The reasons for a study of this type are many, but three simple reasons will be given here.
First, the Bible claims to be the inspired word of God (II Tim. 3:16). This expression means that
the Scriptures claim to be “God breathed”, and the Bible often makes this claim for even the
words of the text (II Sam. 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my
tongue.”). Inspired writers often use the grammar of the Scriptures to make doctrinal arguments.
Our Lord appealed to the tense of a verb to prove the resurrection, pointing out that God says “I
am” Abraham’s God as opposed to “I was” (Matt. 22:32). Paul makes a doctrinal point
concerning the promise of the Messiah by pointing to the number of the noun “seed” as being
singular and not plural (Gal. 3:16). This implies that a better understanding of grammar would
allow a better understanding of the Bible.
Second, the Bible was originally written in languages other than English. To properly learn
these languages, one must first be a master of the native tongue. When studying Greek, one will
often be asked to translate sentences in and out of English. Without a functional knowledge of
English, many fail in these exercises. Furthermore, in order to discern whether or not the
original language has been correctly translated by the multitudes of available versions, one must
understand the usage and senses of English grammar in addition to simple definitions. Is the
future perfect verb “shall have been bound” a better rendering than the simple future “shall be
bound” in Matt. 16:19? Who can say without first knowing the difference in the two verb tenses!
In any language, the rules of grammar mean as much or more to a sentence than the definitions
of the individual words.
Third, the Christian is often in a situation where his selection of words, either on the written
page or in oral speech, determines whether or not some lost soul comprehends the Gospel. Some
will claim that we are saved by “faith only”, which implies that grace, blood, love, and
repentance are unnecessary. What they probably mean is that we are saved “only by faith”,
which implies that faith is essential while not excluding the other essentials. For this reason, it is
prudent to learn how to carefully and properly construct sentences and complete thoughts.
Tools for Grammar Study and Improvement
I hope that this text will be a resource and a launching pad for an improvement of your
grammar. However, this text is by no means a comprehensive grammar book, as this book
assumes a working knowledge of English. For that matter, even an exhaustive grammar book is
insufficient for complete mastery of the English language. The following resources would be an
aide in your continuing growth in the English tongue.
1. A comprehensive grammar book. Like any language, English is filled with subtle,
tricky, deceptive rules that can completely change the meaning of a text. Because
English is a bubbling stew of rules and words from other languages, both of Romantic
4
and Germanic origin, it is especially full of exceptions and verbal cul-de-sacs. A
complete, comprehensive grammar book will fill in the holes left by this text.
2. An unabridged dictionary. While the rules of grammar have more control over a
sentence than the definitions of the individual words, the words are still the substance of
any sentence. An expansive vocabulary keeps communication precise, stimulates sleepy
audiences, and prevents misunderstandings. A good unabridged dictionary will provide
the etymology of a word and its meanings in various eras. This is especially important if
you are using a version of the Bible like the American Standard Version (1901 style
English) or the King James Version (1611-1769 style English). For example, knowing
that the words “perfect” and “conversation” have changed meanings over the years will
greatly improve your study of the King James Version.
3. Stimulating reading materials. The best way to keep your grammar skills and
vocabulary keen is to read. Obviously, a scholarly journal will do more for you than a
comic book. Fortunately, the Bible student with a reliable version already has an interest
in a classic text of the English language. Nothing has contributed to my personal
understanding of the English language more than my studies in the King James Bible, the
finest piece of English literature in existence. More modern versions lack some of the
eloquence and style of the older classics, so if you are trying to read to improve your
vocabulary and grammar, be careful what you choose to read.
4. Vocabulary builders. If you have had a love of reading from an early age, you have a
great head start above others. If not, you may need a good vocabulary builder to catch
up. Several such books flood the market every year and most are relatively inexpensive.
Generally they consist of a word-a-day type format.
5. Guide to English Usage. Many of the books in the grammar section of a bookstore
actually deal more with usage than grammar, as we will discuss it. “Usage” deals with
the distinction between commonly confused words and common grammar mistakes. A
book on this subject can be helpful to your written and oral communication. However,
since the Bible doesn’t contain grammar errors, this course will not deal with that in any
detail.
Disclaimer
I feel compelled to inform you that I am only an amateur English teacher. I have had good
training in the English language thanks to a pair of highly critical and helpful high school
teachers. I should also acknowledge that my understanding of the usefulness of grammar in
Bible study was built up by several preachers who are very dear to me. However, this does not
make me an expert. If you find grammar mistakes in this text (I try to always split a few
infinitives and leave a few participles dangling!) or conflicts with other grammar texts, I am most
likely in the wrong.
