Learn to Read New Testament Greek

by David Alan Black

This user-friendly introduction to New Testament Greek keeps discussion of grammar as non-technical as possible. Black provides tools and exercises for bringing the student to the experience of reading from the Greek New Testament after just 17 lessons. Valuable for Bible students and pastors.

Genres: Theology, Language, Reference, Christian, Nonfiction, New Testament, Religion

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who is learning the New Testament Greek this book is very practical. It comes with tons of exercises and is full of charts that I found incredibly beneficial. I will most definitely be using the book as a resource in the future as I continue to study the Greek. If you are a serious biblical scholar I would encourage this book to you, for the benefits of learning the Greek go beyond any review I or anyone else could ever give.

[Tim Michiemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 Stars

Use this book in my Elementary Greek class at Southern Seminary in 2018 and loved it. Went through this with Dr. Plummer and I can say that it helped me tremendously in the task of learning Greek.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Alan Black is Professor of New Testament and Greek and Dr. M. O. Owens, Jr. Chair of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He received a D. Theol. from the University of Basel, Switzerland, under the advisement of Bo Reicke and has taught in numerous seminaries around the world. Black is author, editor, and contributor to numerous influential publications, but most notably known for the present volume.

Learn to Read New Testament Greek (3rd edition) is a user-friendly introductory Greek grammar which aims to streamline the learning process and usher readers into the New Testament with ease. There are several excellent Greek grammars available for teachers and students of New Testament Greek, but few are as pedagogically balanced and linguistically informed as Black’s Learn to Read New Testament Greek. Black has a unique way of presenting the material in a targeted and simplified manner that speaks to the concept with precision and clarity. Additionally, Black includes a number of helpful exercises throughout that are designed to prepare the reader for work ahead, as well as several useful charts and grammatical examples to aid memorization.

Learning Greek can be an intimidating endeavor on its own. Some Greek grammars actually cultivate a type user-intimidation by overwhelming readers with an overabundance of material. Black has detached much of the perceived grammatical pressure in Learn to Read New Testament Greek and created space for readers to enjoy (once again?) the process of learning the language of the New Testament. I’ve been reading and recommending Basics of Biblical Greek by Bill Mounce for years. BBG is the introductory grammar that I used in first-year Greek, and there is still much to be praised about Mounce’s approach. But, now having worked through Learn to Read New Testament Greek, alongside BBG, I can confidently say that Black is a strong contender. In fact, while I think the two complement each other well overall, I found myself appreciating Black over Mounce at a number of points—most of which had to do with the brevity of his discussion and its applicability in the classroom.

Learn to Read New Testament Greek (3rd edition) by David Alan Black is an outstanding introductory grammar. Its usability is almost unparalleled and the clarity of discussion provides immediate room for application. There are ample charts and paradigms, and excellent appendix material for reference and review. Of course, there are limitations to the depth of an introductory grammar (i.e. Black could have spent more time on verbal aspect, etc.), but there is no doubt that Learn to Read New Testament Greek will confidently position the reader for intermediate Greek and allow them to read the New Testament in its original language with aid (i.e. A Reader’s Greek New Testament). If you have BBG and you’re looking for a supplementary textbook, I couldn’t recommend Black more strongly. If you don’t have BBG and you’re looking for an introductory grammar to get you started, then Learn to Read New Testament Greek (3rd edition) by David Alan Black is an excellent option. It comes highly recommended!

[Nathan Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Allan Black's introduction to learning to read New Testament Greek is the finest in its genre, even out matching Mounce's introduction which is usually considered the standard for beginner students. The structure, depth, and width of Black's work strikes the perfect balance between overloading and under teaching new students. Learning New Testament Greek is a daunting task, particularly in the early stages, but Black's layout and chapter divisions help to provide students with bit-size introductions which ultimately serve to make the student competent in translating major sections of the New Testament. Once finishing and mastering this volume, a Greek student will be able to read and translate major sections of the New Testament without constant need of a lexicon. To continue progressing, a Greek student should seek to expand their vocabulary and memorize noteworthy patterns in Greek which have exegetical relevance.

This is the perfect introductory work for someone wanting to learn Koine Greek who knows nothing about the language. However, one should never progress to the next chapter until mastering the previous chapter.

Positives:
1. This book will rarely overwhelm a student provided he approaches it one chapter at a time.
2. Helpful, though not vital, tips are relegated to footnotes as to not overwhelm the reader. It would be beneficial to review these notes during a second, more in depth read of Black's book.
3. The summary chapter on the indicative mood is an excellent resource for viewing the entire set of conjugations on a few pages.
4. The author constantly references and points out precious patterns which the student has memorized to teach later patterns. This is especially true in the realm of declensions.


Negatives:
1. The author often refrains from expressing the full semantic domain of a verb/noun/adverb. While this is certainly done to avoid overwhelming new students, it can sometimes result in beginners under translating passages.

[John Seago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you’re learning Koine Greek for the first time or are a lapsed student trying to dust off your Greek New Testament (like me), this book is a great guide. His morpheme-based approach attempts to help the student understand the structure of Greek grammar and linguistic building blocks rather than rely on excessive rot memorization. Another important factor is Dr Black’s singular focus on reading the Greek New Testament. He emphasizes the forms and vocabulary that most commonly occur in the GNT. FYI. There is a video series on YouTube of Dr Black teaching through this textbook.

