-
Greek Lessons
- “What to Us and to You?”: Demonic Recognition and Eschatological Grammar in Matthew 8:29
- Whispers of Identity: From Prophets to Pronouns in Mark 8:28
- The Field of Blood: Passive Voice and Temporal Clauses in Matthew 27:8
- Declensions in the Storm: Case Usage in Matthew 8:26
- Testimony on the Road: Aorist Participles and Mission Grammar in Acts 8:25
-
Category
Category Archives: Grammar
Imperfect Indicative: The Imperfect Of Repeated Action
THE IMPERFECT OF REPEATED ACTION
The Imperfect is used of customary or repeated action in past time.
Acts 3:2; ὃν ἐτίθουν καθ’ ἡμέραν πρὸς τὴν θύραν τοῦ ἱεροῦ, whom they used to lay daily at the gate of the temple.
(1) For the use of the Imperfect, Aorist, or Pluperfect in a condition contrary to fact, or its apodosis, see B. Supposition contrary to Fact.
(2) The Imperfect and Aorist with a;n are used in classical Greek to denote a customary past action taking place under certain circumstances. In the New Testament this usage never occurs in principal clauses. The use of the Imperfect and Aorist with a;n in conditional relative clauses is possibly a remnant of the usage.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Imperfect Indicative, ἐβουλόμην, εἰ γὰρ, εἶθε, ἠθέλησα, ὸφεἱλω, ὄφελον, ῶφελον
Leave a comment
Imperfect Indicative: The Conative Imperfect
THE CONATIVE IMPERFECT
The Progressive Imperfect is sometimes used of action attempted, but not accomplished. Cf. THE CONATIVE PRESENT.
Matt. 3:14; ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν, but he would have hindered him.
See also Luke 1:59, ἐκάλουν; 15:16, ἐδίδου; Acts 7:26, συνήλλασσεν; 26:11, ἠνάγκαζον.
Luke 1:59 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἦλθον περιτεμεῖν τὸ παιδίον, καὶ ἐκάλουν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ζαχαρίαν.
Luke 15:16 καὶ ἐπεθύμει γεμίσαι τὴν κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν κερατίων ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ.
Acts 7:26 τῇ τε ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς μαχομένοις καὶ συνήλλασσεν αὐτοὺς εἰς εἰρήνην εἰπών Ἄνδρες, ἀδελφοί ἐστε ἱνατί ἀδικεῖτε ἀλλήλους;
Acts 26:11 καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν, περισσῶς τε ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς ἐδίωκον ἕως καὶ εἰς τὰς ἔξω πόλεις.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Conative Imperfect, Progressive Imperfect, ἐδίδου, ἐκάλουν, ἠνάγκαζον, συνήλλασσεν
Leave a comment
Imperfect Indicative: The Progressive Imperfect
THE PROGRESSIVE IMPERFECT
The Imperfect is used of action in progress in past time.
Mark 12:41; καὶ πολλοὶ πλούσιοι ἔβαλλον πολλά, and many that were rich were casting in much.
Luke 1:66; καὶ γὰρ χεὶρ κυρίου ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ, for the hand of the Lord was with him.
John 11:36; Ἴδε πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν, behold how he loved him.
The statement respecting the translation of the Progressive Present (cf.THE PROGRESSIVE PRESENT), applies to the Imperfect also. Notice the third example above, and see also Luke 2:51, his mother kept [διετήρει] all these things in her heart; in Luke 24:32, A.V., did not our heart burn within us, is better than R.V.,… Learn Koine Greek
Present Indicative: Periphrastic Form Of The Present
PERIPHRASTIC FORM OF THE PRESENT
One of the clearly marked peculiarities of the Greek of the New Testament is the frequency with which periphrastic forms composed of a Present or Perfect Participle (Luke 23:19 is quite exceptional in its use of the Aorist Participle; cf. Ev. Pet. 23), and the Present, Imperfect, or Future Indicative, or the Present Subjunctive, Imperative, Infinitive, and even participle, of the verb εἰμί, (rarely also ὑπάρχω), are used instead of the usual simple forms. Cf. The Predicative Adjective Participle, and see the full discussion with examples in B. pp. 308-313, and the list (not quite complete) in S.… Learn Koine Greek
Present Indicative: The Present Of Past Action Still In Progress
The Present Of Past Action Still In Progress
The Present Indicative, accompanied by an adverbial expression denoting duration and referring to past time, is sometimes used in Greek, as in German, to describe an action which, beginning in past time, is still in progress at the time of speaking. English idiom requires the use of the Perfect in such cases.
