7
VERBS: PART 2
SIMPLE AORIST VERBS
7.1. You have already met one of the basic verb forms in Greek, the present active indicative. This chapter will introduce you to another important form, the aorist active indicative. It is the most common verb form in the NT and in the LXX.[1]
First Aorist Active Indicative Verbs
7.2. The aorist tense-form functions as the main story-line verb in narrative. When recounting a story in Greek, writers typically sketch the main events by using aorist verbs. Observe how this works in Mark 6. Aorist indicative forms are in bold.
Verbal Forms in Mark 6:39–44
He commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.
So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.
And having taken the five loaves and the two fish,
looking up to heaven
he blessed
and broke the loaves
and gave them to his disciples to set before them.
And he divided the two fish among all [of them].
And they all ate
and were satisfied.
And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
And the ones who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
The aorist tense-form is, in many ways, the default verb form—one that writers use when they do not want to say anything in particular about a situation, only that it occurs (or has occurred or will occur). Sometimes students think the aorist is quite esoteric and significant. This is often because we do not have an aorist form in English, so it sounds a bit magical. You may even hear people say things like “It’s an aorist, therefore . . . ,” as if the aorist were particularly important. That is a bit ironic since it is the least significant of all the tense-forms; it is the normal form one uses when the nuances of the other tense-forms are not important. We will talk more about this in a later chapter. In the example from Mark 6 above, it is the normal way to tell a story. So, we need to learn what this form looks like.
Aorist Morphology
7.3. Greek has two ways to create an aorist tense-form. They are called first aorist and second aorist. For this chapter we will be concerned with only the first aorist; we will study the second aorist in chapter 18.
Formula for First Aorist Active Indicative Verbs
augment + stem + form marker σα + B personal endings
Augment
7.4. An augment is the letter epsilon prefixed to the front of a word as part of the formula to indicate the tense-form of the verb and to specify that secondary endings are to be used rather than primary.[2] Only indicative-mood verbs have augments.[3] The various tense-forms of the indicative are classed in two groups depending on whether or not an augment is used.
| Primary Forms (do not have augment) |
Secondary Forms (do have augment) |
|||
| present | imperfect | |||
| future | aorist | |||
| perfect | pluperfect |
Stem and Form Marker
7.5. The stem of a first aorist verb is the same as the lexical form; that is, the base part of the verb will be spelled just as it is in the lexicon. A form marker is a syllable (technically, a morpheme) added to the end of the stem of a verb to identify it as being a particular tense-form.[4] Not all tense-forms use form markers, and there are several different form markers for the various tense-forms. If you compare the formula you learned for the present active indicative verbs in chapter 5 with this new formula for first aorist active indicative verbs, you will notice that the first aorist tense-form has no connecting vowel. The first aorist form does not need another vowel to connect the stem and ending, since the form marker (σα) already has its own vowel.
The first aorist is one of the easiest verb forms to recognize: if there is a σα between the stem and the ending of a verb, it must be an aorist. Other aorist forms also use the same σα form marker (e.g., the aorist infinitive, which you will meet later in this chapter), but the σα is still a distinctive marker for an aorist (and more specifically, for a first aorist form).
Personal Endings: The Four-Quad Chart
7.6. As you will recall from chapter 5, there are four basic sets of endings that are used on verbs. These endings indicate person and number. We designate these sets of endings as A, B, C, and D. The four-quad chart is structured very deliberately. On the left side of the chart are those endings that do not use augments. In the indicative these are classed as primary forms. The endings on the right side of the chart do use augments and are designated secondary forms in the indicative. The two top quadrants consist of endings that normally occur on active-voice forms in contrast to the bottom quadrants, which are usually middle voice. (We have not talked about all these grammatical categories yet, but we will in due time. At this point you need to understand only that there is logical layout in the four quadrants.)
Personal Endings
| A. Primary Active | B. Secondary Active | |||
| C. Primary Middle | D. Secondary Middle |
7.7. You first met the A endings in chapter 5. We are now ready for a new set. The aorist active indicative forms use the B endings. The following chart shows what the B endings look like when used on a first aorist active indicative verb.
