In the verse ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς ἤρξατο λέγειν αὐτοῖς· βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ (Mark 13:5), we find a classic example of Koine Greek’s capacity to compress action and emotion into finely tuned grammatical structures. The spotlight falls on the use of the aorist participle ἀποκριθεὶς, which precedes the main verb ἤρξατο in a sequence that defies a rigid English rendering. This raises a subtle but crucial grammatical issue: how should we interpret temporal participles in Koine Greek — especially when paired with verbs of speaking and motion?
This isn’t merely an academic curiosity. In Mark’s narrative style — swift, urgent, and often breathless — participles set the stage for action with cinematic immediacy. Here, the aorist participle opens the scene: “Having answered…” or simply “Jesus answered and began…”. But in Greek, the participle doesn’t just point back in time — it locks together actions in a specific, often stylized relationship.
Morphological Breakdown
- ὁ {o, (Erasmian: ho)} –
Root: ὁ
Form: nominative masculine singular definite article
Lexical Meaning: “the”
Contextual Notes: Functions with Ἰησοῦς to form the subject. - δὲ {the, (Erasmian: de)} –
Root: δέ
Form: postpositive conjunction
Lexical Meaning: “but,” “and”
Contextual Notes: Marks a mild contrast or continuation from the previous statement. - Ἰησοῦς {Iisús, (Erasmian: Iēsous)} –
Root: Ἰησοῦς
Form: nominative masculine singular proper noun
Lexical Meaning: “Jesus”
Contextual Notes: Subject of both the participle and the main verb. - ἀποκριθεὶς {apokrithís, (Erasmian: apokritheìs)} –
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι
Form: aorist passive participle, nominative masculine singular
Lexical Meaning: “having answered,” “replying”
Contextual Notes: A deponent verb that appears in passive form but has active meaning. The aorist participle typically indicates antecedent or contemporaneous action. In this case, it cues the dialogue without breaking narrative flow. - ἤρξατο {írksato, (Erasmian: ḗrxato)} –
Root: ἄρχομαι
Form: aorist middle indicative, 3rd person singular
Lexical Meaning: “he began”
Contextual Notes: Often followed by an infinitive; used idiomatically in the Synoptics to introduce speech or action. - λέγειν {léyin, (Erasmian: légein)} –
Root: λέγω
Form: present active infinitive
Lexical Meaning: “to speak,” “to say”
Contextual Notes: Complementary infinitive following ἤρξατο; this periphrasis (ἄρχομαι + infinitive) is stylistically Semitic, echoing Hebrew narrative structures. - αὐτοῖς {aftís, (Erasmian: autoîs)} –
Root: αὐτός
Form: dative masculine plural pronoun
Lexical Meaning: “to them”
Contextual Notes: Indirect object of λέγειν, referring to the disciples. - βλέπετε {vlépete, (Erasmian: blépete)} –
Root: βλέπω
Form: present active imperative, 2nd person plural
Lexical Meaning: “watch,” “see,” “beware”
Contextual Notes: A common warning imperative. Often used in eschatological discourse to initiate alertness. - μή {mi, (Erasmian: mē)} –
Root: μή
Form: negative particle
Lexical Meaning: “not,” “lest”
Contextual Notes: Introduces a prohibitive clause, typically followed by the subjunctive. - τις {tis, (Erasmian: tis)} –
Root: τις
Form: nominative masculine/feminine singular indefinite pronoun
Lexical Meaning: “someone,” “anyone”
Contextual Notes: Subject of the verb πλανήσῃ; emphasizes unspecified danger. - ὑμᾶς {imás, (Erasmian: hymâs)} –
Root: σύ
Form: accusative second person plural pronoun
Lexical Meaning: “you”
Contextual Notes: Direct object of πλανήσῃ; Jesus addresses his disciples directly. - πλανήσῃ {planísi, (Erasmian: planḗsēi)} –
Root: πλανάω
Form: aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
Lexical Meaning: “lead astray,” “deceive”
Contextual Notes: Subjunctive verb governed by μή, forming a negated purpose/warning clause. Common in eschatological warnings.
Temporal Participles and the Aorist’s Dramatic Function
Koine Greek offers flexibility in temporal sequencing, and nowhere is that more visible than in the use of aorist participles before main verbs. In ἀποκριθεὶς ἤρξατο λέγειν, the participle “having answered” precedes the main verb “began to speak” not necessarily because the actions are sequential in time, but because the participle functions as a narrative gateway. In Semitic idiom, answering and beginning to speak form a single speech act. Greek participles are adept at preserving such subtle narrative texture, especially in the Gospels where spoken discourse marks dramatic turns.
The aorist participle is timeless in aspect — it doesn’t narrate how long Jesus was answering, just that this reply initiates a new moment. In Mark’s narrative tempo, this construction slows the reader momentarily before propelling into the warning command: βλέπετε. Watch. Beware. It’s immediate, urgent, and grammatically framed by what precedes it: a verbal opening that sets the tone for the rest of the discourse.
The Grammar that Warns Before the Storm
In this verse, the tense of the warning — a present imperative — contrasts with the timeless aorist participle and the marked subjunctive. The whole structure reads like a thunderclap of caution: Jesus answers (perfectively), begins to speak (aoristically), and warns in present continuity. The participle thus acts as both a bridge and a brake — slowing the narrative just long enough to signal, “what follows matters.” Koine Greek’s syntax here is not mere mechanics; it shapes the urgency of the message.
