Grammatical Terms Relating to English and Greek

Terms Related to Sentences in General

Subject
The subject of a sentence is a word or a group of words about which something can be said or asserted. It must be a noun or a group of words functioning as a substantive.

Predicate
The predicate of a sentence is the part of the sentence that makes the assertion about the subject. The main part of the predicate is a finite verb (which must be present). The predicate can be a verb alone, or a verb and other words related to it. Any part of the sentence which is not a part of the subject is part of the predicate. The verb in a sentence may include an "unexpressed" subject. In this kind of sentence, a subject is not explicitly stated but is implied by the verb. For example: "Repent and be baptized for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near." The subject of the compound verb "repent" and "be baptized" is obviously the ones to whom this sentenced is addressed. It implies, "You repent and be baptized".

Sentence
A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought. A complete simple sentence must include both a subject and a predicate (which is comprised of or includes a verb). For example: "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) 'Jesus', a name of a person, is a noun and is the subject of this short sentence. (He is obviously the one about which something is being said or asserted.) 'Wept' is the verb and, by itself, comprises the predicate of the sentence. Another example: "Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and reality." (John 4:24b) The subject (about which something is being said) is 'those who worship Him'. The predicate, comprising both the verb 'must worship' and its related words, is 'must worship in spirit and reality.'

Terms Related to Verbs

Verb
A verb is a word expressing action, occurrence, existence, or state of being. It is used to tell or assert something about a noun (or substantive). In the broadest sense, a verb shows 'action'.

Finite Verb
A finite verb is one whose form changes in order to match the form of the subject. It can be the main verb in the predicate part of a sentence (whose form is governed by the subject of the sentence).
For example "The just shall live by faith".

Non-Finite Verb
A verb whose form does not change based upon any noun in the sentence and thus cannot function as the main verb in the predicate of a sentence.
For example "A sower went forth to sow" or "...looking upon them, Jesus said to them...".

Parsing a Verb
There are five basic parts that are clearly defined by every Greek verb form. Parsing a verb means to identify or describe these five "parts" that make up that verb. ("Parse" is from the Latin word "pars" which means "part"). These five parts are: Person, Number, Tense, Voice, and Mood.

There are two main categories of verbs:

1. Transitive Verbs
A transitive verb is a verb that 'transfers' the action to and affects a noun (or substantive). This noun that it transfers motion to is called the 'direct object'. Therefore by the very nature of a transitive verb, it is a verb that requires a direct object. Conversely, if there is a verb that has a direct object, it must be a transitive verb. Without a direct object, the transitive verb would cause the sentence to be left hanging and seem incomplete.
    For example "Do not quench the spirit" (I Thess 5:19). The understood subject of the sentence is 'you' (required because of the imperative mood). (The verb, strictly speaking, is 'do quench'; however, there is a very important adverb 'not' inserted here). If the sentence ended with "Do not quench," the question could not help but be asked, "Do not quench what?" The verb 'quench' requires a direct object to complete the meaning of the sentence. Thus the noun 'spirit' is added as the direct object of the verb.

2. Intransitive Verbs
An intransitive verb is a verb that does not transfer action to a noun (a direct object). Therefore it is a verb that, by nature, does not have a direct object. In essence, the action begins and ends with the subject of the sentence. For example "Unceasingly pray" (I Thess 5:17). Again the understood subject of the sentence is 'you'. There is no transfer of motion to a direct object. There are no further words necessary to make the sentence complete.

Linking (Copulative) Verb
A linking verb (sometimes referred to as a copulative verb by grammarians) is a special class of intransitive verbs. It is a verb used to equate, identify, or join together one interchangeable substantive with another. It connects the subject of the sentence with a coordinating (or complementary) predicate. As with other intransitive verbs, there is no direct object since there is no action transferred. An example of linking verbs would be any form of the words 'is' or 'become'.
    For example "The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life." (John 6:63b). Notice here that the noun 'words' is equated with the nouns 'spirit' and 'life' by the linking verb 'are'. It could be said that 'words' are equal to 'spirit' and to 'life'.
 