5
As an anecdotal explanation of my grammatical expertise or lack thereof, allow me to relate a
short story. In high school, I was often selected to attend scholastic competitions, often to
compete against other students by taking tests. On one such occasion, I was chosen to represent
my school in the grammar part of the competition. I was given a blank answer form and a test.
To my credit, I took first place in the competition. To my shame, I misspelled the word
“grammar” as “gramar” on the subject line of the answer form.
Format
I originally formatted this text using concise numbered rules. However, with each revision,
my numbered rules have become numbered paragraphs. Interspersed throughout the text are
example tables. The example sentences are numbered and then referenced in the lesson. Also,
to encourage application of this material, I have included some application sections, indicated by
the little Bible symbol, where the student is encouraged to apply the current concept to a passage
of Scripture.
At the end of the lesson is a brief exercise that will normally ask you to open your Bible and
think about English grammar at the same time. This can be a chore if this is the first attempt that
you have made in this kind of studying, but it is well worth the effort.
In addition, because this text is aimed in part toward those interested in studying Bible
languages like Greek, I will occasionally stop and make comments that compare Greek and
English. If you have no interest in Greek, then you may have little interest in these comments.
Sources
My primary source for grammar rules in this text is Harvey’s Revised English Grammar. Its
first copyright was in 1878, while my edition is copyrighted 1986. It is subtitled A Practical
Grammar of the English Language. I prefer the concise old primers for my purposes.
All Bible quotations will come out of the King James Bible of which I am a huge fan. Other
reliable translations exist, but none with the depth of style of the KJV. Furthermore, I take
theological issue with some of the modern speech translations … but that would be the subject of
another book entirely! Suffice it to say that I chose the KJV for this text for the reasons already
stated – scholarly journal instead of comic book.
Helpful Vocabulary
Sometimes we will have to split hairs as we discuss grammar. It will be helpful for me to
define a few words up front.
Linguistics is the science of languages. It is not a field specific to any one language, but
instead is universal to all.
Syntax is the structure of terms in a line. This term is used in computer programming and
grammar as well. It relates to order more than meaning.
6
Grammar is the specific set of rules that governs a language. The rules make it possible to
safely communicate an idea.
Usage is the study of specific words and how they should or should not be used in a
language. For example, “to”, “two”, and “too” are studied under usage. We will not deal lot
with this subject in this class.
Spelling relates to the formation of an individual word. We will not cover this much in this
class either.
First, the Bible claims to be the inspired word of God (II Tim. 3:16). This expression means that
the Scriptures claim to be “God breathed”, and the Bible often makes this claim for even the
words of the text (II Sam. 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my
tongue.”). Inspired writers often use the grammar of the Scriptures to make doctrinal arguments.
Our Lord appealed to the tense of a verb to prove the resurrection, pointing out that God says “I
am” Abraham’s God as opposed to “I was” (Matt. 22:32). Paul makes a doctrinal point
concerning the promise of the Messiah by pointing to the number of the noun “seed” as being
singular and not plural (Gal. 3:16). This implies that a better understanding of grammar would
allow a better understanding of the Bible.
Second, the Bible was originally written in languages other than English. To properly learn
these languages, one must first be a master of the native tongue. When studying Greek, one will
often be asked to translate sentences in and out of English. Without a functional knowledge of
English, many fail in these exercises. Furthermore, in order to discern whether or not the
original language has been correctly translated by the multitudes of available versions, one must
understand the usage and senses of English grammar in addition to simple definitions. Is the
future perfect verb “shall have been bound” a better rendering than the simple future “shall be
bound” in Matt. 16:19? Who can say without first knowing the difference in the two verb tenses!
In any language, the rules of grammar mean as much or more to a sentence than the definitions
of the individual words.
Third, the Christian is often in a situation where his selection of words, either on the written
page or in oral speech, determines whether or not some lost soul comprehends the Gospel. Some
will claim that we are saved by “faith only”, which implies that grace, blood, love, and
repentance are unnecessary. What they probably mean is that we are saved “only by faith”,
which implies that faith is essential while not excluding the other essentials. For this reason, it is
prudent to learn how to carefully and properly construct sentences and complete thoughts.
Tools for Grammar Study and Improvement
I hope that this text will be a resource and a launching pad for an improvement of your
grammar. However, this text is by no means a comprehensive grammar book, as this book
assumes a working knowledge of English. For that matter, even an exhaustive grammar book is
insufficient for complete mastery of the English language. The following resources would be an
aide in your continuing growth in the English tongue.
1. A comprehensive grammar book. Like any language, English is filled with subtle,
tricky, deceptive rules that can completely change the meaning of a text. Because
English is a bubbling stew of rules and words from other languages, both of Romantic
4
and Germanic origin, it is especially full of exceptions and verbal cul-de-sacs. A
complete, comprehensive grammar book will fill in the holes left by this text.
