense-form are in the first person. This category should not be confused with the historical present but is different in at least two ways: (1) the historical present typically uses the third person, and (2) is typically used in a narrative that is translated as a past event. Second, the instantaneous present accomplishes the act by the very fact that it is uttered or takes place in the act itself. For example, Pauls appeal to Caesar was accomplished by stating that he appealed to Caesar. Likewise, Phoebe receives a commendation from Paul by the fact that he says he commends her. For more examples of the instantaneous present, see John 3:3 (). See KMP, 259-60 and n19.

(3:4)

aorist passive infinitive .

, , = old man under BAGD 157a. Hapax in the NT which is surprising.

present active participle .

, , = body-cavity, belly, (as an organ of nourishment, the digestive apparatus in its fullest extent) (as an organ of reproduction, especially) womb, uterus, (denotes the hidden, innermost recesses of the human body) under BAGD 437a.

, , = mother, (transferred also to those who are respect or loved as mothers), (of cities), (symbolically) under BAGD 520a.

, , = second, (purely numerical), (of a series), (of pace) under BAGD 177a.

aorist active infinitive = come (in, into), go (in, into), enter, enter into someone under BAGD 232b.

aorist passive infinitive .

(3:5)

- aorist passive infinitive .

, , = water under BAGD 832b-.

[footnoteRef:1] [1: {A} (see 3.3) 66, 75 c A B K L Wsupp Xcomm Gregory-Nissa Chrysostom Cyril. * 245 291 1009 (Justin) Constitutions Chrysostom Nonnus.]

(3:6)

perfect passive participle .

, , = flesh, (literally of the material that covers the bones of a human or animal body), the body (itself viewed as a substance), a man of flesh and blood, human (or) mortal nature, earthly descent under BAGD 743a.

(3:7)

aorist active subjunctive = (intransitive) wonder, marvel, be astonished (the context determines whether in a good or bad sense), wonder at something (transitive) admire, wonder at (with accusative) under BAGD 352a.

Grammatical note = Prohibitory Subjunctive. The subjunctive is used as an imperative when two conditions are met: (1) the command is negated (a prohibition), and (2) the subjunctive uses the aorist tense-form Notie that the second person aorist prohibition is not (as one might expect) but is . It is translated do not (as an imperative) and not you should not (as a typical subjunctive) Because the command is negated and uses the aorist tense-form, the subjunctive (not the imperative) is used. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. See KMP, 206-07.

(3:8)

= wish (of desire), wish to have, desire, want something under BAGD 354b.

At about this point I have noticed how similar the vocabulary of John 3 is to the vocabulary of Acts 2. Is this the Johannine Pentecost narrative? and why so early in the gospel narrative?

When I prepare Greek or Hebrew notes, I do a quick search for the vocabulary item, to see if I already looked it up and included it in another set of notes. This makes preparing notes much faster. Search find copy paste. The more Greek and Hebrew notes I have, the more vocabulary is already listed, the less time I spend looking up words in the Hebrew and Greek lexicons.

= blow (of the wind), breathe out, give forth an odor, (with accusative) under BAGD 679b.

, , = sound, tone, noise (the source of which is added in the) under BAGD 870b.

= from where, from which, whence? (in direct and indirect questions), (locally) from what place? from where?, (of origin) from what source? brought about (or) given by whom?, (of cause or reason) how, why, in what way? under BAGD 680a.

= go away (in the sense leave a persons presence), go (in a certain

direction), (used especially of Christ and his going to the Father) under BAGD

836b.

perfect passive participle .

, , = blowing, breathing (even the glowing exaltations of a volcanic crater), the breathing out of air, blowing, breath, breath, (life-)spirit, soul, the spirir (as a part of the human personality) under BAGD 674b.

Grammatical note = Gnomic Present. The present tense-form is sometimes used to make a statement that is timeless (omni-temporal), universal, or generally true. Consequently, this use of the present occurs in proverbial statements or general maxims about what occurs at all times. A similar (but slightly distinct) use is found in generic or indefinite statements, which relate what occurs generally or at any time. In distinction to the iterative (repeated or customary) use of the present which indicates a reoccurring action, the gnomic use of the present refers to a timeless or general fact, not limited to a particular place or time. Because God is eternal and unchanging, truths associated with Gods character are often found in this category. In translation, the words always and ever (or never) are sometimes supplied. For more examples of the gnomic present, see John 3:8 (). See KMP, 258-59 and n15.

(3:9)

aorist middle infinitive = come to be, become, arise, come about under BAGD 158a.

(3:10)

= know, come to know, learn (of), ascertain find out under BAGD 160b-.

(3:11)

= sound, give forth sounds or tones (which form a kind of speech), speak under BAGD 463a.

perfect active .

