MGVHoffman – LTSG – 2006.07
Greek Tools Proficiencies – Part 3: BW7 Exercises
Now that you have your program ready to go, here are some exercises that will familiarize with some common tasks. You perhaps should try to figure the steps out yourself (especially if you have already watched the videos), but the bulleted lines ( • ) provide directions that trace the steps I use.
1. You should already have the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament open. (We want BGT displayed.) If not, find two different ways to open it using either the menu system or command shortcuts.
· ESC, ESC, BGT ↵ or
· Click in the version dropdown box near the top of the Browse window
2. Find two different ways (menu, toolbars, or command shortcuts) to get to Mark 16:6.
· ESC, ESC, type Mar 16.6 ↵ or
· Use dropdown menu in Browse window
3. What is the dictionary form of ἠγέρθη?
What is its form here?
· Place cursor on word, information will display in popup window and in Word Analysis in right panel
4. Using a lexicon (BDAG or Friberg=Analytical Lexion or GING [which is an abridged version of BDAG] or UBS=Barclay-Newman), list the suggested meanings of this word.
· Click on ἠγέρθη, hold down the shift key and click on the Word Analysis tab in the right panel
5. Be sure to note that this verb has both transitive and intransitive meanings, especially in the passive. What does transitive and intransitive mean?
What difference does this make in the translation, in particular, is it best to say:
God raised Jesus? or Jesus was raised? or Jesus rose?
6. How many times is this form of this verb used in Mark?
· ESC, ESC to go to and clear command line.
· Type l mar {= l(imit) to mar(k)} ↵.
· Right click on word, choose Search on Form.
7. How many times is the lemma/root of this verb used in Mark?
· Note that the last search range is remembered.
· Right click on word, choose Search on Lemma.
8. How many times is the lemma/root of this verb used in the Gospels?
· ESC-ESC to go to and clear command line.
· Type l gosp ↵. Right click on word, choose Search on Lemma
9. What other words are regularly used with ἐγείρω?
· Open the KWIC (Key Word In Context) module by either clicking on or from the menu via Tools > KWIC
· For the version, choose BNM. (We want a morphological version, and we will limit to just the NT.)
· Click in the word box and type: εγειρω
· Use 5 words to the left or right, and set the codes to 0, then Build your list
10. How many times is the word καὶ used in the NT?
· ESC-ESC to go to and clear command line.
· Type BNM ↵ (This selects the morphological version of the NT.)
· Type .και ↵ > Note that as you soon as you enter the initial . that you will be converted to typing in Greek.
11. With your results still showing in the Search panel, now use Detailed Statistics and chart the number of hits in a book per number of words in the book.
· Use the icon or Search > Detailed Statistics
Which book of the NT has the highest percentage frequency use of this word? Lowest?
Which Gospel has the highest percentage frequency use of this word? Lowest?
· Leave this graph window open. Click on “Copy Window” before running the next search.
12. How many times is the word δὲ used in the NT?
Which book of the NT has the highest percentage frequency use of this word? Lowest?
Which Gospel has the highest percentage frequency use of this word? Lowest?
13. Now compare your two graphs. If using δὲ is regarded as better Greek style than using καὶ, which Gospel has the best style? Which is the ‘poorest’ style?
What do you make of the Gospel of John’s statistics?
14. Another very rough guide to determining Greek style is the frequency of participles and infinitives as compared to the use of indicative verbs.
Ø For this exercise, limit search to just the Gospels.
· Do this right away by typing: l mat-joh ↵ in the command line
Ø Find every participle in the Gospels.
· ESC, ESC, type: .*@vp* -- note that the * indicates any word, the @ indicates you want to specify a form and as soon as you type it, you should get a listing of options, the final * means any of the rest of the morphological details
Ø Now find every infinitive in the Gospels.
· Use the pattern of the previous search…
Ø Now, in a single search, find every participle and infinitive in the Gospels and then graph the percent hits / words in book.
· Same procedure as in the previous searches, but the trick here is to use .*@v[pn]* for your search noting that the brackets allow you to use multiple terms at a time
· After getting results use the icon or Search>Detailed Statistics
· Remember to Copy Window before the next search
Which Gospel has the highest percent? Lowest percent?
