For many seminary students, the joy of learning can soon be extinguished when the knowledge to be gained in a given subject becomes too difficult or too overwhelming to attain. This loss of joy is especially prominent for students taking courses in the biblical languages. In any Greek or Hebrew class, the amount of information to learn over the course of the first two semesters comes at such a heavy, steady pace that some students liken it to drinking water from a fire hose. Bill Mounce, a well-known Greek grammarian and professor, describes the first year of biblical languages studies as living in a “fog” that can last even into the end of the second semester. Furthermore, this seeming burden is especially pronounced for students who do not have a strong background in English grammar or for students who choose to take Hebrew before Greek. (Take Greek first!) O how soon does the desire and joy for learning the biblical languages turn to drudgery!

If this paragraph describes you in your present state, please know that your biblical language professors are not sadists. We do not relish in your pain. In fact, we work hard, year after year, to make sure that your acquisition of Hebrew and Greek is as simple and intuitive as possible. We do not want you to lose the joy and desire with which you had undertaken your studies. However, we do realize that your joy and desire can quickly turn to drudgery and dread when you get stuck trying to learn difficult grammatical concepts or when the circumstances of life and ministry cause you to fall behind in your studies. So how can a student recapture the joy of and the desire for learning Hebrew and Greek when they are being overwhelmed by the study of morphology or syntax or vocabulary or all three at once? How can a student find joy in the biblical languages when they begin to ponder, “What’s the point of even knowing this information? Do I really need to know all these little details? There is a systematic theology book sitting on my bookshelf, and I can get more joy out of spending one hour in that book than I am getting out of the countless hours I have spent trying to master Greek declensions and Hebrew weak verbs.” If this is where you are, then I want to encourage you to recapture your joy and desire by giving you a broader perspective on why it is worth it for you to know how to do something as menial as parsing a verb.

First, the primary goal of a biblical language class is for you to be proficient at translating the Bible, and you can’t translate the Bible if you can’t parse Hebrew or Greek verbs. However, even though proficiency in translation is indeed the primary goal of biblical language instruction, it is not the ultimate goal. One of the reasons to be proficient at translating the Bible is to be able to interpret the Bible well because if the Bible is not translated well, then it is not going to be interpreted well. Take, for example, the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:

Genesis 3:15 (ESV) — 15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

In one of the Latin translations of the fourth century, the Hebrew masculine pronoun הוּא (rendered “he” in English translations) in the second portion of this verse was not rendered with the Latin masculine pronoun ipse, but with the feminine pronoun ipsa: “she shall bruise your head.” For centuries, this mistranslation in the Latin has been one of the sources of the many erroneous Marian dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church.

Take, for example, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. In his first thesis, he makes the argument that when Jesus preaches “Repent!” in Matthew 4:17, He is declaring that one’s life should be characterized by repentance. In Luther’s second thesis, he disputes that Jesus in Matthew 4:17 is preaching about the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance. In these first two theses, Luther focuses on this specific verse because he knew that there was, and there still is, a poor translation of it in the Latin Bible. In Matthew 4:17, the Greek word μετανοεῖτε (rendered “repent” in English translations) is rendered in the Latin with the words paenitentiam agite: “do penance.” This mistranslation in the Latin has been one of the sources for the abuse and misuse of the Roman Catholic sacrament of penance. Again, if the Bible is not translated well, then it is not going to be interpreted well, and bad interpretations lead to doctrinal errors and unbiblical practices. Thus, knowing Greek and Hebrew morphology will help you interpret the Bible well

Second, while interpreting the Bible well is a good and worthy goal of Biblical language acquisition, it is still not the ultimate goal. One of the reasons to be able to interpret the Bible well is to know God more deeply.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 (ESV) — 23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Let not the biblical language student boast in his knowledge and grasp of Hebrew and Greek. Let him boast in this, that through his knowledge of the biblical languages, he knows and understands God more deeply. Is this not theology, the study of God? Should this not be the goal of every Christian, to know God more deeply? Your acquisition of Hebrew and Greek is a means to that end.

Third, while knowing God more deeply is also a good and worthy goal of Biblical language acquisition, it is yet again not the ultimate goal. One of the reasons to know God more deeply is to love God more fully. Consider Deuteronomy 6:4-5, one of the most well-known verses of the Hebrew Bible:

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (ESV) — 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Notice how verse four is communicating knowledge about God. It’s communicating a theology of God: He is your God and He is one. Notice how verse five communicates the aim or purpose of acquiring such knowledge of God: that God would be loved with the entirety of your being. The acquisition of Hebrew and Greek is a means by which you might love God more fully.

Fourth, while loving God more fully is a good and worthy goal of Biblical language studies, it is yet again not the ultimate goal. One of the reasons to love God more fully is to obey Him more faithfully. Consider Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John:

John 14:15 (ESV) — 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

John 14:21a (ESV) — 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

To be clear, Jesus is not talking about a legal obedience: do this and live. Instead, Jesus is talking about an evangelical obedience: live and do this. To love Christ is to already possess life, and from that life comes obedience. The acquisition of the original languages is a means by which, through a methodological process (translation to interpretation; interpretation to theology; theology to love; love to obedience), you may obey Christ more faithfully.

Finally, while obeying Christ more faithfully is also a good and worthy goal of learning Hebrew and Greek, it is not the ultimate goal. One of the reasons to obey God more faithfully is that ultimately, God might be glorified in and through His people. Consider Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John:

John 15:8 (ESV) — 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Consider also Paul’s words in his second epistle to the Thessalonian church:

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 (ESV) — 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is the ultimate goal in the study of the original languages: that God might be glorified in and through you.

Here then is my encouragement to you. When you are deep into the study of morphology, vocabulary, and syntax, when you are losing your joy because the information is too much or too difficult or seemingly too menial, then let your work be as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23) with a higher mindset. Labor with the mindset that all of your work is going to redound to a deeper knowledge of God, a fuller love for Christ, and a more faithful and holy walk. Labor with the mindset that ultimately all of your work is going to redound to the glory of God. Soli Deo Gloria

Dr. Wilson

About the Author

Dr. Josh Wilson is Professor of Biblical Languages for Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Park Hills, MO, with his wife (Sarah, married in 2002) and their eight children (Joshua, Jakob, Timothy, Caleb, Katelynne, Natalie, Luke, and Simon). He enjoys playing board games with his family and, when he has the time, backcountry backpacking on the Ozark Trail. Josh has been serving as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Park Hills since 2012 and has been teaching Bible for Missouri Baptist University since 2008. He holds a B.A. in Religious Education and Biblical Languages from Missouri Baptist University as well as an M.Div. in Biblical and Theological Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Through Southern Seminary, he also earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament with an emphasis in Greek, Hebrew, and Hebrew Literature. Josh has spoken at several regional conferences and has written articles for both Answers in Genesis and the Answers Research Journal.