# BBG Chapter 8 — Prepositions and εἰμί

## Files

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch8-preposition-parsing/ | 20-item drill — identify preposition, case governed, and prepositional phrase translation

### Flashcards

File | Description
--- | ---
ch8-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 20 vocabulary words
ch8-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import)
ch8-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
Greek Prepositions | Frequency, case binding, NT vs LXX comparison for all major prepositions
Discourse Particles | γάρ, οὖν, ἀλλά distribution — contrasting with prepositions in sentence structure

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Mounce, 4th Edition

## 1. Greek Prepositions — Introduction

Greek prepositions govern a noun in a specific case and together form a prepositional phrase. The same preposition can take different cases and carry different meanings depending on the case used. This is one of the most important features of Greek prepositional usage.

> Key principle: The preposition narrows and directs the meaning contributed by the case. The case provides the broad semantic category (relationship, location, etc.); the preposition specifies direction, source, accompaniment, and so on.

## 2. Major Prepositions — Full Table

Preposition | Case(s) | Primary Meaning(s) | GNT Example
--- | --- | --- | ---
ἐν | Dat. | in, among, by means of | ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ — "in the world"
εἰς | Acc. | into, to, toward, for | εἰς τὸν κόσμον — "into the world"
ἐκ / ἐξ | Gen. | out of, from (within) | ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου — "out of the world"
ἀπό | Gen. | from, away from | ἀπὸ θεοῦ — "from God"
πρός | Acc. | to, toward, with | πρὸς τὸν θεόν — "with/toward God"
διά | Gen. / Acc. | Gen: through, by means of; Acc: because of | διὰ τοῦ νόμου / διὰ τοῦτο
κατά | Gen. / Acc. | Gen: against, down from; Acc: according to | κατὰ σάρκα — "according to the flesh"
μετά | Gen. / Acc. | Gen: with (accompaniment); Acc: after | μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν / μετὰ ταῦτα
ἐπί | Gen. / Dat. / Acc. | over, at, on, against | ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς — "on the earth"
παρά | Gen. / Dat. / Acc. | Gen: from (a person); Dat: beside, in presence of; Acc: alongside | παρὰ τοῦ πατρός
περί | Gen. / Acc. | Gen: concerning, about; Acc: around | περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας — "concerning sin"
ὑπό | Gen. / Acc. | Gen: by (agent of passive verb); Acc: under | ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ — "by God"
σύν | Dat. | with, together with | σὺν αὐτῷ — "with him"
ἀντί | Gen. | instead of, in place of, in exchange for | ἀντὶ πολλῶν — "for many"
ἀνά | Acc. | up, each, apiece | ἀνὰ δύο — "two by two"

> Note: ἐκ becomes ἐξ before a vowel. This is straightforward phonological assimilation — the same pattern as English "a/an."

## 3. Compound Verbs with Preposition Prefixes

Greek frequently forms compound verbs by prefixing a preposition to a verb root. The preposition modifies the verb's meaning.

Compound | Preposition | Base Verb | Meaning
--- | --- | --- | ---
εἰσέρχομαι | εἰς (into) | ἔρχομαι (I go) | I enter, I go in
ἐξέρχομαι | ἐκ (out of) | ἔρχομαι (I go) | I go out, I depart
ἀπέρχομαι | ἀπό (away) | ἔρχομαι (I go) | I go away, I depart
προσέρχομαι | πρός (toward) | ἔρχομαι (I go) | I come to, I approach
προσφέρω | πρός (toward) | φέρω (I bring) | I offer, I bring to
ἀποστέλλω | ἀπό (away) | στέλλω (I send) | I send away, I commission
συνάγω | σύν (together) | ἄγω (I lead) | I gather, I assemble
παραλαμβάνω | παρά (alongside) | λαμβάνω (I take) | I receive, I take along
περιπατέω | περί (around) | πατέω (I walk) | I walk about, I conduct myself

> Note: When a preposition ending in a vowel is prefixed to a verb beginning with a vowel, the preposition's final vowel is often elided (dropped): ἀπό + ἔρχομαι → ἀπέρχομαι (ο dropped).

## 4. εἰμί — Present Indicative Paradigm

εἰμί is the Greek verb "to be." It is a linking verb (copula): it connects the subject to a description rather than expressing an action. It is one of the most common verbs in the GNT (~2,460 occurrences).

Person | Singular | Plural
--- | --- | ---
1st | εἰμί — "I am" | ἐσμέν — "we are"
2nd | εἶ — "you are" | ἐστέ — "you (pl.) are"
3rd | ἐστίν — "he/she/it is" | εἰσίν — "they are"

> Note: εἰμί is enclitic in all forms except εἶ (2nd singular) and the accented ἐστίν (when it comes first in a clause or follows certain particles). In practice, the 3rd singular ἐστίν is the most common form in the GNT by far.

## 5. Uses of εἰμί

### 5.1 Predicate Nominative

When εἰμί links a subject to a noun that describes or identifies it, both the subject and the predicate noun appear in the nominative case. This is called the predicate nominative.

> ὁ λόγος ἦν θεός — "the Word was God" (John 1:1)
> ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός — "I am the way" (John 14:6)

> Note: The key distinction: with action verbs, a noun following the verb is in the accusative (direct object). With εἰμί, a noun following the verb is in the nominative (predicate nominative). The sentence has two nominatives when εἰμί is the verb.

### 5.2 Predicate Adjective

εἰμί can also link the subject to an adjective in the predicate position.

> ὁ θεὸς πιστός ἐστιν — "God is faithful" (1 Cor 1:9)

### 5.3 Existential εἰμί

εἰμί can assert bare existence: "there is/are."

> ἔστιν δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις … κολυμβήθρα — "Now there is in Jerusalem … a pool" (John 5:2)

## 6. Predicate Nominative vs. Direct Object — Comparison

Feature | Predicate Nominative | Direct Object
--- | --- | ---
Verb type | εἰμί (or other linking verb) | Action verb (λέγω, ἀκούω, etc.)
Case of following noun | Nominative | Accusative
Relationship | Subject = predicate noun (identity/description) | Subject acts on the object
Example | ὁ θεός ἐστι πνεῦμα — "God is spirit" | βλέπει τὸν θεόν — "he sees God"

## 7. Identifying Preposition + Case Combinations in the GNT

A practical checklist for working through a prepositional phrase:

1. Identify the preposition.
2. Look at the definite article of the following noun (if present) — its form tells you the case.
3. If there is no article, look at the noun ending.
4. Match the preposition + case combination to its meaning from the table above.
5. Ask: what role does this prepositional phrase play — location, means, agent, time, accompaniment?