16
VERBS: PART 6
IMPERFECT (REMOTE IMPERFECTIVE) INDICATIVE VERBS
16.1. We will first do a short review of verbs, and then we will meet a new tense-form, the imperfect.
Aspect is a grammatical description of how the speaker/writer views a situation. This may be either imperfective (in which the situation is viewed as a process), perfective (the situation is viewed as a whole with no reference to a process—even if there is process involved), or stative (the situation is viewed as a state or condition with no reference to action, change, or energy involved). These three aspects might be illustrated in English with reference to eating a meal as “I was eating,” “I ate,” and “I have eaten, [and thus] I am full.”
The tense-form of a verb refers to the spelling of a verb that identifies which of the verbal aspects the writer intends. There are three major tense-forms and two minor ones. The present tense-form expresses imperfective aspect, the aorist encodes perfective aspect, and the perfect has stative aspect. The minor tense-forms are imperfect (with imperfective aspect like the present) and pluperfect (stative aspect).[1] These minor tense-forms are distinguished from their major counterparts, not by their aspect, but by their function in the language. (We will talk more about this later.)
The tense-form of the verb in Greek does not express time the way it does in English. Time is a property of statements, not individual verbs, and it is determined by looking at the tense and the context. We can describe various statements with categories similar to what we use in English, such as past, present, future, or unrestricted.[2]
16.2. This chapter introduces a new form: the imperfect. And no, it is not “defective.” The name refers to its aspect, not its quality. The aspect of the imperfect form is imperfective, in which a situation is viewed as a process.[3] Imperfect verbs are most often used in past-time statements, but they are sometimes found in statements that do not focus on the past. They may have relevance to present time (from the perspective of the writer) or, in statements that do not refer to any particular time, they may be temporally unrestricted. (Imperfect verbs are not used in future-time statements.) Here are some examples of statements in the NT that use imperfect verbs.
“Why were you seeking me?” (Luke 2:49). Jesus is speaking to his mother regarding the search over the past three days.
“I wish to be present with you now” (Gal. 4:20). This is not a past desire but Paul’s present desire as he writes to the Galatians.
“It is necessary to do these things” (Matt. 23:23). This is a temporally unrestricted statement that refers to an ongoing duty. In the context the Pharisees have not done these things (justice, mercy, and faithfulness), but Jesus’ point is that the obligation to do so is always binding.
Since the imperfect is most commonly used in past-referring statements, a common English equivalent is a past progressive.
Imperfect active or middle indicative of λύω: “I was loosing”
Imperfect passive indicative of λύω: “I was being loosed”
Typical equivalents such as this are intended only to give you some means of conceptualizing the meaning of the verb until you can sort out the entire statement. Sometimes you have a pretty good idea of what it says by the time you have read as far as the verb in a given statement; other times you need to read further and then make a mental adjustment as you discover new information. It is not always necessary that a Greek imperfect verb be represented with an -ing form in English, though that is often appropriate. Some statements are better left as simple verb forms in English due to English idiom. This does not change the aspect or meaning of the Greek verb but affects only its English representation.
16.3. The formulas for imperfect indicative verbs are as follows. A chart with both sets of forms is found below.
Formula for Imperfect Active Indicative Verbs
augment + stem + connecting vowel + B personal endings
Formula for Imperfect Middle Indicative Verbs
augment + stem + connecting vowel + D personal endings
You met the B personal endings in chapter 7. They will look slightly different here. That is because the aorist tense-form used σα as a form marker and did not use a connecting vowel. The actual endings are the same (though the first aorist does not use the nu in the first singular form).[4]
B Personal Endings
| 1S | ον | ||
| 2S | ες | ||
| 3S | ε(ν) | ||
| 1P | ομεν | ||
| 2P | ετε | ||
| 3P | ον |
This is the first tense-form you have met that uses the D set of endings. They are as follows, including the connecting vowel.
