I am a student and have been studying with the BDAG lexicon for a few months now. I use LOGOS, and it's been a very useful tool. But I have hit a major roadblock, probably due to my lack of understanding. I have looked at BDAG itself, Rodney Deckers' PowerPoint and essay, every AI program like ChatGPT, and scanned YouTube videos and Google articles. I CANNOT for the life of me find any reliable resource on what the subsets function as. I'm aware bold roman is the definition, bold italic is gloss, and normal italic is the translation equivalents. BDAG itself says:
Subsets of a meaning or collections of data relating to it—such as Bauer’s valuable collections of grammatical or theological association—are indicated, as needed, through the traditional use of lettering a, b, α, β, and א, ב.
aka all the subset letters Greek: α, β, γ, δ, … (they use the full Greek alphabet). Hebrew: א, ב, ג, ד, …
Circled abc subsets in the numbered 1 2 3 definitions for the entries. I know are subsets of meaning, but what about the Greek and Hebrew lettered sub-subsets within those?.Are those definitions, glosses, or translations? Are they subsets of meaning OR data relating to it?
For example, heart is such a broad term in Greek, but BDAG gives one gloss "heart" and a lot of sub-subsets
καρδία, ας, ἡ (since Hom. [καρδίη, κραδίη]. Rather rare in other wr. in the period of the Gk. Bible [s. Diod S 32, 20; Plut., Mor. p. 30a; 63a; Epict. 1, 27, 21; M. Ant. 2, 3, 3; 7, 13, 3; Ps.-Apollod. 1, 4, 1, 5; Lucian; pap, incl. PGM 5, 157; 13, 263; 833; 1066; s. below 1bη], but common LXX, pseudepigr.; Ar. 15, 3; Just., D. 39, 5; 46, 5 al.; Ath. 31, 3. On Philo and Joseph. s. ASchlatter, D. Theol. d. Judentums nach d. Bericht d. Jos. ’32, 21).① heart as seat of physical, spiritual and mental life (as freq. in Gk. lit.), fig. extension of ‘heart’ as an organ of the body (Il. 13, 282 al.), a mng. not found in our lit.ⓐ as the center and source of physical life (Ps 101:5; 103:15) ἐμπιπλῶν τροφῆς … τὰς κ. satisfying the hearts w. food Ac 14:17. τρέφειν τὰς κ. fatten the hearts Js 5:5.ⓑ as center and source of the whole inner life, w. its thinking, feeling, and volition (νοῦν κ. φρένας κ. διάνοιαν κ. λογισμὸν εἶπέ τις ποιητὴς [Hes., Fgm. 247 Rz.] ἐν καρδίᾳ περιέχεσθαι=some poet said that the heart embraces perception, wit, intellect, and reflection), of humans whether in their pre-Christian or Christian experienceα. in an all-inclusive sense: said of God’s or Christ’s awareness about the inner life of humans γινώσκειν τὰς καρδίας (cp. 1 Km 16:7; 1 Ch 28:9; s. also Did., Gen. 170, 24) Lk 16:15; δοκιμάζειν 1 Th 2:4; ἐρευνᾶν Ro 8:27; Rv 2:23 (νεφροὺς κ. καρδίας as Ps 7:10; Jer 17:10; 20:12); κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας Hb 4:12; τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς κ. 1 Cor 14:25 (cp. TestReub 1:4). Generally, of human attitudes ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς κ. ἄνθρωπος 1 Pt 3:4. ἐκ καρδίας from (the bottom of) the heart=sincerely (Aristoph., Nub. 86) Ro 6:17. Also ἀπὸ τῶν καρδιῶν (M. Ant. 2, 3, 3 ἀπὸ καρδίας εὐχάριστος τ. θεοῖς; Lucian, Jupp. Tr. 19; Is 59:13; La 3:33) Mt 18:35. ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας 1 Ti 1:5; 2 Ti 2:22; 1 Pt 1:22. ἐξ ὅλης τ. καρδίας (TestLevi 13:1) Ac 8:37 v.l. Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς κ. ὑμῶν 1 Pt 3:15. Opp. κοιλία Mk 7:19. Opp. πρόσωπον and καρδία externals and inner attitude of heart (cp. 1 Km 16:7 ἄνθρωπος ὄψεται εἰς πρόσωπον, ὁ δὲ θεὸς ὄψεται εἰς καρδίαν) 2 Cor 5:12. The same contrast προσώπῳ οὐ καρδίᾳ outwardly, not inwardly 1 Th 2:17. As seat of inner life in contrast to mouth or lips, which either give expression to the inner life or deny it Mt 15:8; Mk 7:6 (both Is 29:13); Mt 15:18; Ro 10:8 (Dt 30:14); vs. 9f; 2 Cor 6:11. ψάλλοντες (+ ἐν v.l.) τῇ καρδίᾳ Eph 5:19. ᾂδειν ἐν ταῖς κ. Col 3:16.β. of inner awareness (see the ‘poet’ under 1b above; Aesop, Fab. 254P.=232H//134b H-H.//184 Ch.; 3 Km 10:2; Job 12:3; 17:4): 2 Cor 4:6; Eph 1:18; 2 Pt 1:19. τῇ κ. συνιέναι understand Mt 13:15b; Ac 28:27b (both Is 6:10). νοεῖν τῇ κ. think J 12:40b. ἐν τῇ κ. λέγειν (Dt 8:17; 9:4; Ps 13:1. Also Aesop Fab. 62 H.=283b 5 H-H.//179c Ch. βοῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ alternating w. ταῦτα καθʼ ἑαυτὸν λέγοντος) say to oneself, i.e. think, reflect, without saying anything aloud Mt 24:48; Lk 12:45; Ro 10:6; Rv 18:7; διαλογίζεσθαι Mk 2:6, 8; Lk 3:15; 5:22; Hv 1, 1, 2; 3, 4, 3. The κ. as the source of διαλογισμοί Mt 15:19; Mk 7:21; Lk 2:35; 9:47. διαλογισμοὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Lk 24:38. ἀναβαίνει τι ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν τινός someth. enters someone’s mind=someone thinks of someth. (s. ἀναβαίνω 2) Ac 7:23; 1 Cor 2:9; Hv 3, 7, 2; m 12, 3, 5; Hs 5, 7, 2. Also of memory Hv 3, 7, 6; m 4, 2, 2; 6, 2, 8. θέσθαι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Lk 1:66. διατηρεῖν ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ Lk 2:51 (cp. TestLevi 6:2). συμβάλλειν vs. 19. ἐνθυμεῖσθαι Mt 9:4. διακρίνειν Hv 1, 2, 2. πάντα τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν καρδίᾳ λαμβάνων taking all my words to heart AcPl Ha 1, 6.—Likew. of a lack of understanding: ἡ ἀσύνετος κ. the senseless mind Ro 1:21; βραδὺς τῇ κ. slow of comprehension Lk 24:25 (cp. Tetr. Iamb. 2, 31a, 6 the mocking words of the fox ὦ ἀνόητε κ. βραδὺ τῇ καρδίᾳ). ἐπαχύνθη ἡ κ. τοῦ λαοῦ Mt 13:15a; Ac 28:27a (both Is 6:10). πωροῦν τὴν κ. J 12:40a; κ. πεπωρωμένη Mk 6:52; 8:17; ἡ πώρωσις τῆς κ. 3:5; Eph 4:18. ἀπατᾶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ Js 1:26; cp. Ro 16:18. κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὴν κ. κεῖται 2 Cor 3:15 (cp. ἐστί τι ‘κάλλυμα’ ἀγνοίας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Orig., C. Cels. 4, 50, 5).—As the seat of thought, κ. is also the seat of doubt διακρίνεσθαι ἐν τῇ κ. Mk 11:23. διστάζειν Hm 9:5.—The gospel is sown in the heart Mt 13:19 v.l.; Mk 4:15 v.l.; Lk 8:12, 15. God opens the heart Ac 16:14 or the eyes of the heart Eph 1:18; 1 Cl 59:3 to Christian knowledge.