A Boy and His Bible

Reading Conjunctions with Purpose: That, So That, and In Order That

Phrases like “that,” “so that,” or “in order that,” generally fall into four categories of functions: purpose, result, explanatory, and content.

  • Purpose
    • “Indicates the goal or aim of an action.”[1]
    • Indicates potential results.
    • Deals with motives, and therefore often includes a personal agent.
    • Example: Yesterday, I went to the store so that I could get some milk to go with my freshly baked cookies.
  • Result
    • “Gives the outcome or consequence of an action.”[2]
    • Deals with real world or actualized results rather than potential ones.
    • Does not necessarily indicate motive or purpose.
    • In other words, it is possible that the result described is an unintended one.
    • Example: Yesterday, I ran out of milk so that I did not have any to go with my freshly baked cookies so that I was very sad.
  • Explanatory
    • “Completes the idea of a noun or adjective.”[3]
    • Gives additional or clarifying information.
    • Example: I was desperate that I have milk to go with my freshly baked cookies. So, I went to the store to get some.
  • Content
    • Expresses the content of a verb.
    • Often follows verbs of speech, cognition, and perception.
    • Example: When the policeman asked me why I was speeding, I told him that I desperately needed some milk to go with my freshly baked cookies. He thought that I was lying.

Let’s see what this looks like in the biblical text.

First, we will consider an example of a purpose conjunction. Notice what Jesus says:

14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Mt 5:14–16)

This “so that” indicates purpose since it is not at all a guaranteed result that when you shine your light before others they will respond positively. It is, however, a potential result. And it is to be your hope and aim as you live your Christian life in the public eye. At least one of the purposes, then, of good works is for the benefit of those around you. God desires that you do good works so that others might be directed to salvation.

An example of a result conjunction is found in the episode of the stormy sea in Matthew:

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. (Mt 8:23–24)

This “so that” indicates a result since the storm is not a personal agent whose purpose was to overturn the boat. However, the boat being in danger of capsizing was a direct consequence of the storm rising on the sea. Although someone could argue that God’s purpose for bringing the storm on the sea was so that the boat would be swamped, leading to an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate his power over nature, this goes beyond the grammatical context, which is what we are concerned with in describing the functions of conjunctions.

We find an example of an explanatory “that” in the beginning of Jesus high priestly prayer in John 17. We read,

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (Jn 17:1–3)

You will notice that there is a purpose “that” in v. 1. Jesus asks God to glorify him for the purpose of Jesus glorifying him in return. However, the explanatory “that” is in v. 3, where Jesus is explaining the nature of eternal life. He begins with the statement, “This is eternal life” before explaining what this means for believers: “that they know you…” As Tenney notes, the nature of eternal life “is not described in chronological terms but by a relationship.”[4] Yes, the life he gives us is eternal in the temporal sense. But Jesus is explaining that the most important feature of eternal life is the relationship we have with both the Father and the Son. A marvelous implication from this reality is that eternal life does not begin after we die but rather when we come to know God through salvation. For the believer, eternal life has already begun. Death is merely a transition.

Finally, let us consider an example of a content conjunction. As Jesus is speaking to the woman at the well in John 4, he demonstrates that he is more than a man—in fact, the Messiah!—by revealing an intimate knowledge with her affairs. Her response is, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet” (Jn 4:19). A little later she told him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (Jn 4:25). There are particular things that she perceives. And in both of these cases, she is indicating the content of what she sees and knows. So, when you come across phrases like “that,” “so that,” or “in order that,” determine which of the four categories they fall into and then consider how that helps you understand the passage better.

[1] Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics an Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 676.

[2] Ibid., 677.

[3] Ibid., 678.

[4] Merril C. Tenney, “John,” in John–Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981), 162.