D Personal Endings
| 1S | ομην | ||
| 2S | ου | ||
| 3S | ετο | ||
| 1P | ομεθα | ||
| 2P | εσθε | ||
| 3P | οντο |
16.4. You will remember from chapter 7 that an augment is the letter epsilon prefixed to a verb stem as part of the formula to indicate the tense-form and to specify that secondary endings are to be used rather than primary. 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 an augment |
Secondary Forms do have an augment |
| present | imperfect |
| future | aorist |
| perfect | pluperfect |
16.5. The imperfect is the second set of forms that we have met that use secondary endings. Altogether, you have now learned four sets of endings. You already know the primary endings. With this last set (D), you know all the endings you need to memorize for indicative verbs. All the other indicative forms that we will meet will use one of these four sets. It is helpful to visualize them in a four-quad chart.
Personal Endings
| A. Primary Active | B. Secondary Active | |
| C. Primary Middle | D. Secondary Middle |
If you split this chart vertically, the two left quadrants are the primary endings and the right quadrants are the secondary endings. If you split the chart horizontally, the top portion is active, and the bottom is middle. We call the bottom sets middle even though they are sometimes used for passive-voice verbs.[5] The same is also true of the top section: they are traditionally called active endings but are sometimes (though less commonly) used on passive verbs.
The following is what the entire four-quad chart looks like if we fill in an actual verb and list the endings as well. The table shows the present and imperfect forms of λύω so you can see not only the endings but also a complete verb. Other tense-forms will use the same endings; for example, the perfect uses primary (A/C) endings, and the aorist uses secondary (B/D). Remember that the endings shown include the connecting vowels.
The Complete Four-Quad Verb Chart
| A. Primary | B. Secondary | ||||
| Active | 1S | λύω | ω | ἔλυον | ον |
| 2S | λύεις | εις | ἔλυες | ες | |
| 3S | λύει | ει | ἔλυε(ν) | ε(ν) | |
| 1P | λύομεν | ομεν | ἐλύομεν | ομεν | |
| 2P | λύετε | ετε | ἐλύετε | ετε | |
| 3P | λύουσιν | ουσι(ν) | ἔλυον | ον | |
| C. Primary | D. Secondary | ||||
| Middle | 1S | λύομαι | ομαι | ἐλυόμην | ομην |
| 2S | λύῃ | ῃ/εσαιa | ἐλύου | ου | |
| 3S | λύεται | εται | ἐλύετο | ετο | |
| 1P | λυόμεθα | ομεθα | ἐλυόμεθα | ομεθα | |
| 2P | λύεσθε | εσθε | ἐλύεσθε | εσθε | |
| 3P | λύονται | ονται | ἐλύοντο | οντο | |
a The technical second singular primary middle ending is -σαι (with ε as the connecting vowel), but this always changes to -ῃ (the σ drops out when squeezed between two vowels, then the ε lengthens and the iota becomes subscript). Learn this ending as ῃ. The only time you will see the full -σαι ending is one form you will meet later that does not use a connecting vowel. We will sort that one out when we find it. By far the largest number of such forms in the NT and LXX use -ῃ, not -σαι.
16.6. The following tables show the forms of the imperfect tense-form in each of the three voices: active, middle, and passive.
Imperfect Active Indicative of λύω
| Form | c.v. + B p.e. | Gloss | c.v. | p.e. | |
| 1S | ἔλυον | ον | I was loosing | ο | ν |
| 2S | ἔλυες | ες | You were loosing | ε | ς |
| 3S | ἔλυε(ν) | ε(ν) | He/she/it was loosing | ε | (ν) |
| 1P | ἐλύομεν | ομεν | We were loosing | ο | μεν |
| 2P | ἐλύετε | ετε | You were loosing | ε | τε |
| 3P | ἔλυον | ον | They were loosing | ο | ν |
Imperfect Middle Indicative of λύω
| Form | c.v. + D p.e. | Gloss | c.v. | p.e. | |
| 1S | ἐλυόμην | ομην | I was loosing | ο | μην |
| 2S | ἐλύου | ουa | You were loosing | ε | σο [ου] |
| 3S | ἐλύετο | ετο | He/she/it was loosing | ε | το |
| 1P | ἐλυόμεθα | ομεθα | We were loosing | ο | μεθα |
| 2P | ἐλύεσθε | εσθε | You were loosing | ε | σθε |
| 3P | ἐλύοντο | οντο | They were loosing | ο | ντο |
a Technically, the ending is -σο, but the σ drops out when squeezed between the connecting vowel (ε) and the omicron. As a result, ε + ο lengthens to -ου. (Just learn it as -ου and do not worry about the rest—it is always -ου.)
