The Aorist Indicative

Posted on October 20, 2011 by New Testament Greek

(1) The constant characteristic of the Aorist tense in all of its moods, including the participle, is that it represents the action denoted by it indefinitely; i.e. simply as an event, neither on the one hand picturing it in progress, nor on the other affirming the existence of its result. The name indefinite as thus understood is therefore applicable to the tense in all of its uses.

As respects the point of view from which the action is looked at, however, we may distinguish three functions of the tense common to all of its moods.

First, it may be used to describe an action or event in its entirety.… Learn Koine Greek

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Imperfect Indicative: Periphrastic Form Of Imperfect

Posted on October 18, 2011 by New Testament Greek
PERIPHRASTIC FORM OF THE IMPERFECT

Periphrastic Imperfects, formed by adding a Present Participle to the Imperfect of the verb eivmi,, are frequent in the New Testament, especially in the historical books. The large majority of these forms denote continued action.

Mark 10:32; καὶ ἦν προάγων αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, and Jesus was going before them. So also Luke 1:10, 22; John 13:23; and probably Mark 2:18. In a few instances repeated action is referred to, as Luke 5:16; 19:47; Gal. 1:23. Cf. The Predicative Adjective Participle (3).… Learn Koine Greek

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Imperfect Indicative: The Imperfect Of Repeated Action

Posted on October 16, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Imperfect Indicative: The Conative Imperfect

Posted on October 14, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Imperfect Indicative: The Progressive Imperfect

Posted on October 12, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Present Indicative: Periphrastic Form Of The Present

Posted on October 10, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Present Indicative: The Present Of Past Action Still In Progress

Posted on October 8, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Present Indicative: The Present For The Future

Posted on October 7, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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Present Indicative: The Historical Present in Greek

Posted on October 5, 2011 by New Testament 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

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Present Indicative: The Aoristic Present

Posted on October 3, 2011 by New Testament Greek
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

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