General
     1.   Grammar consists of the form of the words and the relationships of the words.  Words
     are always used in combination, so relationship is important.
               a.   example:  1 Cor 11:27 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of
          the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and
          blood of the Lord."
                         i.   does "unworthy manner" apply to "whoever" or "eats" or "drinks"?
                         ii.  "in an unworthy manner" is adverbial phrase, clarifies verbs; in this case
               "eats" & "drinks"
                         iii. additional insight gained from v29 (context): "For anyone who eats and
               drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks
               judgment on himself."

     2.   Grammar doesn't always reveal actual meaning, but we can't conclude anything that
     violates the grammar.

Verb Tenses -- important grammatically & therefore for interpreting scripture
     1.   Past tense; event happened in past, once or repeatedly
               a.   Rom 7:9  "Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came,
          sin sprang to life and I died."
                         i.   "I was alive apart from law"
                         ii.  "sin sprang to life"
                         iii. "I died"
               b.   1 Cor 13:11  "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
          reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."
                         i.   importance of past tense:  childish actions are past
                         ii.  conclusion:  no longer act like a child

     2.   Present tense
               a.   may show a universal truth, not limited to time
                         i.   Jn 4:24 "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in
               truth."
                         ii.  present tense, universal truth:  God is spirit
               b.   express what is always true, continuous or habitual
                         i.   Lk 12:54  "He said to the crowd:  When you see a cloud rising in the
               west, immediately you say, It's going to rain, and it does."
                         ii.  present tense, in this case something that is habitual:  when you see a
               cloud, you say it's going to rain.
               c.   express immediate future
                         i.   Mt 26:2 (KJV retains verb tense of original text)  "Ye know that after
               two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to
               be crucified."
                         ii.  this statement made 2 days before the feast; Judas didn't actually betray
               Jesus until after the feast
                         iii. present tense used in reference to event in near future
                         iv.  NIV uses future tense:  "As you know, the Passover is two days away —
               and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

     3.   Future tense
               a.   Jn 14:3  "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take
          you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
               b.   future tense:  "I will come back and take you to be with me"
               c.   future tense, result of previous phrase:  "you also may be where I am"; even if
          not future tense, is a consequence of a future action, "I will .. take you to be
          with me."

     4.   Exceptions -- prophetic passages about future events sometimes use different verb
     tenses
               a.   past tense
                         i.   Isa 53:4  "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet
               we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted."
                         ii.  Isaiah writing prophetically about Jesus 700 years future
                         iii. vs 2-5(a) written past tense, all future events
                         iv.  fulfillment:  Mt 8:16-17 "When evening came, many who were
               demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with
               a word and healed all the sick.  This was to fulfill what was spoken
               through the prophet Isaiah:  He took up our infirmities and carried our
               diseases."
               b.   present tense
                         i.   Psa 22:1, 6-8  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why
               are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
               ... (v6) "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised
               by the people.  All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their
               heads:  He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.  Let him deliver
               him, since he delights in him."
                         ii.  written prophetically about Jesus' crucifixion
                         iii. Mt 27:39 "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their
               heads" -- Psa 22:7 "they hurl insults, shaking their heads"
                         iv.  Mt 27:43  "He trusts in God.  Let God rescue him now if he wants him,
               for he said, I am the Son of God." -- Psa 22:8 "He trusts in the Lord; let
               the Lord rescue him."
                         v.   Mt 27:46  "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice ... My
               God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" -- Psa 22:1  "My God, my
               God, why have you forsaken me?"
               c.   if passage seems to be prophetic but doesn't use future tense, compare with
          other scripture, look for actual meaning

Pronouns
     1.   Pronoun substitutes for a noun, usually the nearest noun in the sentence
     2.   examples
               a.   Lk 11:37  "When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat
          with him; so he went in and reclined at the table."
                         i.   who went in & reclined?  "he" could refer to Pharisee or Jesus
                                   (1)  closest noun is "Pharisee"
                                   (2)  key is word "so"; Jesus is subject of first phrase
                                   (3)  conclusion:  Jesus went in and reclined at the table

               b.   Dt 32:15-18
                         i.   (v15) "Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy
               and sleek.  He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock
               his Savior.
                         ii.  (v16) "They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him
               with their detestable idols.
                         iii. (v17) "They sacrificed to demons, which are not God -- gods they had
               not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.
                         iv.  (v18) "You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God
               who gave you birth."
                         v.   v15, Jeshurun means "the upright one," refers to Israel
                         vi.  v15, who does "he" refer to?
                                   (1)  Jeshurun or Israel
                                   (2)  used collectively, figuratively; using Jacob/Israel their ancestor to
                    represent the nation; not referring to Jacob the man
                         vii. vs 16-17, who does "they" refer to?
                                   (1)  God and the Rock his Savior of v15?
                                   (2)  if so, then God and the Rock made Jeshurun jealous with their
                    foreign gods; illogical
                                   (3)  "they" of vs 16 & 17 refers to people of Israel (Jeshurun); our
                    knowledge of other scripture tells us the people of Israel
                    worshiped false gods & idols
                                   (4)  notice contrast:  Jeshurun (the upright one) worshiping false gods
                    & idols!
                              viii.     v18, who does "you" refer to?  can't tell from English whether singular
                    or plural
                                   (1)  vs 15 & 18 both include references to "Rock" and "God",
                    implying same subject in both verses
                                   (2)  could "you" of v18 be "Jeshurun" of v15? reasonable.
                         ix.  notice changes in pronouns:
                                   (1)  v15, "he" is third person, singular
                                   (2)  v16, "their" is third person, plural
                                   (3)  v17, "they" is third person, plural
                                   (4)  v17, "your" is second person, singular or plural
                                   (5)  v18, "you" is second person, singular or plural
                                   (6)  all seem to refer to people of Israel

Guidelines for interpreting grammar (where meaning of a passage isn't clear)
     1.   Identify the key word, determine its grammatical use.
     2.   Study key word's relationship to other words.
     3.   Note the possible meanings it may give the passage.
     4.   If there is more than one possible meaning, consider other principles, especially
     context.

Examples:
     1.   Pr 5:21  "For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his
     paths."
               a.   who examines whose paths?

     2.   Ex 1:11-13 "So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor,
     and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.  But the more they were
     oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the
     Israelites and worked them ruthlessly."
               a.   who put slave masters over whom?
               b.   who built Pithom and Rameses?
               c.   who multiplied and spread?