Imperfect Passive Indicative of λύωa
| Form | c.v. + D p.e. | Gloss | c.v. | p.e. | |
| 1S | ἐλυόμην | ομην | I was being loosed | ο | μην |
| 2S | ἐλύου | ουb | You were being loosed | ε | σο [ου] |
| 3S | ἐλύετο | ετο | He/she/it was being loosed | ε | το |
| 1P | ἐλυόμεθα | ομεθα | We were being loosed | ο | μεθα |
| 2P | ἐλύεσθε | εσθε | You were being loosed | ε | σθε |
| 3P | ἐλύοντο | οντο | They were being loosed | ο | ντο |
a These forms, which are identical to the imperfect middle indicative forms, should be parsed as passive only if there is an agent marker in the context that indicates passive rather than middle.
b See the note on the Imperfect Middle Indicative chart above. The second singular ending is -σο, but the σ drops out, and ε + ο lengthens to -ου.
16.7. The substantive difference between the present and imperfect forms is remoteness. The imperfect is used in statements that are more remote than statements using the present. The imperfect may be logically, temporally, physically, or focally remote compared to the present tense-form. The imperfect often has a discourse function in narrative: it supplies background information or sometimes introduces dialogue or summary statements.
Here is an illustration from a short passage in Mark. The clauses containing the main story-line verbs are marked in bold type (these sketch the basic events of the story), and the background details (the imperfect forms) are in italics. (Since we have not studied all the forms yet, we will not distinguish other forms in this example.)
Verbal Forms in Mark 2:1–4
When he had come back to Capernaum several days later,
it was heard
that he was at home.
Many were gathered together,
so that there was no longer room, even near the door;
he was speaking the word to them.
They came,
bringing to him a paralytic,
carried by four men.
Being unable to get to him because of the crowd,
they removed the roof
where he was,
and when they had dug an opening,
they let down the pallet
on which the paralytic was lying.
Can you see how the imperfects are working here? The first tells us what Jesus was doing when the paralytic arrived: he was teaching. This is not the main point of the story, but it helps you understand the setting—it is background information. The second imperfect fills in some more background information. The reader might assume that the paralytic was still on the pallet, so it is not necessary to say so, but Mark tucks it in with the more remote imperfect form for clarity.
16.8. When this discourse function of backgrounding is recognized, it is not necessary to insist on the traditional equivalent, “I was loosing” (for ἔλυον). Doing so avoids two potential problems. First, in English it is often more natural to use a simple “I loosed.” This is the same as a common aorist equivalent. Doing so precludes guessing the tense-form from the translation, but that is always precarious business anyway. Second, it avoids confusing the semantics of verbal aspect with considerations that are more properly connected with Aktionsart. Too often it is assumed that an imperfect tense-form intends to describe an action that is extended in time. Although that is sometimes true, that may not be the point a Greek writer is making by selecting the remote imperfective aspect. It is true that imperfective aspect views a situation as a process, but by itself that says nothing about the actual nature of the situation. If instead we focus on the function of the tense-form, then we can ask, How is that said most naturally in English? If a writer intends a focus on the inceptive or ongoing nature of an action, then lexis and context are necessary adjuncts to communicate this.
| Mark 1:21, εἰσπορεύονται εἰς Καφαρναούμ· καὶ εὐθὺςa τοῖς σάββασιν εἰσελθὼν (having entered) εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἐδίδασκεν. | They went to Capernaum, then on the Sabbath, having entered the synagogue, he was teaching. |
a For καὶ εὐθύς, see the note on Mark 1:12 in §4.11. |
|
| Mark 2:24, οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον αὐτῷ, Ἴδε τί ποιοῦσιν τοῖς σάββασιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν; | The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not lawful?” |
| Acts 8:3, Σαῦλος ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. | Saul was wreaking havoc on the church. |
| Acts 8:12, ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες. | But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. |
| Gen. 2:6, πηγὴ δὲ ἐπότιζεν πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς. | A spring watered all the surface of the ground. |
16.10. You must be able to recognize the following forms of εἰμί when you see them. They are not hard if you stop and evaluate how these forms are created. Most are the normal B-quad endings added to a stem that consists of only ε—which lengthens to η because of the augment (see explanation of the lengthening below). The two odd forms are the first singular and the third plural. The first singular appears to use a D ending, and the third plural uses an alternate secondary ending (that you will see again in the aorist passive). The nu in the third singular ending is not movable; it will always be present.
