[LeoC]

I have been studying Wenham's Elements of New Testament Greek and I'm not sure when to use de√ to translate "and" or "but", and when to use kai√ and ajlla√. For example:

1. But God is rich in mercy.
I wrote oJ de; Qeo√ß ejstin plou√sioß ejn tw:/ e[lei&. Wenham has put ajlla√ (oj Qeo√ß ejstin plou√sioß ejn tw:/ e[lei&).

2. And he will have a voice like the voice of an angel.
I wrote kai; eJ√xei fwnh;n oJ√moian th:/ fwnh:/ ajgge√lou, presuming this sentence followed another. Wenham has (eJ√xei) de; (fwnh;n oJ√moian th:/ fwnh:/ ajgge√lou).

3. And they will do wonders in his name.
I wrote poih√sousin de; te√rata ejn tw:/ oj√nomati aujtou:. Wenham has kai; (pra√xousin te√rata ejn tw:/ oj√nomati aujtou:).

I understand that de√ is a particle, lighter than kai√ and ajlla√, which are conjunctions. Could the words be interchangeable here, since these sentences stand alone? Is the distinction clearer in the context of several sentences?

[Obadiah]

Hi, Leo.

Although I believe that translating English into Greek is beneficial in the learning process, I wouldn't sweat this sort of detail.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head when you raised the issue of context. Without a context, I can't really tell whether de or [kai/alla[/i] is appropriate in the sample sentences. #1 sounds like an adaptation of Ephesians 2:4, which uses de, but Wenham uses alla.

So don't sweat this distinction -- you'll catch onto the relative nuances as you read.