Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. – Matthew 7: 24
Yearning for Simplicity:
While Jesus traveled and taught, He also healed many people’s illnesses. Hearing of this, numerous individuals from Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond followed Him. For them, Jesus went up a mountain to begin preaching, and the passage mentioned is from the final part of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount.
The great Russian writer Tolstoy is said to have remarked that even if the rest of the Bible were lost, the Sermon on the Mount would survive. This sentiment seems fitting when considering the character Nekhlyudov in Tolstoy’s novel “Resurrection,” who experiences a spiritual awakening in the desolate reaches of Siberia through the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount found in the Gospel of Matthew.
The scene described captures the moment Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, which is also His first major gathering documented in the Bible. This sermon, along with Jesus’s last preaching at the Last Supper (John 13-17), forms a pair of significant teachings. It includes teachings related to the Beatitudes, the command to love one’s enemies, the Lord’s Prayer, and promises about prayer. The sermon concludes with the teaching that those who hear and act on these teachings are wise.
Tolstoy, through his character Nekhlyudov in “Resurrection,” depicts the enlightenment gained from the Sermon on the Mount as follows: “Nekhlyudov sat staring at the light of the lamp that burned low, and his heart stopped beating. Recalling all the monstrous confusion of the life we lead, he pictured to himself what this life might be like if people were taught to obey these commandments, and his soul was swept by an ecstasy such as he had not felt for many a day. It was as though, after long pining and suffering, he had suddenly found peace and liberation.”
Even for those who speak a bit of English as non-native speakers, the articles “a” and “the” often pose a challenge. For native speakers, their use comes naturally, but for foreigners, it presents a perplexing task. Though one can get accustomed to the various usages outlined in grammar books, let’s set forth a simple hypothesis here and explore its validity.
Hypothesis:
When we want to indicate the nature of a noun, we use it without an article. When referring to one randomly chosen item among others, we use the indefinite article “a.” When the item is selected based on some criteria, we use the definite article “the.”
According to our hypothesis, the indefinite article “a” means one randomly chosen item among many, without any specific criteria. Is this really the case? Let’s examine this question further by looking at the following biblical passages:
-A man called Matthew was a tax collector. (Matthew was one tax collector among others.
-Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (A parable among others, not indicating a specific parable.
-The LORD has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. (One of the temples to be built, and no temple exists yet.
-Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her. (Here too, it’s not about any specific colt, any colt would do.
-He got down on his knees and prayed three times a day. (This refers to a general day, not a specific one. Thus, the indefinite article “a” can be thought of as referring to one randomly chosen item.
While more examples are needed to fully verify our hypothesis, the ones provided seem to support its validity. Let’s continue to explore and validate hypotheses related to the use of articles, moving on to examine some uses of the indefinite article. Whether an indefinite or definite article, articles usually precede the noun phrase, grouping everything that decorates the noun as one unit.
(a + adverb + adjective + noun)
However, words like half, many, such, quite, what, rather are special words that appear before the indefinite article.
I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Don’t even eat with such a person. (1 Corinthians 5:11)
This is not about a specific person but rather any person who commits the listed sins.
Special Uses of the Indefinite Article
The indefinite article should only be attached to countable nouns. Nouns have five categories: common, collective, abstract, material, and proper. Among these, abstract and material nouns refer to uncountable things by definition. Abstract nouns represent intangible, abstract concepts.
The ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ in the English Bible is expressed as ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ Here, “tree” is a common noun, whereas “knowledge,” “good,” and “evil” are abstract nouns because they signify abstract concepts. Words representing invisible concepts like experience, success, education, kindness, youth, beauty, advice, happiness, luck are all abstract nouns.
However, when such abstract nouns represent specific actions, experiences, or opportunities, they can be used like common nouns with an indefinite article or in plural form. This is known as the nominalization of abstract nouns.
The following passage from Ecclesiastes is a good example of using the indefinite article with “time” to treat it as a common noun:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
On the other hand, nouns that represent substances without a definite form are called material nouns. Therefore, it’s a principle not to attach an indefinite article or use the plural form for uncountable nouns. Since material nouns are uncountable, quantity adjectives such as much, little, some, any, no are used to indicate quantity. Furthermore, when material nouns need to be quantified, they should be expressed in the form “number + unit noun + of + material noun”. For example, a glass of water, a cup of coffee.
However, when a material noun is specified or defined, the definite article “the” can be used. We’ll revisit the use of the definite article shortly.
“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life in him.” (John 4:14)
It’s not just any water but the specific water that I provide. When expressing such a meaning, the definite article “the” must be attached. The definite article is used, as we will explain again, to express something specific chosen out of a group.
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