(First) Aorist Active Indicative of λύω
| Form | f.m. + B p.e. | Gloss | p.e. | |
| 1S | ἔλυσα | σα | I loosed | [ν]a |
| 2S | ἔλυσας | σας | You loosed | ς |
| 3S | ἔλυσε(ν) | σε(ν) | He/she/it loosed | (ν) |
| 1P | ἐλύσαμεν | σαμεν | We loosed | μεν |
| 2P | ἐλύσατε | σατε | You loosed | τε |
| 3P | ἔλυσαν | σαν | They loosed | ν |
a Most verb forms that use the B endings have a nu in the first singular, but it drops off in the first aorist active indicative. It is nothing you need to worry about now. We will talk about this again in chaps. 15 and 16.
The center column in the table (“f.m. + B p.e.”) shows the aorist form marker σα combined with the personal ending. The actual personal endings are shown in the last column (“p.e.”). In the third singular form in the table, the nu is placed in parentheses to indicate that it is a movable nu—sometimes it is omitted. The key column that you must memorize is the “Form” column, which begins with ἔλυσα; this set of forms includes the augment, stem, form marker σα, and personal endings as they actually appear in a Greek text.
Meaning
7.8. We will study the aorist tense-form in more detail in later chapters. For now it is enough to know that it can often be represented in English with a simple tense, usually a simple past (“I loosed”), though sometimes a simple present or future will best suit the context (“I loose” or “I will loose”). The aorist simply refers to a situation in summary without indicating anything further about the action.
7.9. Examples of First Aorist Active Indicative Verbs
| John 8:30, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν. | Many believed in him. |
Notice how the aorist verb is formed: ἐπίστευσαν is composed of the augment epsilon + the verb stem πίστευ- (from the lexical form πιστεύω) + the aorist form marker σα + the third plural ending nu. If you compare the paradigm form of λύω above, you will discover that the only thing that is different is the stem. Observe the same pattern in the following examples.
| Rom. 4:3, τί ἡ γραφὴ λέγει; Ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ. | What does Scripture say? “Now Abraham believed God.” |
The dative τῷ θεῷ is functioning as the direct object. For an explanation as to why it is not in the customary accusative case, see “Objects in Genitive or Dative Cases” (§7.23).
| 2 Kgdms. (2 Sam.) 2:11, Δαυὶδ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Χεβρὼν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, ἑπτὰ ἔτη εβρὼν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, ἑπτὰ ἔτη (years) καὶ ἓξ μῆνας (months). | David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah seven years and six months. |
| Jer. 3:4, οὐχ οἶκόν με ἐκάλεσας καὶ πατέρα καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς παρθενίας σου; | Did you not call me Home and Father and Guide of your youth?a |
a In this context παρθενία probably means “youth,” though it could be “virginity” (i.e., when one was young and still a virgin). The Hebrew word translated here by παρθενία is the word for “youth,” not “virgin.” Read the context of this very metaphorical passage in your English Bible. |
|
| Mark 1:20, καὶ εὐθὺςa ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς. | |
a For καὶ εὐθύς, see the note on Mark 1:12 in §4.11. |
|
| Gen. 2:8, ἐφύτευσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδέμ. | |
| Isa. 42:6, ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐκάλεσά σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. | |
7.11. You will remember that in English, an infinitive is a verb preceded by the word to. It simply names an action—for example, “to study.” We met present infinitives in chapter 5, and we will talk about their various functions in chapter 22. For now, here is the form of the (first) aorist active infinitive: λῦσαι. You will notice that its formula is quite simple:
Formula for First Aorist Active Infinitives
stem + aorist infinitive marker σαι
The aorist infinitive marker includes the aorist form marker σα. There is no augment; only indicatives have augments.[5] Although there are other uses for the infinitive, for now, just think of it as a simple English infinitive; for example, λῦσαι may be represented in English as “to loose.” This is the same as the present infinitive that you met in chapter 5. Since English has only one infinitive, it is not possible to distinguish the various tense-forms of the infinitive in English.
7.12. Examples of the Aorist Active Infinitive
| Mark 1:7, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ. | I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. |
| Matt. 12:10, Εἰa ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασινb θεραπεῦσαι; | Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? |
|
a The particle εἰ can be used to introduce a question, but it is not represented by a specific word in English. b The plural τοῖς σάββασιν is idiomatic; it is equivalent to the English “Sabbath.” |
|
| Judg. 14:15, ἦa πτωχεῦσαι ἐκαλέσατε ἡμᾶς; | Did you really invite us to be beggars? |
a Watch the accent carefully on this word; it is an adverb, not the comparative particle “or.” |
|
| Luke 5:32, οὐκ ἐλήλυθα (I have come) καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. | |
| Mark 10:40, τὸ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν μου | |
7.14. Advanced Information for Reference:
Diagramming Infinitives
| Deut. 4:26, ὑμεῖς διαβαίνετε τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐκεῖ κληρονομῆσαι αὐτήν. | You are crossing the Jordan to inherit it there. |
Figure 7.1
Infinitives are diagrammed with a double vertical line in front of the infinitive. Its connection to the rest of the diagram depends on how the infinitive functions. In chapter 22 we will study infinitives and their various functions (and how they are diagrammed) in more detail.