Acts 15:21; Μωϋσῆς γὰρ ἐκ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων κατὰ πόλιν τοὺς κηρύσσοντας αὐτὸν, for Moses from generations of old has had in every city them that preached him. See also Luke 13:7, ἔρχομαι, 15:29, δουλεύω, John 5:6, ἔχει; 2 Tim. 3:15, οἶδας.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Aorist Indicative, Present Indicative, δουλεύω, ἔρχομαι, ἔχει, οἶδας, πάρλαι, πάρος, ποτὲ
Comments Off on Present Indicative: The Present Of Past Action Still In Progress
Present Indicative: The Present For The Future
The Present For The Future
In a similar way the Present Indicative may be used to describe vividly a future event.
Mark 9:31; Ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, the Son of man is delivered into the hands of men. See also Matt. 26:18, ποιῶ; 27:63, ἐγείρομαι; Luke 3:9, ἐκκόπτεται.
REMARK. The term “Present for Future” is sometimes objected to, but, without good reason. The arguments of Buttmann, pp. 203f., and Winer, WT. pp. 265 ff.; WM. pp. 331 ff., are valid only against the theory of an arbitrary interchange of tenses. It is indeed not to be supposed that Greek writers confused the Present and the Future tenses, or used them indiscriminately.… Learn Koine Greek
Present Indicative: The Historical Present in Greek
The Historical Present
The Present Indicative is used to describe vividly a past event in the presence of which the speaker conceives himself to be.
Mark 11:27; Καὶ ἔρχονται πάλιν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, and they come again to Jerusalem.
See also Luke 8:49, ἔρχεταί; John 18:28, Ἄγουσιν. This use is very frequent in the gospels.
The Greek Present Indicative tense, often referred to in biblical studies as the “historical present,” is a linguistic feature that enlivens narrative by describing past events as if they are occurring in the present. This stylistic choice creates immediacy, drawing the reader into the scene and making the events more vivid and dynamic.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Historical Present, Present Indicative, Ἄγουσιν, ἔρχεταί
Comments Off on Present Indicative: The Historical Present in Greek
Present Indicative: The Aoristic Present
The Aoristic Present
The Present Indicative is sometimes used of an action or event coincident in time with the act of speaking, and conceived of as a simple event. Most frequently the action denoted by the verb is identical with the act of speaking itself, or takes place in that act.
Acts 16:18; Παραγγέλλω σοι ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ.
See also Mark 2:5, ἀφίενταί; Acts 9:34, ἰᾶταί; Acts 26:1, Ἐπιτρέπεταί; Gal. 1:11, Γνωρίζω and the numerous instances of le,gw in the gospels.
REMARK. This usage is a distinct departure from the prevailing use of the Present tense to denote action in progress (cf.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Aoristic Present, Ernest De Witt Burton, Present Indicative, ἀφίενταί, Ἐπιτρέπεταί, ἰᾶταί
Comments Off on Present Indicative: The Aoristic Present
Present Indicative: The General Or Gnomic Present
The General Or Gnomic Present
The Present Indicative is used to express customary actions and general truths.
Matt. 7:17; οὕτως πᾶν δένδρον ἀγαθὸν καρποὺς καλοὺς ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ σαπρὸν δένδρον καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖ, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit.
2 Cor. 9:7; ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός, for God loveth a cheerful giver.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Ernest De Witt Burton, Gnomic Present, Present Indicative
Comments Off on Present Indicative: The General Or Gnomic Present
Present Indicative: The Conative Present
The Conative Present
The Present Indicative is occasionally used of action attempted, but not accomplished. This use is, however, not to be regarded as a distinct function of the tense. The Conative Present is merely a species of the Progressive Present. A verb which of itself suggests effort, when used in a tense which implies action in progress, and hence incomplete, naturally suggests the idea of attempt. All the verb-forms of the Present system are equally, with the Present, capable of expressing attempted action, since they all denote action in progress. John 10:32, λιθάζετε, and Gal. 5:4, δικαιοῦσθε, illustrate this usage in the Present.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Ernest De Witt Burton, ἄγει, δικαιοῦσθε, λιθάζετε
Comments Off on Present Indicative: The Conative Present