Imperfect [Active] Indicative of εἰμί
| Form | Frequency NT/LXX | Gloss | Alternate Forms (NT/LXX) | |
| 1S | ἤμην | 15/45 | I was | |
| 2S | ἦς | 56/3 | You were | or ἦσθα (2/16) |
| 3S | ἦν | 413/853 | He was | |
| 1P | ἦμεν | 8/5 | We were | or ἦμεθα (5/2) |
| 2P | ἦτε | 19/12 | You were | |
| 3P | ἦσαν | 95/272 | They were |
The numbers following the form indicate the number of times that form occurs in the NT/LXX. As you can tell, there is one (third singular) that is far more common than any of the rest, and only one other (third plural) that is somewhat common. The last column lists two alternate forms that are sometimes used.
Many grammars list this form as simply the “imperfect indicative” of εἰμί because there are no other forms in the imperfect.[6] That is, there is no imperfect middle or imperfect passive of εἰμί, so calling it an active does not mean very much. On the other hand, the endings used are B-quad endings (though irregular). Most students seem to find it easier to keep the parsing consistent with other verb forms and include “active” in the parsing. Your teacher may prefer that you do it differently, so follow their advice.
16.11. Examples of Imperfect Forms of εἰμί
| Mark 4:36, ἀφέντες τὸν ὄχλον παραλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ὡς ἦν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, καὶ ἄλλα πλοῖα ἦν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. | Leaving the crowd, they took him as he was in the boat, and other boats were with him. |
| John 11:21, εἶπεν (she said) οὖν ἡ Μάρθα πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε οὐκ ἂνa ἀπέθανεν (he died) ὁ ἀδελφός μου. | Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you were here,b then my brother would not have died.” |
|
a The paired words εἰ . . . ἄν tell you that this statement is assumed not to be true. We will study this construction in chap. 30. b In more formal English, we would say “if you had been here.” The less formal use has been retained here for continuity with the typical glosses for the imperfect of εἰμί as given in the preceding section. |
|
| Mark 14:67, αὐτῷ λέγει, Καὶ σὺ μετὰ τοῦ Ναζαρηνοῦ ἦσθαa τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. | She said to him, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” |
a Notice the alternate form of εἰμί that is used. |
|
| Gen. 2:25, ἦσαν οἱ δύο γυμνοί, ὅ τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο.a | The two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed. |
a Notice also the imperfect form of αἰσχύνω. |
|
16.12. The augment used on secondary forms is always an epsilon on the front of the verb stem, but it does not always look exactly like that. There are some situations in which it lengthens or is not the first letter. (You saw some of these variations when you studied the aorist forms in chap. 7, so some of this is review, but other similar changes will be new. The examples below include both imperfect and aorist forms.)
In words beginning with a vowel, the augment lengthens the vowel. Both alpha and epsilon lengthen to an eta.
ἀκούω ► ἤκουον
ἔρχομαι ► ἠρχόμην
εὑρίσκω ► ηὕρισκον[7]
| Mark 12:37, ὁ πολὺς ὄχλος ἤκουεν αὐτοῦ ἡδέως. | The large crowd heard him gladly. |
| Mark 2:13, πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτούς. | All the crowd came to him, and he taught them. |
| Acts 7:11, οὐχ ηὕρισκον χορτάσματα οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν. | Our fathers [i.e., ancestors] did not find food. |
An omicron lengthens to omega.