7.15. The standard form of the augment is the letter epsilon prefixed to the verb stem, but not all augments are standard. Verbs that begin with a short vowel do not use the standard epsilon augment. Instead, the augment lengthens the vowel. Here are the more common patterns that you will see.[6]
α, ε ► η
ο ► ω
There are also some other augment variations that you will meet in chapter 16. The ones illustrated here are the most common.
7.16. Examples of Augment Variations
| Mark 14:64, ἠκούσατε τῆς βλασφημίας. | You heard the blasphemy! |
The genitive τῆς βλασφημίας is functioning as the direct object. For an explanation as to why it is not in the customary accusative case, see “Objects in Genitive or Dative Cases” (§7.23).
| Jer. 32:36 (25:36 MT/Eng.), ὠλέθρευσενa κύριος τὰ βοσκήματα (pastures) αὐτῶν. | The Lord laid waste their pastures. |
a ὀλεθρεύω, “I destroy, lay waste” |
| Mark 11:18, καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ ἐζήτουν [they were seeking] πῶς αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν [they might destroy]. | |
| Gen. 39:19, ἤκουσεν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα (words) τῆς γυναικὸς (wife) αὐτοῦ. | |
7.18. By now you have probably seen enough Greek examples to understand that changes from the usual patterns often happen to make words easier or more pleasant to pronounce. Such changes are sometimes described as euphonic (εὐ + φωνή, “good sound”). The examples that you have just seen with augments on the front of aorist verbs whose stems begin with a vowel are of just this sort. There is another change like this that takes place at the end of some aorist verbs. Instead of a stem that begins with a vowel, these verbs have stems that end with a short vowel (ε, ο, α). They are called contract verbs, and the vowel affected is called the stem vowel. In these verbs, when a form marker is added to the stem, the stem vowel lengthens. Just as with augments on the front of the stem, alpha and epsilon lengthen to eta, and an omicron lengthens to omega.
α, ε ► η
ο ► ω
The principle is not difficult, and it is easy to spot these words. For example, the lexical form γεννάω becomes ἐγέννησα in the first-person singular aorist active indicative form (see fig. 7.2). In this case the stem vowel alpha lengthens to eta when the aorist form marker σα is added.
Figure 7.2. Contract Morphology
7.19. The most common aorist form like this in the NT is ἐγέννησεν (third singular). It would look like this in a sentence: Ἀβραὰμ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰσαάκ (“Abraham begat Isaac,” Matt. 1:2). Other examples that are common include the following:
ποιέω ► ἐποίησεν (3rd sg.) ► ἐποίησαν (3rd pl.)
λαλέω ► ἐλάλησα (1st sg.) ► ἐλάλησεν (3rd sg.)
And yes, some words can have changes on both ends of the stem. For example, the word ἀγαπάω looks like this in the third singular aorist: ἠγάπησεν. You would read, for example, in John 3:19, ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸ σκότος (“people loved darkness”).