Terms Related to Nouns

Noun
A noun is a word that denotes a person, place, thing, or idea. A noun is also referred to as a substantive. Besides all the common nouns, such as "man", "son", "truth", "word", etc., there are also proper nouns, which are names of particular people (e.g. Jesus Christ, Paul), of particular places (e.g. Ephesus, Rome), or of particular things (e.g. Passover, Jews). Proper nouns are usually capitalized.

Substantive
A substantive is a noun, pronoun, or any word functioning like a noun. This could include such items like an adjective, participle, or infinitive used as the subject or a direct object of the sentence. A substantive may be one word or a group of words.

Direct Object
The direct object in a sentence is the substantive that receives the action of a transitive verb.
    For example: "... receive with meekness the engrafted word..." (James 1:21). The word which is directly receiving the action of the finite verb "receive", (answering the question "Receive what?") is the word "word", and therefore it is the direct object of this sentence.

Indirect Object
An indirect object is the person or thing that is indirectly affected by the action of the verb. It is often translated in English by the phrase "to somebody" or "for somebody (or something)".
    For example: "I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens" (Matt 16:19). The word "keys" is the direct object of the transitive verb "give", and thus receives the action of the verb. But the action of the verb is also indirectly affecting "you" and therefore "to you" is said to be the indirect object of this sentence. "To you" is answering the question, "give to whom?" or "for whom?"

John Chapter 1 and the JW's use of the indefinite article____________________

The Apparent Difference in Spelling

    First of all, the same Greek word is used in both occurrences of the word "God" in John 1:1.  This same word is used in many contexts, whether it refers to the Only True God or whether it is referring to a false god - such as a man-made god (1 Cor. 8:5) or Satan as the ‘god of this age’ (2 Cor. 4:4).  The apparent differences in spelling between the word ‘God’ in the phrase ‘and the Word was God’ (‘theos’) and in other places, (even in the previous phrase, ‘and the Word was with God’ (‘theon’)) is due to inflection in the Greek language.  Each Greek noun normally has 8 or 9 forms (cases & number) in which it can appear. (See my page on ‘Inflection’ and ‘Cases’ on the Web site). In the first instance in John 1:1 it is the object of preposition and thus is in the accusative case. In the phrase in question, it is in the nominative case (indicating the subject or predicate nominative - equal to the subject).  But it is the same word for ‘God’, and in both phrases here indicates the One and Only True God.  So the apparent difference is spelling is not because ‘theos’ is a different word than ‘theon’, but is a different form of the identical word.