= (active) bear witness, be a witness, bear witness to, declare, confirm, testify favorably, speak well (of), approve (of), (in ecclesiastical usage with regard to martyrdom) bear witness, testify, be a witness (unto death), be martyred (passive) be witnessed, have witness borne, be well spoken of, be approved under BAGD 492b.

, , = (active) testimony, testifying, (passive) testimony, (of historical) attestation (or) testimony under BAGD 493b.

= (more actively) take, take in the hand, take hold of, grasp, take away, remote (with or without the use of force) under BAGD 464a.

(3:12)

, = earthly, (adjective, in contrast to the heavenly), (substantive) under BAGD 290b.

= believe, believe (in) something, be convinced of something, believe that under BAGD 660a.

aorist active subjunctive . We do not see this tense-form often.

, = heavenly, (adjective, with reference to heaven, the place where God dwells with the beings and things that pertain to him, they may actually be there with him, or they may belong there by nature, or come from there, and so on), (applied to God), (of Christ), (with reference to the heaven in which the sun, moon, and stars are located), (substantive), (periphrasis for) heaven, the heavenly things) under BAGD 305b.

future active .

(3:13)

perfect active = go up, ascend under BAGD 50a.

aorist active participle = come down, go down, climb down under BAGD 408a.

[footnoteRef:2] [2: {C} 66, 75 B L Wsupp (see 1.18) (A*vid omit ) Ac K (063 for ) f1 f13 Nonnus Cyril Theodoret. ite syrc, pal?. 0141 80 syrs.]

(3:14)

aorist active = lift up, raise high someone (or) something, (literal), (figurative, of enhancement in honor, fame, position, power, fortune, and so on) under BAGD 850b.

, , = snake, serpent, (literal), (figurative of depraved men), (as a symbolic figure, frequent in mythology) under BAGD 600a.

, , = (adjective) (of a place) abandoned empty, desolate place, (of persons) desolate, deserted, (substantive) under BAGD 309a.

aorist passive infinitive .

(3:15)

present active participle .

- present active subjunctive .

, , = life, (of life in the physical sense), means of sustenance, livelihood, (of the supernatural life belonging to God and Christ, which the believers will receive in the future, but which they also enjoy here and now) under BAGD 340b.

, = eternal, (without beginning), (without beginning or end), (without end) under BAGD 28a.

At this point I note more similarities between the vocabulary of John 3 and that of 1 John.

[footnoteRef:3] [3: {B} 75 B Wsupp Fulgentius. 66 L 1253 Theodoret. K (Cyrprian) Lucifer Chrysostom Cyril Theodoret. 63vid A.]

Grammatical note = Without the Article. The anarthrous constructions are: (1) adjective-noun, or (2) noun-adjective. There are close to 2,400 occurrences of this kind of construction in the NT. You will need to determine the type of adjectival use from the context. Anarthrous Adjectival Constructions. 4th position = Noun-Adjective ( = a good man). Fourth Position (Noun-Adjective) so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. See KMP, 168-69.

(3:16)

aorist active = love, cherish under BAGD 4a.

, = (adjective) only, unique (in kind), only begotten under BAGD 527a-.

aorist active . verbs are analogous to final geminate verbs in Hebrew. I have trouble understanding them and remembering the different forms.

present active participle .

aorist middle subjunctive = ruin, destroy, lose under BAGD 95a. Hunh. So lose or even destroy ones life? Almost certainly lose. Similar to in Hebrew which means become lost often with the sense of die, be destroyed.

- present active subjunctive .

There are several references to John 3:16 in Koestenberger et al.

Grammatical note = Substantival Uses of the Accusative. The substantival uses of the accusative include the accusative direct object, the cognate accusative, the double accusative, the accusative subject of the infinitive, and the accusative in simple apposition. Direct Object. The most common use of the accusative is as the direct object of a transitive verb. As the direct verb, the accusative is the recipient of the action and thus limits the scope of the action of the verb. The use of the accusative direct object is so common that the interpreter should routinely approach an accusative with the assumption that it indicates the direct object. One may also conceive of the accusative direct object in terms of certain (transitive) verbs taking the accusative, such as causative verbs (causing an action to be performed on a given object) or verbs of emotion. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son. God specifically loved the world the world he had made, and here specifically people who had fallen into sin so that he gave, specifically his one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. See KMP, 63-64.

Grammatical note = Substantival Uses of the Accusative. Direct Object. Serves as the recipient of the action. See KMP, 71.

Grammatical note = The Article with Substantives. The Partcularizing Article. The particularizing article serves to identify or denote persons or things and to distinguish them from all others. This is the articles basic function. The most important subcategories of the individualizing article include the following: (1) identification, (2) par excellence, (3) monadic (one-of-a-kind), (4) with abstract nouns, and (5) previous reference (anaphoric). The following examples illustrate these various instances of the individualizing article:

3. Monadic (one-of-a-kind): There is only one unique Son of God. The adjectival phrase highlights that this is not one son among many, but the one-of-a-kind son. See KMP, 155-57.