2. An unabridged dictionary. While the rules of grammar have more control over a
sentence than the definitions of the individual words, the words are still the substance of
any sentence. An expansive vocabulary keeps communication precise, stimulates sleepy
audiences, and prevents misunderstandings. A good unabridged dictionary will provide
the etymology of a word and its meanings in various eras. This is especially important if
you are using a version of the Bible like the American Standard Version (1901 style
English) or the King James Version (1611-1769 style English). For example, knowing
that the words “perfect” and “conversation” have changed meanings over the years will
greatly improve your study of the King James Version.
3. Stimulating reading materials. The best way to keep your grammar skills and
vocabulary keen is to read. Obviously, a scholarly journal will do more for you than a
comic book. Fortunately, the Bible student with a reliable version already has an interest
in a classic text of the English language. Nothing has contributed to my personal
understanding of the English language more than my studies in the King James Bible, the
finest piece of English literature in existence. More modern versions lack some of the
eloquence and style of the older classics, so if you are trying to read to improve your
vocabulary and grammar, be careful what you choose to read.
4. Vocabulary builders. If you have had a love of reading from an early age, you have a
great head start above others. If not, you may need a good vocabulary builder to catch
up. Several such books flood the market every year and most are relatively inexpensive.
Generally they consist of a word-a-day type format.
5. Guide to English Usage. Many of the books in the grammar section of a bookstore
actually deal more with usage than grammar, as we will discuss it. “Usage” deals with
the distinction between commonly confused words and common grammar mistakes. A
book on this subject can be helpful to your written and oral communication. However,
since the Bible doesn’t contain grammar errors, this course will not deal with that in any
detail.
Disclaimer
I feel compelled to inform you that I am only an amateur English teacher. I have had good
training in the English language thanks to a pair of highly critical and helpful high school
teachers. I should also acknowledge that my understanding of the usefulness of grammar in
Bible study was built up by several preachers who are very dear to me. However, this does not
make me an expert. If you find grammar mistakes in this text (I try to always split a few
infinitives and leave a few participles dangling!) or conflicts with other grammar texts, I am most
likely in the wrong.
5
As an anecdotal explanation of my grammatical expertise or lack thereof, allow me to relate a
short story. In high school, I was often selected to attend scholastic competitions, often to
compete against other students by taking tests. On one such occasion, I was chosen to represent
my school in the grammar part of the competition. I was given a blank answer form and a test.
To my credit, I took first place in the competition. To my shame, I misspelled the word
“grammar” as “gramar” on the subject line of the answer form.
Format
I originally formatted this text using concise numbered rules. However, with each revision,
my numbered rules have become numbered paragraphs. Interspersed throughout the text are
example tables. The example sentences are numbered and then referenced in the lesson. Also,
to encourage application of this material, I have included some application sections, indicated by
the little Bible symbol, where the student is encouraged to apply the current concept to a passage
of Scripture.
At the end of the lesson is a brief exercise that will normally ask you to open your Bible and
think about English grammar at the same time. This can be a chore if this is the first attempt that
you have made in this kind of studying, but it is well worth the effort.
In addition, because this text is aimed in part toward those interested in studying Bible
languages like Greek, I will occasionally stop and make comments that compare Greek and
English. If you have no interest in Greek, then you may have little interest in these comments.
Sources
My primary source for grammar rules in this text is Harvey’s Revised English Grammar. Its
first copyright was in 1878, while my edition is copyrighted 1986. It is subtitled A Practical
Grammar of the English Language. I prefer the concise old primers for my purposes.
All Bible quotations will come out of the King James Bible of which I am a huge fan. Other
reliable translations exist, but none with the depth of style of the KJV. Furthermore, I take
theological issue with some of the modern speech translations … but that would be the subject of
another book entirely! Suffice it to say that I chose the KJV for this text for the reasons already
stated – scholarly journal instead of comic book.
Helpful Vocabulary
Sometimes we will have to split hairs as we discuss grammar. It will be helpful for me to
define a few words up front.
Linguistics is the science of languages. It is not a field specific to any one language, but
instead is universal to all.
Syntax is the structure of terms in a line. This term is used in computer programming and
grammar as well. It relates to order more than meaning.
6
Grammar is the specific set of rules that governs a language. The rules make it possible to
safely communicate an idea.
Usage is the study of specific words and how they should or should not be used in a
language. For example, “to”, “two”, and “too” are studied under usage. We will not deal lot
with this subject in this class.
Spelling relates to the formation of an individual word. We will not cover this much in this
class either.
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