
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
Exegetical Gems from Biblical Greek: A Refreshing Guide to Grammar and Interpretation Paperback – July 16, 2019
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length192 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBaker Academic
- Publication dateJuly 16, 2019
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100801098777
- ISBN-13978-0801098772
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed
From the brand

-
New Testament Commentaries
-
Old Testament Commentaries
-
Catholic Commentaries
-
Touchstone Texts
-
Bible Survey Textbooks
-
Theology Introductions
-
Popular Textbooks
-
Catholic Sacraments Series
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Learning Greek is a difficult task, and the payoff may not be readily apparent. To demonstrate the insight that knowing Greek grammar can bring, Benjamin Merkle summarizes thirty-five key Greek grammatical issues and their significance for interpreting the New Testament.
"The book is aptly titled: readers are indeed treated to exegetical gems from the Greek text. Merkle also provides a concise review of Greek grammar as he discusses particular biblical texts. This is a most helpful way to keep up or review one's Greek and to learn more about the biblical text at the same time."
--Thomas R. Schreiner, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Merkle is passionate about helping people make progress in their study of the Greek New Testament, and nothing shows that better than this book. The author provides a treasure chest for current students, and those who want to refresh their Greek, by focusing on points of syntax and related issues while examining sample passages. The discussion is clear and provides solid, even profound help in Greek to benefit all readers of this work. Highly recommended!"
--S. M. Baugh, Westminster Seminary California
"Don't be misled by the title. These are not random gems rolling around loosely in a jewelry box drawer. These brilliant gems have been carefully selected, ordered, and strung on a gold chain. Merkle thoroughly treats exegetically significant examples of the major grammatical categories covered in biblical Greek, following the order in which most students learn them. His explanations are clear, and his exegesis is insightful. This book is a very valuable guide for any student learning or relearning Greek."
--Charles L. Quarles, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Baker Academic (July 16, 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0801098777
- ISBN-13 : 978-0801098772
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #839,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #512 in Christian Bible Language Studies
- #1,021 in Christian Bible Exegesis & Hermeneutics
- #4,467 in New Testament Bible Study (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Benjamin L. Merkle is the Dr. M. O. Owens Jr. Chair of NT Studies and Readeach Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina where he has taught since 2008. Prior to coming to Southeastern, he lectured in Southeast Asia for 7 years.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images

Great Author, Great Resource!
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2019Easy to read. Reviews a lot of grammar in an interesting way that opens your eyes to the importance for exegesis. The chapters are short which makes it possible to read them on your kindle in the bus or elsewhere when you have a short time. It fits well with Merkles grammar as an introduction to the subjects.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2019Great book! Not like others of its kind. Author was my Greek 3 professor years ago and I loved the class. This book serves as a refresher course in Greek grammar and will be a great tool to have for sermon prep. I took it to the beach as my vacation read. It is both devotional and educational. It teaches and preaches!
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book! Not like others of its kind. Author was my Greek 3 professor years ago and I loved the class. This book serves as a refresher course in Greek grammar and will be a great tool to have for sermon prep. I took it to the beach as my vacation read. It is both devotional and educational. It teaches and preaches!Great Author, Great Resource!
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2019
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2020I liked how Markle combined an overview and refresher of the fundamentals of Koine Grammar with practical examples illustrating and applying the specific grammatical points being covered in each chapter. Perfect as a refresher or bridge into intermediate Greek.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2019Exegetical Gems from Biblical Greek is a GEM of a book. It uses interesting texts to illustrate key grammatical points in a clear, succinct, and interesting manner. Each chapter is just 4-5 pages. I enjoyed reading and learning from each one.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020This book seems to be written for those having completed Greek 101. It is very elementary. You wont find anything new in the book. I was expecting more but found myself disappointed and out of money.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2019It is not for beginners, but highly informative. It does not descend into biased preconceptions, but kindly leaves it up to the reader.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023I recommend this. It’s a lot more relaxed than reviewing a grammar while still edifying. You’re essentially watching a scholar of the Greek NT exegete important phrases or passages of the NT and showing the corresponding grammar that informs his decisions. It’s hardly different than watching a master woodworker in a shop.
This makes for a relaxed, enjoyable read as it’s just a few pages — can do one a day.
