Grace Institute: Bible Study Methods: Observing the Grammar

Observing the Grammar Bible Study Methods Winter 2009

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February 8, 2009: Observing the Grammar

Observing the Gramatical Structure

The Need for Gramatical Analysis

God does not think or speak in English. Nor does God think or speak in Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or any human language. Yet God has chosen to communicate His truths through human language. Therefore the deep spiritual truths of God had to be simplified so that it can be communicated in a form which we can understand. This does not reduce the truth of the Bible, but rather, it elevates human language as it becomes the vessel which contains the very Word of God.

Because God has chosen language as the means by which to communicate with us, we must become experts at the use of language. Observation of the structure of language becomes imperative in our bible study methodology. This structure, which we call grammar, serves as the building blocks in language, and becomes the focus of our next observation exercise.

While the most accurate structural observations uses the original languages, observing the structure of our English translations is also extremely valuable. However, this is where using a literal translation becomes critical. The grammar of the original languages is often lost in a dynamic equivalence. However, a more literal translation will more closely match the grammatical structure of the original. While this clearly sacrifices readability, it serves us well in our grammatical observations.

Gramatical Analysis Defined

Grammatical Analysis is a bible study methodology used to rearrange the text to highlights the grammatical ideas and relationships within the text.

Importance of Grammatical Analysis

• Grammatical analysis requires the reader to make basic grammatical observations of the text.
• Grammatical analysis highlights the key words and phrases, helping us to determine which words to select in our word study.
• Grammatical analysis helps to determine the outline of a text.
• Grammatical analysis will raise additional interpretative questions.
• Grammatical analysis will require the reader to begin making some interpretative decisions. These interpretations, however, must be restrained to the context of grammatical interpretations, and not a wholesale interpretation of the text. That remains for the next step.

A Grammar Review

Parts of Speech

Words are the basic building blocks to language. Each word in a language can be grammatically categorized as a part of speech.

• Nouns – The name of a person, place, thing or idea.
  • Common nouns – the general descriptive name of a person, place or thing (table, dog, church, man, automobile) .
  • Proper nouns – the name of a particular person, place or thing (Bob Smith, Oregon, Grace Community Fellowship).
• Pronouns – Words which substitute for a noun. (I, my, me, we, our, us, you, your, he, his, him, she, her, it).
• Verbs – Words which declare the action in a sentence (kick, run, think, believe).
  • Forms of a verb:
    • The tense of a verb tells you when an action took place. (He kicks the dog, he kicked the dog, he will kick the dog.)
    • The voice of a verb tells the noun which initiated the action. (He kicked the dog, the dog was kicked by him.)
    • The mood of a verb tells the attitude of the speaker, the factuality or likelihood of what is expressed. (He can kick the dog, he did kick the dog, he might kick the dog.)
  • Auxiliary verbs, sometimes called helping verbs, help complete the form and meaning of main verbs. The auxiliary verbs include the modal verbs, the primary verbs.
    • The modal verbs help express the mood of verbs. Examples include: do, does, did, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, and must.
    • The primary verbs have the distinction of being able to function either as main verbs or as auxiliaries. As auxiliaries they combine with other verbs to help determine the tense and voice of the verb. Examples include: be am is are was were been, have, has and had.
• Adjectives – Words which modify nouns (tall, dark, handsome).
• Adverbs –Words which modify verbs (fast, thoughtfully, submissively).
• Prepositions – Words which begin prepositional phrases which indicated where, when, why or how a verb took place. (in, around, up, through).
• Conjunctions – Words which combine sections of a sentence (and, but).
• Articles – Words which identify the particularities of a nouns. (The definite article: the. The indefinite article: a.).

Sentence Structure

These words are connected together into sentences to communicate a single idea. Within each sentence words take on particular roles in the sentence.

• Subject – The doer of the action (unless the verb is in the passive voice). ( The man kicked the dog).
• Verb – The action in the sentence. (The man kicked the dog).
• Object – The receiver of the action. (The man kicked the dog.)
• Indirect Object - An object indirectly affected by the action of the verb. (The man gave the present to his wife .)
• Prepositional Phrase - A phrase that consists of a preposition and its object and functions as an adjective or an adverb. (The man gave the present to his wife in the restaurant .)

Construction of a Grammatical Analysis

Basic Construction of a Grammatical Analysis

• Use line paper or graph paper and a pencil. Usually you will need to use a landscape orientation on the paper. Print small! If you are using a computer, I recommend using a spreadsheet with the columns set to a very minimal width.
• Place the main subject of the sentence at the top left of the page, followed by the verb and the object.
  Example:

• Place any modifying words, phrases, or clauses under the terms they modify, slightly indented.
  Example:

• Place conjunctions and other connecting words on a vertical line between the first letters of the words being joined.
  Example:

• Words which refer to the same noun should be directly under each other (such as a relative pronoun beginning a clause).
• Use the exact words of the text. Every word of the verse needs to be included. Don't leave out or add any text (except to repeat elements for clarity sake).

Help in Constructing a Grammatical Analysis

• Grammatical Analysis is not the same thing as sentence diagramming.
• Keep groups of words, clauses and phrases together on the same line if they serve the same function.
• Finding the direct object: The direct object usually answers the question “what?” or “who?” following the subject & verb. Note, some verbs do not have a direct object (intransitive verbs or verbs in the passive voice).
• Differentiate between main and subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses use participles and gerunds (“-ing” words). These subordinate clauses are modifiers to the subject, verb or object.
• “If-then” constructions, the “then” portion usually is the main clause and the “if” clause modifies it.
• Keep connecting verbs together on the same line (keep auxiliary verbs with their main verb).
• Modifiers usually answer a linking questions. Noun modifying words and phrases answer the question “what kind, how many, whose, etc.” Verb modifying words and phrases answer the question “why, where, how, to whom, according to.”
• When trying to determine the antecedent to the pronoun, remember the basic rule that the nearest noun is usually the best antecedent.

Assignment

Complete a Grammatical analysis of Ephesians 2:8-10.

• It is okay to work with others on this project.
• Read carefully the notes and examples.

Grammatical Analysis Examples

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 NASB)

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. (Galatians 6:1 NASB)

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2 NASB)