7.20. Examples of Aorist Contract Verbs
| Matt. 13:26, ὁ χόρτος καρπὸν ἐποίησεν.a | The plant produced a crop. |
a ποιέω, “I make, produce” |
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| Matt. 13:34, ἐλάλησενa ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν παραβολαῖς τοῖς ὄχλοις. | Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds. |
a λαλέω, “I speak” |
|
| Matt. 14:3, Ὁ Ἡρῴδης τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔδησεν.a | Herod bound John. |
a δέω, “I bind” |
|
| Mark 15:25, ἐσταύρωσανa αὐτόν. | They crucified him. |
a σταυρόω, “I crucify” |
|
| Gen. 3:6, εἶδεν (saw) ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ξύλον καὶ ὅτι ἀρεστὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ ὡραῖόν ἐστιν τοῦ κατανοῆσαι.a | The woman saw that the tree was good and that (it was) pleasing to the eyes and it was beautiful to contemplate. |
a κατανοέω, “I observe, consider, contemplate” |
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| Matt. 22:2, ἐποίησεν γάμους τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. | What is the main verb? Is there a subject and or a direct object? How is the dative-case noun functioning? |
| Mark 6:17, Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἐκράτησενa τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ ἔδησενb αὐτὸν ἐν φυλακῇ. | Can you explain the vowel changes in both verbs? Who seized whom? How is αὐτός functioning? Who bound whom? |
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a κρατέω, “I seize” b δέω, “I bind” |
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| Mark 9:35, ἐφώνησεν τοὺς δώδεκα καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς . . . | Who/what is the subject of the sentence? What is the direct object? Why is αὐτοῖς dative? |
| Luke 7:5, τὴν συναγωγὴν αὐτὸς ᾠκοδόμησεν ἡμῖν. | Who/what is the subject of the sentence? Can you explain the omega with iota subscript on the front of the verb? (What is the lexical form?) What is the direct object? Is ἡμῖν first person or second? What case is ἡμῖν? How would you express that in English? |
| Luke 9:11, οἱ ὄχλοι ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. | How do you parse ἠκολούθησαν? Who is doing the action? Why is αὐτῷ in the dative case? |
| Gen. 24:23, εἰ ἔστιν τόπος ἡμῖν καταλῦσαι; | What is the case of τόπος, and how is it functioning in the sentence? Why is ἡμῖν in the dative case? Which of the meanings for καταλύω best fits this context? (You may need to check the larger context in an English Bible.) |
Remember that εἰ may be used to introduce a question (see the note at Matt. 12:10 in §7.12). The subject comes from the verb.
7.22. The following examples include some of each of the various forms of the aorist that you met in this chapter. These forms are not in boldface as in the earlier examples, so that you can practice identifying them.
| John 19:10, λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Ἐμοὶ οὐ λαλεῖς; ἐξουσίαν ἔχω ἀπολῦσαί σε καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω σταυρῶσαί σε. | |
| Titus 1:3, ἐφανέρωσεν δὲ καιροῖς ἰδίοις τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ. | |
| Heb. 11:20, εὐλόγησεν Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν Ἠσαῦ. | |
| Heb. 13:7, ἐλάλησαν ὑμῖν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ. | |
| 1 John 2:7, Ἀγαπητοί, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν ἀλλ᾿ ἐντολὴν παλαιάν· ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὃνa ἠκούσατε. | |
a ὅν, “which” |
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| Rev. 3:10, ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου. | |
| Rom. 15:27, ὀφείλουσιν λειτουργῆσαι αὐτοῖς. | |
In the following verses an English equivalent has been provided, since these non-NT texts may not be as familiar. Cover the verses in the English column as you work on each passage. Use the English only to check your work after you think you understand each verse.
| Gen. 1:1, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. | In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. |
| Gen. 2:3, ηὐλόγησεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑβδόμην. | God blessed the seventh day. |
| Ps. 44:8 (45:7 Eng.), ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν· | You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. |
Objects in Genitive or Dative Cases
7.23. The normal case for a direct object is, as you have already learned, the accusative. Some verbs, however, may take their object in the genitive or dative case. This depends on conventional usage with specific verbs.[7] For example, it is common for verbs that refer to sense perception to take their direct objects in the genitive case. Thus ἀκούω may have either an accusative or a genitive object. The standard Greek lexicon, BDAG, will indicate such usage; shorter lexicons usually do not. There were two examples earlier in this chapter, one with a genitive object (Mark 14:64) and one a dative (Rom. 4:3). Additional examples follow.
| Matt. 9:25, ἐκράτησεν τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς. | He took her hand. |
| Rev. 16:1, ἤκουσα μεγάλης φωνῆς. | I heard a loud voice. |
| Luke 1:20, οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου. | You did not believe my words. |
| 1 Cor. 1:4, Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου πάντοτε. | I always thank my God. |
7.24. There are several situations in which you should pay particular attention to the subject of a sentence or instances in which the subject might not be the form you expect.
Personal Pronouns as Subjects
7.25. If every Greek verb has a pronoun built in, then why does Greek even have pronouns? And what difference does it make if a verb has both a built-in pronoun/subject and a separate nominative-case pronoun?