ὀνειδίζω (“I reproach”) ► ὠνείδιζον
| Mark 15:32, οἱ συνεσταυρωμένοι (being crucified together) σὺν αὐτῷ ὠνείδιζον αὐτόν. | Those being crucified with him were mocking him. |
16.13. The diphthongs αι and οι follow the same pattern, lengthening to ῃ and ῳ respectively. The iota becomes subscript when the initial vowel lengthens.[8]
αι ► ῃ
οι ► ῳ
| Acts 12:20, ᾐτοῦντοa εἰρήνην. | They asked for peace. |
a ᾐτοῦντο ► αἰτέω, an ε contract verb, “I ask” |
|
| Luke 17:28, ὁμοίως καθὼς ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Λώτ· ἤσθιον, ἔπινον, ἠγόραζον, ἐπώλουν, ἐφύτευον, ᾠκοδόμουν.a | Likewise as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, [and] building. |
a There are six imperfect verbs in this verse, including a form of οἰκοδομέω, “I build.” |
|
Words beginning with the long vowels iota and upsilon or with a diphthong such as ευ do not change to indicate the presence of an augment—since they are already long, they cannot lengthen any further.[9] These verbs are said to have an implicit augment. The only way you know the verb is augmented is because it has a secondary ending.
| Mark 5:4, οὐδεὶς ἴσχυενa αὐτὸν δαμάσαι. | No one was strong enough to bind him. |
a ἰσχύω, “I am strong” |
|
| Acts 16:25, Παῦλος καὶ Σιλᾶς ὕμνουνa τὸν θεόν. | Paul and Silas were singing praise to God. |
a ὑμνέω, an ε contract verb, “I sing in praise of/to” |
|
| Mark 6:31, οὐδὲ φαγεῖν εὐκαίρουν. | They did not have time to eat. |
16.14. In compound verbs, the augment appears between the preposition and stem. This is sometimes called an internal augment. Some prefixed prepositions change their spelling slightly when the augment is inserted on the front of the stem. These are the same changes that you learned in §9.6, so they should be easy to identify.
προσδέχομαι ► προσεδεχόμην
ἀποθνῄσκω ► ἀπέθνῃσκον
ἐκβάλλω ► ἐξέβαλλον
| Luke 23:51, ὃς προσεδέχετοa τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ | Who was waiting for the kingdom of God |
a προσεδέχετο ► προσδέχομαι, “I wait for” |
|
| Luke 8:42, θυγάτηρ μονογενὴς καὶ αὐτὴ ἀπέθνῃσκενa | An only daughter, and she was dying |
a ἀπέθνῃσκεν ► ἀποθνῄσκω, “I die” |
|
| Mark 6:13, δαιμόνια πολλὰ ἐξέβαλλον.a | They cast out many demons. |
a ἐξέβαλλον ► ἐκβάλλω, “I throw out” |
|
Compound augmented verbs that prefix a preposition ending with a vowel usually drop the vowel; the augment takes its place.
καταβαίνω ► κατέβαινον
ὑποστέλλω ► ὑπέστελλον
| Luke 10:30, ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Ἄνθρωπός τις κατέβαινενa ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰς Ἰεριχώ. | Jesus said, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” |
a κατέβαινεν ► καταβαίνω, “I go down” |
|
| Gal. 2:12, ὅτε δὲ ἦλθον, ὑπέστελλενa καὶ ἀφώριζεν ἑαυτόν. | But when they came, he drew back and separated himself. |
a ὑπέστελλεν ► ὑποστέλλω, “I draw back” |
|
| Mark 3:11, τὰ πνεύματα τὰ ἀκάθαρτα προσέπιπτον αὐτῷ καὶ ἔκραζον ὅτι Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. | |
| Mark 14:49, καθ᾿ ἡμέραν ἤμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ. | |
| John 4:6, ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ πηγὴ τοῦ Ἰακώβ. ὁ οὖν Ἰησοῦς κεκοπιακὼς (being weary) ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐκαθέζετο οὕτως ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ· ὥρα ἦν ὡς ἕκτη. | |
| Acts 3:2, καί τις ἀνὴρ χωλὸς ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐβαστάζετο. | |
| Acts 12:24, Ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο. | |
| Gen. 41:2, ἰδοὺ ὥσπερ ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀνέβαινον ἑπτὰ βόες καλαὶ τῷ εἴδει καὶ ἐκλεκταὶ ταῖς σαρξὶν καὶ ἐβόσκοντο ἐν τῷ ἄχει (grass). | |
| 1 Clem. 50.5, μακάριοί ἐσμεν, ἀγαπητοί, εἰ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐποιοῦμεν ἐν ὁμονοίᾳa ἀγάπης. | |
a ὁμόνοια, ας, ἡ, “oneness of mind, unanimity, concord, harmony” |
|
| 1 En. 14.8, ἐμοὶ ἐφ᾿ ὁράσει οὕτως ἐδείχθη (it was shown)· ἰδοὺ νεφέλαι ἐν τῇ ὁράσει ἐκάλουν καὶ ὁμίχλαι με ἐφώνουν, καὶ διαδρομαὶ τῶν ἀστέρων καὶ διαστραπαίa με κατεσπούδαζονb καὶ ἐθορύβαζόν με, καὶ ἄνεμοι ἐν τῇ ὁράσει μου ἐξεπέτασάν (they stunned) με. | |
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a διαστραπή, ῆς, ἡ, “lightning” b κατασπουδάζω, “I am troubled or bothered” |
|
16.17. Notes have been provided to help you with forms you do not know yet. All the rest you should be able to figure out. Use your lexicon as needed. Pay particular attention to the ways in which the six imperfect tense-forms function in this paragraph. There are more in this short text than you will usually find in similar-length paragraphs.
