ἔλεγεν γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ ὅτι Ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ, σωθήσομαι. (Mark 5:28)
She kept saying to herself, “If I might touch even his garments, I shall be saved.”
Unfolding the Verbal Heartbeat
Mark 5:28 offers a glimpse into the inner voice of a woman clinging to hope. The verse is brief, yet pulsing with rich verb forms that convey intensity, determination, and theology in motion. In this sacred sentence, three verbs animate her desperate faith:
- ἔλεγεν — imperfect indicative, showing repeated thought
- ἅψωμαι — aorist subjunctive, conveying decisive intention
- σωθήσομαι — future passive indicative, expressing her expected salvation
Each form reveals a layer of meaning not just in *what* she says, but in *how* Greek morphology conveys her mindset and theology.
Grammatical Dissection of the Verbs
| Verb: ἔλεγεν | |
|---|---|
| Lexical Form | λέγω |
| Tense | Imperfect |
| Voice | Active |
| Mood | Indicative |
| Person & Number | 3rd Singular |
| Aspect | Imperfective |
| Semantic Force | Ongoing inner speech; internal repetition |
| Verb: ἅψωμαι | |
| Lexical Form | ἅπτομαι |
| Tense | Aorist |
| Voice | Middle |
| Mood | Subjunctive |
| Person & Number | 1st Singular |
| Aspect | Perfective |
| Semantic Force | Hopeful, decisive reach; momentary action |
| Verb: σωθήσομαι | |
| Lexical Form | σῴζω |
| Tense | Future |
| Voice | Passive |
| Mood | Indicative |
| Person & Number | 1st Singular |
| Aspect | Resultative (Stative) |
| Semantic Force | Passive expectation of divine rescue |
Aspect and Theology: A Closer Look
1. ἔλεγεν – A Heart That Repeats
The imperfect tense captures repetition or ongoing activity in the past. Here, it reflects *continuous internal dialogue*. She didn’t just think it once—she kept saying it to herself. The morphology gives us a psychological portrait: an anxious heart rehearsing a fragile hope.
2. ἅψωμαι – Aorist Subjunctive of Desperate Intention
In the protasis (“If I may touch…”), the aorist subjunctive shows the woman’s focus on *a singular moment of contact*. The perfective aspect frames this as an all-or-nothing act: one decisive touch. The middle voice makes it personal—this is for herself, not as a public gesture.
3. σωθήσομαι – Future Passive: Divine Agency Assumed
This passive future form is pregnant with theological meaning. She doesn’t plan to *heal herself*; she expects to *be saved*—passively—through divine power. The verb is soteriological: not just bodily healing, but salvation language that Mark’s Gospel often layers intentionally.
Syntax and Mood in Motion
The structure of the sentence flows naturally:
– ἔλεγεν governs the entire clause: what she was repeatedly telling herself.
– Ἐὰν ἅψωμαι introduces a conditional idea—subjunctive capturing the uncertainty and yearning.
– σωθήσομαι concludes the apodosis with a future certainty: “I shall be saved.”
Together, the morphology of these verbs weaves belief, desire, and expectation into a single inner statement.
Why Not Another Tense?
Why not present for ἅψωμαι? Because this isn’t about ongoing touching—it’s about one definitive contact. Why not active voice in σωθήσομαι? Because the focus isn’t on her doing the work—it’s on receiving salvation. Why imperfect in ἔλεγεν? To let us hear the repetition.
Echoes in the Aspect
This woman’s faith was not abstract. It took shape in *morphology*—repeated thought (imperfect), resolved action (aorist), and confident expectation (future passive). The verbal system of Koine Greek doesn’t just *describe* her belief—it *embodies* it. What we read in grammar, she lived in trembling hope.