γ. of the will and its decisions (Diod S 32, 20) ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ κ. each of you must give as you have made up your mind 2 Cor 9:7 (NRSV) (cp. TestJos 17:3 ἐπὶ προαιρέσει καρδίας). θέτε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν (s. 1 Km 21:13) make up your minds Lk 21:14; cp. Ac 5:4. πρόθεσις τ. καρδίας 11:23. βάλλειν εἰς τὴν κ. ἵνα put it into someone’s heart to J 13:2. Also διδόναι εἰς τ. κ. (2 Esdr 17:5) w. inf. foll. Rv 17:17, or πληροῦν τὴν κ. w. inf. foll. Ac 5:3. Cp. 1 Cor 4:5; 7:37; 2 Cor 8:16; in citation Hb 3:8, 15; 4:7 (each Ps 94:8) al. πλανᾶσθαι τῇ κ. 3:10. God’s law written in human hearts Ro 2:15; 2 Cor 3:2f. In citation Hb 8:10; 10:16 (both Jer 38:33). Stability in the face of dissident teaching Hb 13:9.δ. of moral decisions, the moral life, of vices and virtues: ἁγνίζειν τὰς κ. Js 4:8; καθαρίζειν τὰς κ. Ac 15:9; Hv 3, 9, 8; w. ἀπό τινος Hm 12, 6, 5; καθαρὸς τῇ κ. pure in heart (Ps 23:4) Mt 5:8; καθαρὰ κ. (Sextus 46b) Hv 4, 2, 5; 5:7; m 2:7 cj.; Hs 7:6. ῥεραντισμένοι τὰς κ. ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς with hearts sprinkled clean from a consciousness of guilt Hb 10:22. κ. ἄμεμπτος 1 Th 3:13. ἀμετανόητος Ro 2:5. κ. πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας Hb 3:12; λίθιναι κ. B 6:14 (Ezk 36:26). γεγυμνασμένη πλεονεξίας trained in greediness 2 Pt 2:14 (cp. κ. … ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν ἔγκειται Did., Gen. 104, 14). Cp. Lk 21:34; Ac 8:21f. περιτομὴ καρδίας (cp. Jer 9:25; Ezk 44:7, 9) Ro 2:29.—B 9:1; 10:12. Cp. Ac 7:51.ε. of the emotions, wishes, desires (Theognis 1, 366; Bacchylides 17, 18): ἐπιθυμίαι τῶν κ. desires of the heart Ro 1:24. ἐπὶ τὴν κ. σου ἀνέβη ἡ ἐπιθυμία τ. πονηρίας Hv 1, 1, 8; cp. Hs 5, 1, 5. ἐνθύμησις m 4, 1, 2; 6, 2, 7. μὴ ἀναβαινέτω σου ἐπὶ τὴν κ. περὶ γυναικός m 4, 1, 1; cp. Hv 1, 2, 4; Mt 5:28.—6:21; 12:34f; Lk 6:45; 12:34; 24:32 (s. καίω 1b); Js 3:14; 5:8. Of joy: ηὐφράνθη ἡ κ. Ac 2:26 (Ps 15:9). χαρήσεται ἡ κ. J 16:22. Of sorrow: ἡ λύπη πεπλήρωκεν τὴν κ. 16:6; λύπη ἐγκάθηται εἰς τὴν κ. grief sits in the heart Hm 10, 3, 3. ἡ κ. ταράσσεται (Job 37:1; Ps 142:4) J 14:1, 27; ὀδύνη τῇ κ. Ro 9:2. συνοχὴ καρδίας anguish of heart 2 Cor 2:4; διαπρίεσθαι ταῖς κ. Ac 7:54; κατανυγῆναι τὴν κ. 2:37; συνθρύπτειν τὴν κ. 21:13. κ. συντετριμμένη a broken heart B 2:10; 1 Cl 18:17b (Ps 50:19). συντετριμμένοι τὴν κ. Lk 4:18 v.l. παρακαλεῖν τὰς κ. Eph 6:22; Col 2:2; 4:8; 2 Th 2:17. Of hope (Ps 111:7) Hm 12, 5, 2. Of repentance ἐξ ὅλης κ. Hv 3, 13, 4; m 5, 1, 7; 12, 6, 1. Of sensitivity about doing what is right (1 Km 24:6; 2 Km 24:10) 1J 3:19, 20, 21 (s. ASkrinjar, Verb. Dom. 20, ’40, 340–50). Of a wish εὐδοκία τῆς κ. (s. εὐδοκία 3) Ro 10:1. Of a longing for God τὴν κ. ἔχειν πρὸς κύριον Hm 10, 1, 6. ἐπιστρέφεσθαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἐξ ὅλης τῆς κ. 12, 6, 2 (cp. 3 Km 8:48). προσέρχεσθαι μετὰ ἀληθινῆς κ. with sincere desire (cp. Is 38:3; TestDan 5:3 ἀλ. κ.) Hb 10:22. Cp. the opposite Ac 7:39.—Also of the wish or desire of God ἀνὴρ κατὰ τὴν κ. (τοῦ θεοῦ) after God’s heart i.e. as God wishes him to be Ac 13:22 (cp. 1 Km 13:14).