Ø Now find every use of an indicative case verb in the Gospels and then graph the percent hits / words in book.
Which Gospel has the highest percent? Lowest percent?
15. What Greek words are translated with “resurrection”? You have some options here.
Ø You could find every time that “resurrection” is used in the NRSV and then check what Greek word it is translating.
· Switch focus to NRS
· Type .resurrection in command line
Ø The better option: Use the Louw-Nida Greek English Lexicon of the NT based on Semantic Domains and search for the term “resurrection.”
· Click on or from the menu, Resources > Greek-Hebrew Lexicons
· When window opens, Lexicons > Louw-Nida Lexicon
· From menu, Edit > Search, use English from Top of File, type in “resurrection,” Find Next
16. Find those passages in the Bible that say something about being saved by grace.
· ESC, ESC, type NRS (or note that you can switch focus to NRS by double clicking on the superscript NRS in the Browse window
· Type .sav* grace ↵ -- note that the . starts the search and indicates that you want both words [an AND search], the sav* looks for any words that start with sav- so you will find save, saved, saving, etc.
17. Find the parable about the mustard seed in the Gospel of Mark.
Ø The fastest way is probably to search for “mustard.”
Ø Another way is to look through the headings.
· Go to Mark in your Browse window, at the top of the Browse window, click on the dropdown list of headings or
· Click on icon (or use menu: Resources > Miscellaneous > Bible Outlines) and navigate to desired passage
Now find the parallel accounts of this in the other Gospels.
· Use Tools > Synopsis Window or click on at the top
Perhaps the window opens showing exactly what you need, but let’s work a bit more with this tool
· Working in the Synopsis window, use File > Open and select the Aland file (and while you are selecting Aland, do note all the other synopsis files you have available)
· Now, instead of the NAU, we want to work with the Greek and NRSV. Choose File > Edit and look at the top frame, change every instance of NAU to BNT in the Versions line. In the Display line type: BNT NRS, choose File > Save and rename the file to “Aland BNT NRS”
· Close and then reopen the Synopsis window to get back to the Mustard parable
18. Romans 1.17 has some important and disputed issues of translation. Lay out the Greek of Romans 1.16-17 in parallel with a number of English translations in order to compare the differences.
· If you set up BW7 as described in part 2, use ESC, ESC to go to and clear the command line
· Type “d GreekEnglishParallel” and the Greek with all your selected English translations should appear
· Type Rom 1.16
· Now use Tools > Copy Center (or click on )
· Since we want Romans 1.16-17, select Range of Verses and enter Rom 1:16-17
· In the Versions box delete WTT (since we don’t need Hebrew)
· Click on Format Options
· Select Interleave Versions and User Defined Book Names
· Select Remove Interior Chapter numbers, Book names, Version label
· Select Include Version label, Formatting, click OK
· Select Copy to Clipboard, click Copy
· Now go to your word processor and open a new document
· Paste (CTRL-V) the clipboard
· You can format the document here (Personally, I reduce the margins, set my page to landscape, do proper indenting, etc. If you copy longer chunks of text, you may prefer to Include Verse number in the formatting options box)
Some other suggestions:
o When you work in the OT and if you don’t know Hebrew, I recommend that you display the NAU version and turn on the Strong’s numbering. (Click on the at the top of the Browse window and toggle on Strong’s or simply click mouse in Browse window and type “r”) This will allow you to search on the Hebrew word via the Strong’s number.
§ For example: Go to Ps 23. Using the NAU, right click on "shepherd" in verse 1 and "Search on Word." How many hits do you get?
§ Now, with the Strong's numbers on (remember "r" is the toggle to turn them on/off), note the <07462a> that follows "shepherd." Right click on that number and "Search on Strong's Number." Now see how many hits you get.
o Be sure to take advantage of the by the command line. If you start a search, you can click on that icon and go the Graphical Search Engine and have part of your search already started. Also click on the icon and check out the Command Line Examples for a quick refresher on search elements.