Greek Word Dictionary for Bible Readers

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek — the common language of the first-century Mediterranean world. But common does not mean shallow. In this language, agape described a love so unconditional it could only be commanded, not merely felt. Metanoia was not regret but the complete reorientation of a life. Euangelion was the word Rome used for imperial victory announcements — and the early church borrowed it to proclaim a different kind of King.

Greek Word Dictionary for Bible Readers is a reader's companion to 48 of the most theologically significant words in the New Testament. These are the words that carry the full weight of the gospel — words whose nuances have shaped entire theological traditions, fueled reformations, and whose precise meaning no single English translation can fully capture.

Each entry presents the Greek original alongside its pronunciation, unpacks the word's root and range of meaning, traces its journey from classical Greek philosophy through the Septuagint into the New Testament, and grounds the study in a defining biblical passage. No prior knowledge of Greek is required.

Arranged in seven thematic parts — from the names of God and Christ, through grace and salvation, sin and judgment, the life of the church, and on to the kingdom and the last things — this dictionary traces the theological vocabulary of the apostles.

For anyone who wants to understand not just what the New Testament says but what it means in the language it was written, this book is an indispensable companion.