I hope Merkle and others add to this resume of Greek helps we have. I personally am hugely grateful for individuals like him and their labor.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2019What a delightful book! And what a unique approach -- beginning each chapter with a thorny Bible verse whose various translations cause questions. And then to use features of Koine Greek such as grammatical parts, classic interpretive devices like the Granville Sharpe Rule, even diagramming to shed light on the issues. I'm no Greek scholar but this did indeed, as the subtitle suggests, refresh my mind and build again my enthusiasm for the lovely language that God chose for his New Testament records. I'll even re-read it -- and I don't say that about many books. Latayne C. Scott, PhD
Top reviews from other countries
- Soda PopReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable, informative book for Koiné students at any level
The aim of this mid-length volume is to present bitesize portions of the New Testament, usually one or two verses, which can be better understood from a knowledge of the underlying Greek language and grammar. Students of Koiné Greek are helped to appreciate more fully the benefits which can follow from the hard work they put into learning this language. Merkle published this book after co-authoring “Going Deeper with New Testament Greek,” which is relevant because of how the book in structured.
Most chapters focus on a particular chunk of grammar with verses chosen to illustrate the points made. The order in which the grammar is presented roughly follows that found in “Going Deeper” and includes topics such as each of the cases, the article, Granville Sharp’s Rule, Colwell’s Cannon, verbal aspect, each indicative tense form, each verbal mood, types of participles, pronouns, conjunctions and conditions. Chapters are also included for non-grammatical topics such as an introduction to the language, textual criticism, word studies, exegetical fallacies and diagramming (shudder).
Each chapter follows a pattern and is divided into the following:
• An introduction, containing an anecdote or a quandary about how best to interpret a certain passage in relation to the grammar in focus. The reader might be familiar with the debated interpretations or it may be news to her. The purpose is to set up the reason for discussing the issue and is particularly helpful to newer students of Koiné in order to help them get a feel for the sorts of arguments which can be settled by appealing to a knowledge of the language. For example, in the chapter “Present Indicatives” which uses 1 John 3:6 as its text, is it the case that true Christians don’t sin, true Christians can progress to the point where they at least temporarily don’t sin, true Christians are viewed eschatologically as sinless because of the cross or true Christians don’t habitually sin?
• An overview of the related grammatical points. This section provides a summary of the different categories of grammar for the topic in focus. It follows the classification used in “Going Deeper” to the letter and as such is extremely helpful as a refresher for anyone who has studied that book. The classifications are fewer and less cumbersome than Wallace but not as compacted as found in Mathewson and Emig. They should be understandable to a reader who has studied this topic at intermediate level. The flip side of this is that this section may not be accessible to new students. It might seem to them excessive compared to a beginning Greek grammar text, but on the other hand it serves to expose them to the expansion in knowledge they are heading towards. As an example, the chapter on the present indicative includes in its overview summaries of the categories progressive, durative, iterative, gnomic, instantaneous, historical and futuristic. It would be highly beneficial to read this section to review grammar after studying from “Going Deeper” or other intermediate grammars, bearing in mind that there is no definitive, universal agreement on such categories as presented here.
• An interpretation of the dilemma presented in the introduction using the verse in question. Here Merkle excels in presenting the varied viewpoints and explaining the different consequences of choosing each interpretation. He draws on and quotes extensively from other commentators and grammarians. He is never dogmatic but examines the evidence, finally concluding with what he feels is correct. If it is unclear and more than one option exists, he is careful to say so. In doing so Merkle sets himself apart from the overly preachy nature of some other authors, being respectful of other viewpoints. This section can be read and enjoyed by both new students and those of intermediate experience alike. The new student would be able to take away the conclusion and be encouraged that their learning will bear fruit, the more experienced student would better be able to understand the arguments made in this section, however. Using another example from the Present Indicative chapter, the conclusion Merkle makes after drawing from the context, John’s other uses and the grammar, is that true Christians do not habitually sin. A conclusion which makes me feel better about myself, certainly.
Merkle uses a readable Greek font throughout the book and does reference the Greek text in Greek characters rather than the unfortunate habit of transliteration used by some authors. One criticism I have is that I would have preferred him to provide the whole Greek verse for that chapter and others that he refers to, rather than just particular phrases. I would prefer to have all in my hand rather than keep swapping books to look up the verses in my Greek New Testament.
In conclusion, I found this book to be an enjoyable read which added to my understanding of how to deal with different interpretations in the translated biblical text. The chapters are short enough to make bite-sized reading feasible, but the content wide enough to allow thoughtful after-study. The material chosen was thought provoking and carefully chosen to meet the aims of the book: encouraging students to read the Greek text and to use their knowledge to wrestle with some of the more difficult issues whilst understanding that not all of them can be solved by appealing to the Greek. I recommend the book to all who are interested in improving their Greek or who are considering starting the journey of learning. Like Shrek the Ogre, this book has many layers.