Grammatical note = Uses of the Article. With Substantives. The use of the article par excellence in which the article particularizes a substantive or uses it generically. Particular. Monadic (One-of-a-Kind). See KMP, 176.

Grammatical note = Tense and Aspect. There are six tenses in NT Greek: present, future, imperfect, aorist, perfect, and pluperfect. Generally speaking, the indicative mood tense consists of two qualities: time (the word tense comes from the Latin tempus, meaning time) and aspect. Time has to do with when the action occurs (the imperfect, aorist, perfect, and pluperfect usually occur in the past). Aspect has to do with how the author/speaker views or portrays the action. Because time is relevant only in the indicative mood, aspect seems to be the more dominant or primary force of the verbs tense. Active Voice. Simple. The subject directly performs the action of the verb. God loved the world. See KMP, 213.

Grammatical note = Substantival Participles. In this category an adjectival participle does not function as an adjective (thus modifying a noun) but independently as a noun (or substantive) itself. These participles can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and so on. The key for identifying a substantival participle is the presence of an article directly in front of the participle with no accompanying noun that the participles modifies though like adjectival participles, substantival participles may appear without an article. Substantival participles can be translated the one who, he who, or that which plus the meaning of the participle translated as a finite verb. Sometimes it is best to translate such participles as mere nouns. In addition to aspect, one must also be sensitive to the context. This usage is very common. So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish. The participle functions as the subject. See KMP, 326.

Grammatical note = Adjectival Participles. Substantival. Usually has a definite article but becomes a virtual noun (substantive). Everyone who believes. See KMP, 345.

Grammatical note = Adverbs Modifying Verbs. Adverbs usually modify verbs. In simplifying matters for beginning Greek students. Samuel Lamerson defines an adverb as, A word that describes a verb or tells how the action was accomplished (the man was running fast). As we consider this common use of adverbs, we should note that adverbs modify not only indicative verbs, but also imperative verbs, subjunctive verbs, verbal nouns (infinitives), and verbal adjectives (participles). Adverbs Modifying Indicative Verbs. For God loved the world in this way. See KMP, 416-17.

Grammatical note = Going Deeper. Students of Greek will note that, in both passages [1 John 2:15 and John 3:16], the verbs translated love () and the nouns translated world () are derived from the same respective lexical forms. Are Christians, then, commanded not to do something (love the world) that God does? First John 2:15 and John 3:16 illustrate that every word has a range of meaning (semantic range) and also a specific meaning that can only be determined when considering the context in which the word is used.

With significantly different contextual clues in John 3:16-17, the apostle clarifies both who the world is and the way in which () God loves the world. So, in John 3:16-17, the world is not the sinful allurements of this fallen age, but humans in their desperate lost state. Gods loving these sinful humans speaks of his activity and desire to rescue them. All words have a range of meaning, and the broader literary context is absolutely essential in determining a words or phrases meaning in any given passage. See KMP, 475-76.

I do not mean to pick a debate with Koestenberger et alteri, however I usually phrase this a little differently. That words do not have meanings (so much as) they have uses. I do not deny there is such a thing as original meaning of a word. Although that might be the first (and dominant) attested use of that word. In my experience this axiom (words have uses) greatly helps in understanding the different ways the same word might be used in different contexts. Interpreters of Scripture are sometimes confused when two writers use the same word and people think oh they mean the same thing. No. The key question is how are these writers using these words in different ways?

(3:17)

aorist active = send away or out someone under BAGD 98b.

- aorist or present active subjunctive = separate, distinguish (then) select, prefer, judge, think, consider look upon (with double accusative), reach a decision, decide, propose, intend, (as a legal term) judge, decide, hale before a court, condemn, (also) hand over for judicial punishment (in a forensic sense), (of a human court) (middle or passive) dispute, quarrel, debate, go to law, (of the divine tribunal), (occupied by men, who have been divinely commissioned to judge: the 12 apostles judge the 12 tribes), see to it that justice is done, judge, pass judgment upon, express an opinion about, (especially in an unfavorable sense) pass an unfavorable judgment upon, criticize, find fault with, condemn under BAGD 451a.

- aorist passive subjunctive = save, keep from harm, preserve, rescue, save (or) free from disease, keep, preserve (passive) thrive, prosper, get on well, save (or) preserve from eternal death, be saved, attain salvation under BAGD 798a.

, , = adornment, adorning, (in philosophical usage) the world (as the sum total of everything here and now), the (orderly) universe (so according to...) the world (as the sum total of all beings above the level of the animals), the world (as the earth, the planet upon which we live), (general), the world (as the habitation of mankind), earth, world (in contrast to heaven), the world (outside in contrast to ones home), the world (as mankind), (of all mankind, but especially of believers, as the object of Gods love), the world (as the scene of earthly joys, possessions, cares, sufferings), the world (and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved), totality, sum total under BAGD 445b.