ζ. esp. also of love (Aristoph., Nub. 86 ἐκ τῆς κ. φιλεῖν; M. Ant. 7, 13, 3 ἀπὸ κ. φιλεῖν τ. ἀνθρώπους) ἀγαπᾶν τινα ἐξ ὅλης τ. καρδίας Mk 12:30, 33; Lk 10:27 (cp. Dt 6:5 and APF 5, 1913, 393 no. 312, 9 ἐκ ψυχῆς κ. καρδίας). ἐν ὅλῃ τ. καρδίᾳ Mt 22:37; ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα Lk 1:17 (Mal 3:23); εἶναι ἐν τῇ κ. have a place in the heart 2 Cor 7:3; ἔχειν τινὰ ἐν τῇ κ. Phil 1:7; Hm 12, 4, 3; Hs 5, 4, 3; cp. m 12, 4, 5; κατευθύνειν τὰς κ. εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ 2 Th 3:5.—The opp. κατά τινος ἐν τῇ κ. ἔχειν have someth. against someone Hv 3, 6, 3.η. of disposition (TestJob 48:1 ἀνέλαβεν ἄλλην κ.) διάνοια καρδίας Lk 1:51; ἁπλότης (τ.) καρδίας (TestReub 4:1, Sim 4:5 al.) Eph 6:5; Col 3:22; ἀφελότης καρδίας Ac 2:46. κ. καὶ ψυχὴ μία Ac 4:32 (cp. Iren. 1, 10, 2 [Harv. I 92, 5]; combination of ψυχή and καρδία as PGM 7, 472; IDefixWünsch 3, 15; Dt 11:18; 1 Km 2:35; 4 Km 23:3 and oft. LXX—on such combinations s. Reader, Polemo p. 260 and cp. Demosth. 18, 220 ῥώμη καὶ τόλμη). πραῢς καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ κ. Mt 11:29 (cp. TestReub 6:10). ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ βραβευέτω ἐν ταῖς κ. ὑμῶν let the peace of Christ control you Col 3:15; cp. Phil 4:7.θ. The human καρδία as the dwelling-place of heavenly powers and beings (PGM 1, 21 ἔσται τι ἔνθεον ἐν τῇ σῇ κ.): of the Spirit Ro 5:5; 2 Cor 1:22; Gal 4:6; of the Lord Eph 3:17; of the angel of righteousness Hm 6, 2, 3; 5.② interior, center, heart, fig. ext. of 1 (Ezk 27:4, 25; Jon 2:4; Ps 45:3; EpJer 19) τῆς γῆς Mt 12:40.—S., in addition to works on Bibl. anthropology and psychology (πνεῦμα end): HKornfeld, Herz u. Gehirn in altjüd. Auffassung: Jahrb. für jüd. Gesch. u. Lit. 12, 1909, 81–89; ASchlatter, Herz. u. Gehirn im 1. Jahrh.: THaering Festschr. 1918, 86–94; RBultmann, Theologie des NT ’48, 216–22 (Paul), tr., Theol. of the NT, KGrobel, ’51, I, 220–27; RJewett, Paul’s Anthropological Terms, ’71, 305–33. For OT viewpoints s. North, BRev 11/3, ’95, 33 (lit.)—B. 251. EDNT. DELG. M-M. TW. Sv.
So in the entries where there are sub-subsets like this, I know they must mean something; however, I cannot find a single explanation on them from any of the sources I listed, breaking down what they are actually for.
My guess is the "data relating to it" is different data in the entry but the Greek/Hebrew lettered subsets for example (α. in an all-inclusive sense: said of God’s or Christ’s awareness about the inner life of humans) are subsets of meaning aka how it's used in context qnd further defined sense of the definition with referenceto the veres cited below it in that sub-subset catgory. But this is just my guess. Please point me in the direction of the proper way to view sub-subsets (Greek/Hebrew letters in BDAG). Any reliable resource explaining this would help.
I am sure I am missing something, I just do not know how to view it when I see verses cited under them. They aren't definitions or glosses, they may be (subsets of meaning OR data relating to it)??
