Greek · Next Steps
Recommended Resources for Koine Greek Studya responsible path, not a shopping list
You do not need to buy everything — or anything — to keep growing in Greek. This is a map of commonly used resources, described carefully, so you can choose one or two that fit where you are.
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CoreHow to Read This List
Choose one or two for your level. None of these is required for this course.
The descriptions below use deliberately careful wording: commonly used, helpful for many students, more advanced, not required for this course. Different teachers prefer different books, and good study has been done with many of them. Pick according to your level and goals; do not feel you must own a shelf of references to read your Greek New Testament.
ReferenceBeginner & Intermediate Grammars
For learning and consolidating first-year Greek.
| Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek | A widely used beginner grammar with abundant supporting materials; the companion this course most often points to. Helpful for many students starting out. |
| Decker, Reading Koine Greek | A beginner-to-intermediate grammar that emphasizes reading actual text early. Commonly used; a good alternative or supplement. |
| Köstenberger, Merkle & Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek | An intermediate grammar that bridges first-year forms into syntax and exegesis. Helpful once the basics are in place. |
ReferenceReference Grammars & Syntax
For looking up how forms function — used selectively, as references.
| Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics | A standard intermediate/advanced syntax reference, widely used in English-speaking study. More advanced; consult it for specific syntactic questions rather than reading cover to cover. |
| Runge, Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament | A discourse grammar focused on how Greek marks emphasis, connection, and flow at the sentence-and-paragraph level. More advanced; especially helpful for the kind of flow-reading this section encourages. |
ReferenceLexicons
For researching what a word means in context.
| BDAG (Bauer, Danker, et al.), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament | The standard scholarly lexicon for the NT and early Christian literature. More advanced and a significant investment; the gold standard for serious word study. Not required for this course. |
| A concise/intermediate lexicon | Smaller lexicons exist for everyday reading and are helpful for many students who do not need (or want) the full BDAG. A reasonable starting point. |
ReferenceReader’s Greek New Testament & Textual Criticism
| Reader’s Greek New Testament options | Several reader's editions exist (with rare words glossed at the foot of the page). Commonly used and, for many students, the single most useful purchase for keeping Greek. See the reader's-edition guide in this section. |
| A textual-criticism introduction (e.g., Metzger/Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament) | A standard introduction to how the text was transmitted and studied. More advanced; helpful if you want to go deeper than the beginner page in this section. Other accessible introductions also exist. |
ReferenceBible Software & Online Tools
Convenient platforms that bundle texts, parsing, and lexicons.
| Logos; Accordance | Full-featured Bible software commonly used for Greek study (parsing, lexicons, search). Helpful but not required; use them with the responsible workflow on the tools page. |
| STEP Bible; Blue Letter Bible | Free online tools offering Greek text, parsing, and lexical helps. Helpful for many students and a good no-cost starting point. |
| BibleWorks (legacy) | A Greek study program that was widely used but has been discontinued; mentioned only because older guides reference it. It is not a current option to purchase. |
🧰 A word on toolsSoftware makes lookup fast, which is good — and makes shallow word studies fast, which is not. Pair any tool with the workflow on the ‘Using Greek Tools’ page.
⚖️ The governing principleGreek helps exegesis; it does not replace context, theology, or humility.
In summary
- None of these is required for this course; pick one or two for your level.
- Grammars: Mounce or Decker (beginner), Going Deeper (intermediate), Wallace (reference).
- Lexicon: BDAG is the standard (advanced); a concise lexicon serves everyday reading.
- A reader's Greek NT is, for many, the most useful single purchase.
- Discourse (Runge), textual criticism (Metzger/Ehrman), and software (Logos, Accordance, STEP Bible, Blue Letter Bible) as you grow.