First, pronouns can be used for other things in a sentence besides subjects, so Greek would need pronouns anyway. But what about sentences like this one from Mark?
| Mark 14:58, Ἡμεῖς ἠκούσαμεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος (saying) ὅτι Ἐγὼ καταλύσω (I will destroy) τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον. | We heard him saying, “I will destroy this temple.” |
Wouldn’t the following sentence say the same thing?
ἠκούσαμεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι Καταλύσω τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον.
In one sense, yes, the two sentences are semantically identical. Nothing changes in regard to the action and the subject. There is, however, some subtle emphasis when the pronoun is added. It is not the level of shouting, but the speaker does focus attention more particularly on the subject by adding what is otherwise a superfluous pronoun. This is usually the case with first- and second-person pronouns.
7.26. In the example above from Mark 14 you can almost hear the statement: We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple.” The speakers are witnesses in a court case, emphasizing the reliability of their testimony—which focuses on the legal charge: we heard him say this.
The third person is less distinctive—unless it is functioning as an identifying or intensive pronoun, or if the context suggests emphasis. For example, it is possible to indicate a contrast by the use of ἀλλά or δέ with a pronoun in two coordinated clauses. The contrast comes, not from the occurrence of αὐτός, but from the contrasted clauses. For an example in which αὐτός probably is somewhat emphatic, consider a statement that you saw in chapter 4.
| Mark 1:8, ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα (baptized) ὑμᾶς ὕδατι (with water), αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει (will baptize) ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. | I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. |
Sometimes it may be appropriate to try to represent this subtle emphasis in English (perhaps with italics or a vocal inflection), but often it is not necessary—and doing so would frequently sound stilted. Do, however, remember the emphasis as you interpret the text; it will sometimes help you get a better feel for what is being said.
Neuter Plural Subjects with Singular Verbs
7.27. Here is a situation that you will want to remember: A neuter plural subject may (and usually does) take a singular verb. The best way to understand this is to look at some examples.
| John 7:7, τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρά ἐστιν. | Its works are evil. |
Although the verb in this sentence (ἐστιν) is singular, the subject (τὰ ἔργα) is plural. In these cases we translate following the number of the subject (that is, translate as if the verb were plural): “Its works are evil” (not “its work is evil”). The antecedent of αὐτοῦ is ὁ κόσμος in verse 7a (not included here), so translate “its,” not “his.”
| John 6:63, τὰ ῥήματα πνεῦμά ἐστιν. | The words are spirit. |
| John 10:3, τὰ πρόβαταa τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούει.b | The sheep hear his voice. |
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a neut. pl. nom. ► πρόβατον, ου, τό, “sheep” b “he/she/it hears”; ἀκούω takes its direct object in the genitive case rather than the usual accusative. |
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| 1 John 4:1, δοκιμάζετε (2P, “test!”) τὰ πνεύματα εἰ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν (3S). | Test the spirits [to see] if they are from God. |
In this example the neuter plural noun is the direct object of the plural verb δοκιμάζετε. The verb in the second clause, ἐστιν, is singular even though it refers to the plural antecedent in the first clause.
| Mark 4:4, καὶ ἦλθενa τὰ πετεινὰb καὶ κατέφαγενc αὐτό (it [i.e., the seed]). | The birds came and gobbled it up. |
|
a 3rd sg., “he/she/it came” b neut. pl. nom. ► πετεινόν, οῦ, τό, “bird” c 3rd sg., “he/she/it ate” (φάγω [ἐσθίω] = “I eat,” but with the intensive κατά prefix = “I gobble up”) |
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The plural subject in the examples above is probably being viewed collectively.[8] Not every neuter plural subject has a singular verb, however. Here is an example of one with a plural verb.
| James 2:19, τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν. | The demons believe, and they shudder. |
Reading Passage: John 18:19–24
7.28. In this passage the aorist verbs you should be able to identify are bold; other aorist forms you have not learned yet are underlined. Five of these forms are numbered and will be explained below.
