-
Greek Lessons
- Seeking the Signs or the Bread? A Grammatical and Stylistic Journey through John 6:26
- Worry and Worth: A Greek Look at Matthew 6:25
- Indirect Discourse and the Weight of Silence: The Interrogative Mood in Mark 6:24–25
- Tense That Breathes Eternity: The Aorist Imperative and Eschatological Joy in Luke 6:23
- Sent with Purpose: Subjunctive Aims and Pastoral Comfort in Ephesians 6:22
-
Category
Category Archives: Grammar
Future Indicative: The Aoristic Future
THE AORISTIC FUTURE
The Aoristic Future conceives of an action simply as an event, and affirms that it will take place in future time. It may be indefinite, inceptive, or resultative. As indefinite it may be momentary, comprehensive, or collective. Cf. THE AORIST INDICATIVE, The Historical Aorist (2).
1 Cor. 15:51, 52; πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα, 52 ἐν ἀτόμῳ, ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ, we shall not all sleep [indefinite comprehensive]; or, we shall not all fall asleep [inceptive], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye [indefinite momentary].
John 14:26; ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς διδάξει πάντα καὶ ὑπομνήσει ὑμᾶς πάντα ἃ εἶπον, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said unto you [indefinite collective].… Learn Koine Greek
Future Indicative: The Predictive Future
THE PREDICTIVE FUTURE
The Future Indicative is most frequently used to affirm that an action is to take place in future time. Since it does not mark the distinction between action in progress and action conceived of indefinitely without reference to its progress, it may be either aoristic or progressive. … Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Disctinction Between The Aorist And The Imperfect
THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE AORIST AND THE IMPERFECT
(1) The difference between an Historical Aorist and an Imperfect of action in progress or repeated being one not of the nature of the fact but of the speaker’s conception of the fact, it is evident that the same fact may be expressed by either tense or by both. This is illustrated in Mark 12:41 and 44, where, with strict appropriateness in both cases, Mark writes in v. 41, πολλοὶ πλούσιοι ἔβαλλον πολλά, and in v. 44 records Jesus as stating the same fact in the words πάντες . . . ἔβαλον. The former describes the scene in progress, the latter merely states the fact.… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: English Equivalents Of The Greek Aorist Indicative
ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF THE GREEK AORIST INDICATIVE
(1) It should be observed that the Aorist for the Perfect and the Aorist for the Pluperfect are not variations from the normal use of the Greek Aorist. Viewed strictly from the point of view of Greek Grammar, these Aorists are simply Historical, Inceptive, or Resultative Aorists. The necessity for mentioning them arises merely from the difference between the English and the Greek idiom.
The Greek Aorist corresponds to the English simple Past (or Imperfect or Preterite, loved, heard, etc.) more nearly than to any other English tense. But it is not the precise equivalent of the English Past; nor is the Greek Perfect the precise equivalent of the English Perfect; nor the Greek Pluperfect of the English Pluperfect.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged ἀνέγνωτε, ἐβασίλευσας, ἐγένεσθε, ἔζησεν, Εἴδομεν, ἐκάθισαν, ἔμαθον, ἐπλουτήσατε, εὐδόκησεν, ἥμαρτον, καταβολῆς, κόσμου, κριθήσονται, νῦν, Οὐκ, πάντες, παράδοξα, πρὸ, προσεδέξατο, σήμερον
Leave a comment
Aorist Indicative: The Aorist For The (English) Pluperfect
THE AORIST FOR THE (ENGLISH) PLUPERFECT
(1) The Aorist Indicative is frequently used in narrative passages of a past event which precedes another past event mentioned or implied in the context. In English it is common in such a case to indicate the real order of the events by the use of a Pluperfect for the earlier event. Cf. ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF THE GREEK AORIST INDICATIVE (1),(2).
John 19:30; ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβεν τὸ ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· τετελέσται, when therefore Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.
Matthew 14:3; Ὁ γὰρ Ἡρῴδης κρατήσας τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔδησεν αὐτὸν, for Herod having laid hold on John had bound him.… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Aorist For The (English) Perfect
THE AORIST FOR THE (ENGLISH) PERFECT
(1) The Aorist is frequently used in Greek where the English idiom requires a Perfect.
Luke 19:9; Σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ ἐγένετο, to-day is salvation come to this house.
Matt. 5:21; Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time.
Phil. 4:11; ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμι αὐτάρκης εἶναι, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therein to be content. See also under ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF THE GREEK AORIST INDICATIVE.
(2) The Aorist Indicative of a few verbs is used in the New Testament to denote a present state, the result of a past act, hence with the proper force of a Greek Perfect.… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Dramatic Aorist
The Aorist Indicative is sometimes used of a state of mind just reached, or of an act expressive of it. The effect is to give to the statement greater vividness than is given by the more usual Present.
Luke 16:4.; ἔγνων τί ποιήσω, I know [lit. I knew, or I perceived] what I shall do.
REMARK. This usage is in classical Greek mainly poetical and is found chiefly in dialogue. It is sometimes called “Aoristus tragicus.” Brugmann thus describes it: “Nicht selten wurde der Aorist von dem gebraucht, was soeben eingetreten ist, besonders von einer Stimmung, die soeben uber einen gekommen ist, oder von einem Urteil, das man sich soeben gebildet hat.”… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Epistolary Aorist
The writer of a letter sometimes puts himself in the place of his reader and describes as past that which is to himself present, but which will be past to his reader.
Eph. 6:22; ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, whom I send to you for this very purpose. See also Acts 23:30; 1 Cor. 5:11; Phil. 2:28; Col. 4:8; Philem. 11.… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Gnomic Aorist
The Aorist is used in proverbs and comparisons where the English commonly uses a General Present.
1 Pet. 1:24; ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν, the grass withereth and the flower falleth. See also Luke 7:35; John 15:6; Jas. 1:11, 24.
REMARK. Winer’s contention (WT. p. 277; WM. p. 346) that the Gnomic Aorist does not occur in the New Testament does not seem defensible. The passages cited above are entirely similar to the classical examples of this ancient and well-established idiom.… Learn Koine Greek
Aorist Indicative: The Resultative Aorist
The Aorist of a verb whose Present implies effort or intention, commonly denotes the success of the effort.
Acts 27:43; ὁ δὲ ἑκατοντάρχης βουλόμενος διασῶσαι τὸν Παῦλον ἐκώλυσεν αὐτοὺς τοῦ βουλήματος, but the centurion . . . prevented them from their purpose. See also Matt. 27:20; Acts 7:36.… Learn Koine Greek
