The lesson below belongs to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy’s Greek Reading I course. In this course, we study the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament. Students wishing to master the lesson below are to complete translation exercises daily from Greek into English and English into Greek, until every Greek word and its English meaning are memorized.
Text
31 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων. 32 καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν. 33 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν: ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ’ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. 34 κἀγὼ ἑώρακα, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. 35 Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο
Exposition
Use the following guide to study the meaning of each Greek word in context.
31 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων.
- κἀγὼ: (kai ego-)
- kai = conjunction, “and”
- ego- = pronoun, “I”
- οὐκ: adverb, “not”
- ᾔδειν: verb, 1st, sing, plupf, ind, act: “I had known”
- αὐτόν: pronoun, “him”
- ἀλλ’: (alla/) conjunction, “but”
- ἵνα: conjunction, “so that”
- φανερωθῇ: verb, 3rd, sing, aor, subj, pass, “he might be made known”
- τῷ Ἰσραὴλ: masc, sing, dat., “to Israel”
- διὰ: preposition (+acc.), “for”
- τοῦτο: pronoun, neut, sing, acc, “this”
- ἦλθον: verb, 1st, sing, aor, ind, act, “I have come”
- ἐγὼ: pronoun, “I”
- ἐν: preposition (+dat.), “with”
- ὕδατι: substantive noun, neut, sing, dat, “water”
- βαπτίζων: participle, pres, act, masc, sing, nom, “baptizing”
Translation: And I not had known him, but so that he might be made known to Israel, for this (I) have come I, with water baptizing.
32 καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν.
- καὶ: conjunction, “and”
- ἐμαρτύρησεν: verb, 3rd, sing, aor, “(he) testified”
- Ἰωάννης: substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “John”
- λέγων: participles, pres, ind, act, “saying”
- ὅτι: conjunction, “that”
- τεθέαμαι: verb, 1st, sing, perf, ind, dep, “I have seen”
- τὸ: def. article, neut, sing, acc, “the”
- πνεῦμα: substantive noun, neut, sing, acc, “spirit”
- καταβαῖνον: participle, pres, ind, act, neut, sing, acc: “coming down”
- ὡς: adverb, “as”
- περιστερὰν: substantive noun, fem, sing, acc, “dove”
- ἐξ: preposition (+gen.), “out of”
- οὐρανοῦ: substantive noun, masc, sing, gen, “heaven”
- καὶ: conjunction, “and”
- ἔμεινεν: verb, 3rd, sing, aor, ind, act, “(it) remained”
- ἐπ’: (epi) preposition (+acc.), “upon”
- αὐτόν: pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “Him”
Translation: “And John testified, saying that I have seen the Spirit coming down out of heaven and (it) remained upon Him”
33a κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν:
- κἀγὼ = kai ego-
- kai: conjunction, “and”
- ego-: pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “I”
- οὐκ: adverb, “not”
- ᾔδειν: verb, 3rd, sing, pluperf, ind, act, “(I) had not known”
- αὐτόν: pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “him”
- ἀλλ’ : (alla) conjunction, “but”
- ὁ: def art., masc, sing, nom, “the”
- πέμψας: participle, aor, act, masc, nom, sing, “one who sent”
- με: pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “me”
- βαπτίζειν: verb, pres, inf, act, “to baptize”
- ἐν: preposition (+dat.), “with”
- ὕδατι: substantive noun, neut, sing, dat, “water”
- ἐκεῖνός: prpnoun, masc, sing, nom, “he”
- μοι: pronoun, masc, sing, dat, “to me”
- εἶπεν: verb,
Translation: And I had not known him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, He to me said,
33b ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ’ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.
- ἐφ’ (epi), preposition (+acc.), “upon”
- ὃν: pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “whom”
- ἂν: “ever”
- ἴδῃς: verb, 2nd, sing, aor, sub, act, “you should see”
- τὸ: def. article, neut, sing, acc, “the”
- πνεῦμα : substantive noun, neut, sing, acc, “spirit”
- καταβαῖνον: participle, pres, act, neut, sing, acc, “coming down”
- καὶ: conjunction, “and”
- μένον: participle, pres, act, neut, sing, acc, “remaining”
- ἐπ’ (epi) preposition (+acc), “upon”
- αὐτόν: pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “him”
- οὗτός: pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “this”
- ἐστιν: verb, 3rd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(he) is”
- ὁ: def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
- βαπτίζων: participle, pres, act, masc, sing, nom, “one who baptizes”
- ἐν: preposition (+dat.), “with”
- πνεύματι: substantive noun, neut, sing, dat., “spirit”
- ἁγίῳ: adjective noun, neut, sing, dat., “holy”
Translate: Upon whom ever you should see the Spirit coming down and remaining upon him, this (man) is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
34 κἀγὼ ἑώρακα, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ.
- κἀγὼ = kai ego-
- kai: conjunction, “and”
- ego-: pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “I”
- ἑώρακα: verb, 1st, sing, perf, ind, act, “(I) have seen”
- καὶ: conjunction, “and”
- μεμαρτύρηκα: verb, 1st, sing, perf, act, ind, “(I) have testified”
- ὅτι: conjunction, “that”
- οὗτός: pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “this”
- ἐστιν: verb, 3rd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(he) is”
- ὁ: def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
- υἱὸς: substantive noun, masc, sing, nom., “son”
- τοῦ: def. article, masc, sing, gen., “the”
- θεοῦ: substantive noun, masc, sing, gen., “of God”
Translation: and I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.
35 Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο,
- τῇ: def. article, fem, sing, dat, “the”
- ἐπαύριον: adverb, “next day”
- πάλιν: adverb, “again”
- εἱστήκει: verb, 3rd, sing, pluperf, ind, act, “(he) had stood”
- ὁ: def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
- Ἰωάννης: substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “John”
- καὶ: conjunction, “and”
- ἐκ: preposition (+gen.), “out of”
- τῶν: def. article, masc, plur, gen, “the”
- μαθητῶν: substantive noun, masc, plur, gen, “disciples”
- αὐτοῦ: pronoun, masc, sing, gen, “of his”
- δύο: adjective noun, “two”
Translation: On the next day again stood John and two of his disciples,
Translation
The following is the English translation found in the Douay Rheims Catholic Bible. Compare it to the grammatical translations above and not any differences.
31 And I knew him not, but that he may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down, as a dove from heaven, and he remained upon him. 33 And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptize with water, said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and I gave testimony, that this is the Son of God. 35 The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples.