[Jordan]

I used Black’s grammar along with Dr. Plummer’s video lectures on the Daily Dose of Greek. Without the lectures I would have preferred using Mounce’s book. I also liked the format of going back and forth between verbs and nouns, prepositions, etc. I think this helped solidify the verb forms before learning another set of paradigms.

[Jonathan Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reading

I used this over 5 months as a companion to the “Daily dose of Greek” lessons provided for free by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor. It’s always a struggle learning a new language but Black organizes the lessons very well and simplified as much as possible.

[Teresa]

This is a very easy book to use. I've looked at many beginning Greek grammars over the years and not been able to complete any of them. With the help of an online course from Dr. Robert Plummer at SBTS (Daily Dose of Greek), I learned a great deal and I'm certainly in a better position with New Testament Greek after 16 weeks of study than I was before.

[John Hsieh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great textbook for beginners. The chapters are short, fairly readable, and you are not overwhelmed with too much information all at once. The exercises at the end of the chapters are practical and even enjoyable at times. If I would teach a friend NT Greek, I would use this book.

[Deckard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textbook for the NT Koine Greek, covers basics for the reading of NT.
But it is insufficient to learn this if you plan to study Church Fathers.
Better use Reading Greek series by Cambridge, although it’s on Classical Greek, it helps me to grasp Greek more fully.

[Alan Yau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful and easy to understand textbook on Greek grammar.

[家华 刘 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good start to learn New Testament Greek.

[Renan Guedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greate didactic. The author has a special way to make hard content into simple content.

[Rafael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The phenomenal book even laypeople can use to begin the journey of NT Greek. would also suggest a beginner's lexicon along with it to supplement vocab.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent NT Greek text! I used this while teaching NT Greek to high school students. Be sure to get the workbook for additional practice with translations, though.

[Kyle Hoffsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was used for my elementary greek class.

Quotes:

page 1 "You are embarking on the study of one of the most significant languages in the world."

[Michael Harshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://thechristianreviewer.wordpres...
As a person who does training quite often in my professional IT career, I am usually paying very close attention to the style in which someone does any kind of training. When I am training or teaching certain things, I gear my training to start with the basics and make sure it is very clear as to definitions and understanding of the core concepts. Then slowly adding in more and more complexity until the trainee has the full picture. I tip my hat to B&H Academic and David Alan Black on the Learn to Read New Testament Greek Third Edition. The style in which this book is written is clearly done from someone who can take a pretty complex thing such as learning a new language and breaking it down to the basics and then building upon that. Much like how you slowly build an intricate construction by adding one Lego at a time. Excellent examples and exercises flow into each other building your understanding more strong as you progress through each of the lessons. Excellent resource and highly recommended for anyone that wants to learn Biblical Greek. Please note, that this will take time to accomplish - it is NOT something for you if you aren't willing or want to put some effort into this. I received a copy of this book from B&H Academic for me to do a review on it. In full disclosure, I was not required or requested by B&H Academic to write a positive review.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xairete, agapetous adelphous! [Rejoice, dudes!]

I am a dunce at languages. But I am also persistent, or at least sporadically hopeful, about things that interest me, so I have to this point looked into probably five different Greek books with varying degrees of attention. This one strikes me as by far the best. It is technical without being impossible, and seems quite scholarly and useful for the student, whether that person is an actual, being-graded student, or just an interested layperson, or even a pastor who needs to remind himself what the dative case is and why it's important. The is is a useful book for your shelves.

(If my above Greek is wrong, don't tell me about it. I'm not being graded.)
(I've now read this twice. My Greek is still miserable, and I still think this book is not the problem.)

[Garrett Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book jacket says that it is user-friendly, it undersells how helpful it truly is. I began basic Greek in seminary using a different grammar, and coupled with the poorest teacher I've ever had, the latter text was not at all helpful. This volume, however, was a wonderful, helpful, and highly streamlined introduction to Koine Greek. I highly recommend this introduction for the beginning student of Greek.

[Rex Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so thankful for this textbook. I just finished Elementary Greek with Dr. Plummer at SBTS, and this was our main course text. His language is a bit technical at times, but that's a good thing! If I didn't understand, I had the professor there to guide me. I have loved these first steps of my journey with Greek, and I'm thankful that Black's text was there to guide me.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this work twice. This book paired with Dr. Black’s teaching style in my Greek 1-2 college courses instilled a love for the Greek New Testament in me. It thoroughly prepared me for my advanced Greek courses and work as a Greek tutor!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for Greek New Testament Studies.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed here:
http://www.scripturezealot.com/2009/1...

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting, could not put it down, especially the car chase scene at the end!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read while at Crown.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best introductory grammar for New Testament Greek for students in the classroom or the independent student. Highly recommended.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough subject matter for me but this book, along with my professor, made learning elementary Greek as easy as it could be. And it is by no means easy!

[Jon R. Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best NT Greek Grammar I have read. I prefer this to Mounce for teaching High School students.

[Jason Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review at http://eisdoxan.wordpress.com/2014/10...

[Samuel Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I used to learn NT Greek (baby Greek, anyway). It worked well for me.