The Lack of a Greek Definite Article

    Another common confusion in John 1:1 comes from the fact that in Greek there is no definite article in front of the word ‘God’ (‘theos’) in the phrase ‘and the Word was God’.  The confusion arises from an assumption that if there is no definite article in the Greek, then it must have an indefinite meaning and thus should be translated with the indefinite article "a".  Based on this understanding, some argue that this phrase in John 1:1 should be translated "the word was a god," rather than "the word was God."  It is important at this point to understand that the Greek language has a definite article (‘the’), but does not have an indefinite article (‘a’ or ‘an’).  In certain instances, when the Greek omits a definite article, it may be appropriate to insert an indefinite article for the sake of the English translation and understanding.  But we cannot assume that this is always appropriate.  Greek does not operate in the same way as English does in regard to the use of the words ‘the’ and ‘a’.  In many instances in which English would not include the word ‘the’, the Greek text includes it.  (We don’t see it in the English translations because it would sound non-sensible in our language.)  (See Note 1, below.)  And in many cases where the Greek omits the definite article, the English translation requires it to convey the correct meaning of the Greek. (See Note 2, below.)  Therefore it cannot be assumed that if the definite article is absent, then an indefinite article should be inserted.  (For a clear illustration of this, see an example of the use of the word ‘God’ and the definite article in John chapter one.)  Furthermore, even though the Greek language does not have an ‘indefinite article’ like we think of in English, there is a way in Greek for the writer to indicate the indefinite idea and thus avoid confusion.  This is done in Greek by using the Greek indefinite pronoun ‘tis’.
    In John 1:1 there is no definite article in front of the word ‘God’ in the phrase, ‘and the Word was God’.  However, in this instance, it cannot just be assumed that the word ‘God’ is meant to be ‘indefinite’, and therefore an indefinite article used in the English translation.  Because the first use of the word ‘God’ in John 1:1 (‘the Word was with God’) clearly refers to the Only True God, the Eternal Pre-existent Creator, more than likely John would have used a different Greek construction than he did if he had meant for this next phrase (‘and the Word was God’) to refer to a ‘lesser’ god, and did not want us to confuse this with the True God he had just mentioned.  If John meant to avoid confusion, when making such a definitive statement, he could have done so by using this ‘indefinite pronoun’ (‘tis’) as an adjective. This would have made it clear that the Word was ‘a certain god’, but not the one he was just referring to.  For examples of this, see the verses Mark 14:51, Luke 8:27, Luke 1:5, and Luke 11:1 (among many, many other examples).  So, it seems that by the Greek grammatical structure in this statement, John is indicating that the Word (Jesus Christ - John 1:14) is the same essence and nature as God the Father.
    (For a more thorough explanation of the function and use of the Greek article (and meaning of its absence), see ‘Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics’, by Daniel Wallace.  He includes fifty pages - entitled ‘The Article, Part I’ - which is a more complete treatment of the subject that many grammar books present and explains all the general uses of the article.  He actually has a ‘Part II’ which discusses some special issues with the article.  Fifteen pages of this second section apply directly to understanding this passage in John 1:1.  It is highly recommended for those who really desire an honest and thorough understanding of this passage.)

The Predicate Coming Before the Subject

    Also, this phrase in John 1:1 is an example of a predicate nominative coming first in the sentence, before the subject. (Sentences like this one that use a linking verb require the noun in the predicate part of the sentence to be in the nominative case. Thus the phrase 'predicate nominative'.) The subject of this clause is ‘the Word’ and the predicate is ‘God’. In Greek, the word ‘God’ comes before the word ‘Word’.  According to normal Greek usage (Colwell's Rule), the word ‘God’ should not have a definite article.  Oftentimes, emphasis is shown in Greek by placing a word out of its normal, expected word order. Special emphasis is shown when the predicate comes first in the sentence.  In other words, contrary to the thought that ‘since there is no definite article used here it could belittle the fact of the Word being God’, the fact that the word ‘God’ is used first in the sentence actually shows some emphasis that this Logos (Word) was in fact God in its nature.  However, since it does not have the definite article, it does indicate that this Word was not the same ‘person’ as the Father God, but has the same ‘essence’ and ‘nature’.

The Context of All of the Apostle John’s Writings

    It is also necessary to see this statement in context of the rest of John’s writings. When comparing this with other statements about who the person and nature of Jesus Christ really is, it adds to what is already made clear by the Greek grammar. See for instance: John 8:56-59 (cf. Exo. 3:13-14); 10:28-33; 14:6-11; 1 John 5:20; (also John 8:23; 3:12-13; 5:17-18).  These verses also indicate that, in John’s understanding and thus the Bible’s clear statements, Jesus Christ is the same essence and nature as God the Father, but distinct in their person-hood.

Consulting with Other Well Respected Greek Scholars and Grammarians

    For a further explanation and clarification about these items, it is helpful to consult with many of the well respected Greek scholars and expositors.  Personally I have never come across any objective, well respected Greek grammarian that has come up with different conclusions that what has been presented here.  Many of them go into much more detail than I have in these few short paragraphs.  See for instance the writings of Daniel Wallace (‘Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics’), A.T. Robertson (both his ‘Grammar’ and ‘Word Pictures’), R.C.H. Lenski (in his commentary on the Gospel of John), Henry Alford (‘Greek Testament’), J.A. Bengel (‘Word Studies), Albert Barnes (‘Barnes’ Notes’), B.F. Westcott, and F.L. Godet, (and many others).