Jesus Interrogated by the High Priest
19Ὁ οὖν ἀρχιερεὺς (high priest) (1) ἠρώτησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περὶ (about) τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ. 20(2) ἀπεκρίθη (answered) αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς, ⟦Ἐγὼ παρρησίᾳ λελάληκα (have spoken) τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐγὼ πάντοτε ἐδίδαξα (taught) ἐν (in) συναγωγῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ὅπου πάντες (all) οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συνέρχονται (assemble), καὶ ἐν κρυπτῷ ἐλάλησα οὐδέν (nothing). 21τί με ἐρωτᾷς (are you asking); ἐρώτησον (ask!) τοὺς ἀκηκοότας (ones who heard) τί ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς· ἴδε οὗτοι (they) οἴδασιν ἃ εἶπονa ἐγώ.⟧ 22ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος εἷς παρεστηκὼς τῶν ὑπηρετῶν (3) ἔδωκενb ῥάπισμα τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰπών (saying), ⟦Οὕτως ἀποκρίνῃ (you answer) τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ (high priest);⟧ 23(4) ἀπεκρίθη (answered) αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς, ⟦Εἰ κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον (testify!) περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις;⟧ 24(5) ἀπέστειλεν (sent) οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἅννας δεδεμένον (bound) πρὸς (to) Καϊάφαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα (high priest).
a οἴδασιν ἃ εἶπον, “they know what I said”
b ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος εἷς παρεστηκὼς τῶν ὑπηρετῶν ἔδωκεν, “when he said these things, one of the officers standing there gave”
Notice how the five numbered aorist forms function to sketch the basic story line of the narrative. Embedded within the story, in double brackets, are three instances of direct discourse (words quoted directly); these are not part of the story line, but the verbs that introduce them are.
1. The high priest asked . . .
2. Jesus answered . . . ⟦Direct discourse⟧
3. He gave . . . saying ⟦Direct discourse⟧
4. Jesus answered . . . ⟦Direct discourse⟧
5. Annas sent . . .
7.29. Vocabulary for Chapter 7
| Part of Speech | Definition | Possible Glosses | Frequency | |
| Word | NT | LXX | ||
| Nouns | ||||
| φωνή, ῆς, ἡ | Any type of sound or auditory effect; the ability to produce a sound | sound, noise, voice | 139 | 633 |
| ζωή, ῆς, ἡ | Life, that which distinguishes plants and animals from inanimate things; the period between birth and death | life | 135 | 289 |
| Ἰωάννης, ου, ὁ | Personal name of a number of people in the NT and Apocrypha, in the NT most frequently John the Baptizer or John the apostle | John | 135 | 16 |
| ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ | A gathering of people with common interests, in the LXX with reference to the assembled nation of Israel, in the NT primarily of a group of Christians in an area or of all Christians | assembly, church | 114 | 103 |
| ἀλήθεια, ας, ἡ | That which is really so or what actually happened | truth | 109 | 206 |
| Verbs | ||||
| ποιέω | To produce something material; to bring about a state or condition | I make, create; I do, perform | 568 | 3,390 |
| πιστεύω | To have confidence in the reliability of something or that something will be granted | I believe, trust, have faith in | 241 | 88 |
| ἀγαπάω | To have an interest in another person to the extent that one determines to contribute to that person’s well-being [Often synonymous with φιλέω; see LN §25.43.] | I love | 143 | 283 |
| εἶ | An inflected verb form: 2nd sg. pres. (act.) ind. of εἰμί | you are | 92 | 255 |
| ἐσμέν | An inflected verb form: 1st pl. pres. (act.) ind. of εἰμί | we are | 52 | 46 |
| ἐστέ | An inflected verb form: 2nd pl. pres. (act.) ind. of εἰμί | you are | 92 | 41 |
| δέω | To restrain someone or something (usually) by physical means (may also be metaphorical, e.g., a legal restraint); to fasten objects together | I bind; I tie | 43 | 69 |
| ἐπικαλέω | To give a name to someone or address someone by a name; to call upon someone, to invoke; legal term: to appeal (a ruling), to call a witness | I name, give a name; I call upon, call out; I appeal to (mid.) | 30 | 188 |
| ἰσχύω | To have the necessary resources and capacity to accomplish something; to be in control | I am able/strong, have power, am competent | 28 | 106 |
| προφητεύω | To reveal hidden information (in Scripture this is typically through divine revelation, but it can refer to other agency); to foretell the future | I prophesy, foretell | 28 | 117 |
7.30. Key Things to Know for Chapter 7
What is an augment?
Can you give the formula for aorist active indicative from memory?
What is the form marker for aorist verbs?
The aorist active indicative forms of λύω must be learned letter-perfect.
What is the aorist active infinitive of λύω?
What happens to an augment when a word begins with a short vowel?
What happens when a form marker is added to a verb stem that ends with a short vowel?
How may a neuter plural subject affect the verb in the sentence?