Tag Archives: Mark 6:19

ἡ δὲ Ἡρῳδιὰς ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἤθελεν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο· (Mark 6:19) When Verbs Smolder: The Force of the Imperfect Tense

This compact verse in Mark captures the simmering hatred of Herodias toward John the Baptist. Its power lies not in a dramatic climax, but in the tension between desire and inability, sustained by the grammatical fabric of imperfect verbs. Every verb in this verse is in the imperfect tense, creating a cinematic effect: a long-burning resentment that cannot yet ignite into action.

This article explores:

The repeated use of the imperfect tense to express sustained hostility The lexical and emotional nuance of ἐνεῖχεν The contrastive structure ἤθελεν… καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο The narrative pacing and theological reflection embedded in the verbal aspect ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ – Grudge with a Grip

The verb ἐνεῖχεν is from ἐνέχω, meaning “to hold against,” “to bear a grudge,” or “to be hostile toward.”… Learn Koine Greek