Καὶ προδραμὼν ἔμπροσθεν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ συκομορέαν, ἵνα ἴδῃ αὐτόν, ὅτι δι’ ἐκείνης ἤμελλε διέρχεσθαι. (Luke 19:4)
And running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see him, because he was about to pass that way.
Purpose Clause with ἵνα and Complementary Infinitive with Imperfect of Intention
This verse describes Zacchaeus’ eager action to see Jesus. It includes a temporal participle, a purpose clause, and an imperfect verb of intent followed by a complementary infinitive. The grammar contributes to the narrative energy and forward motion.
Aorist Participle: προδραμών
προδραμών is an aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular, from προτρέχω (“to run ahead”). It gives background information — “having run ahead.” It is connected to the main verb ἀνέβη.
Main Verb: ἀνέβη
ἀνέβη is aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular, from ἀναβαίνω (“to go up, to climb”). Zacchaeus climbed a tree as a result of running forward. The prepositional phrase ἐπὶ συκομορέαν (“on a sycamore tree”) marks the physical object of ascent.
Purpose Clause: ἵνα ἴδῃ αὐτόν
ἵνα introduces a purpose clause, with ἴδῃ as the aorist active subjunctive of ὁράω — “so that he might see him.” The subjunctive expresses intended result.
Causal Clause: ὅτι δι’ ἐκείνης ἤμελλε διέρχεσθαι
ὅτι introduces the reason for the action — “because through that [way] he was about to pass.”
| Verb | Parsing | Function |
|---|---|---|
| ἤμελλε | Imperfect active indicative, 3rd singular, from μέλλω | “he was about to” — verb of intention/future imminence |
| διέρχεσθαι | Present middle infinitive, from διέρχομαι | Complementary infinitive — “to pass through” |
Key Observations
- The aorist participle προδραμών shows the prior, eager action of running ahead.
- The aorist indicative ἀνέβη marks the climactic action of ascending the tree.
- ἵνα ἴδῃ expresses purpose: seeing Jesus is Zacchaeus’ motivating goal.
- μέλλω + infinitive διέρχεσθαι indicates what Jesus was about to do, justifying Zacchaeus’ anticipation.
Dynamic Movement in Syntax
The grammatical structure mirrors the physical movement in the scene: urgency (aorist participle), climax (main aorist verb), goal (purpose clause), and motivation (causal clause). Zacchaeus’ spiritual longing is encoded in rapid, purpose-driven syntax, echoing his eagerness to encounter the Lord.