A Prophet without Honor
2γενομένου σαββάτουa ἤρξατο (he began) διδάσκειν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀκούοντες (hearing) ἐξεπλήσσοντο λέγοντες (saying), Πόθεν τούτῳ ταῦτα, καὶ τίς ἡ σοφία ἡ δοθεῖσα (which has been given) τούτῳ, καὶ αἱ δυνάμεις τοιαῦται διὰ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ γινόμεναι (are happening); 3οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τέκτων, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς Μαρίας καὶ ἀδελφὸς Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωσῆτος καὶ Ἰούδα καὶ Σίμωνος; καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ ὧδε πρὸς ἡμᾶς; καὶ ἐσκανδαλίζοντο ἐν αὐτῷ. 4καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς συγγενεῦσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 5καὶ οὐκ ἐδύνατοb ἐκεῖ ποιῆσαι (to do) οὐδεμίαν δύναμιν, εἰ μὴ ὀλίγοις ἀρρώστοις ἐπιθεὶς (placing) τὰς χεῖρας ἐθεράπευσεν. 6καὶ ἐθαύμαζεν διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν. Καὶ περιῆγεν τὰς κώμας κύκλῳ διδάσκων (teaching).
a γενομένου σαββάτου, “when it was the Sabbath” (a genitive absolute construction, which you will learn in chap. 27)
b Compare the forms of δύναμαι given at the end of chap. 15.
16.18. Vocabulary for Chapter 16
| Part of Speech | Definition | Possible Glosses | Frequency | |
| Word | NT | LXX | ||
| Adjectives | ||||
| ἕκαστος, η, ον | An individual person or thing, each one of an aggregate in an individual sense; can also be used as a substantive | each, every; each one, everyone | 82 | 356 |
| πιστός, ή, όν | Worthy of trust, of dependable character; characterized by trust, “believing”; one who confesses the Christian faith, “believer” (subst.) [cf. the noun πίστις] | faithful, dependable, trustworthy; believing; believer | 67 | 75 |
| ἀγαπητός, ή, όν | To be in a special relationship with another, to be loved/esteemed | beloved, dear, esteemed | 61 | 24 |
| Adverbs | ||||
| πῶς | An interrogative adverb that inquires as to the manner or way in which something is by requesting information or clarification, expressing surprise, criticism, or deliberation; an exclamatory marker | how? how! | 103 | 129 |
| ἔτι | A function word indicating continuation (or with a negative, lack of it) or addition (ctr. ἤδη, “already”) | still, yet; (not) anymore, any longer | 93 | 549 |
| Foreign Word | ||||
| ἀμήν | A transliterated Hebrew word expressing strong affirmation of what is stated, often used by Jesus and later by Christians in a worshipful context | amen, truly, verily, “so let it be” | 129 | 10 |
| Interjection | ||||
| ἰδού | A demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows or marks strong emphasis | behold! see! look! (or just “!”) | 200 | 1,145 |
| Nouns | ||||
| τόπος, ου, ὁ | A spatial area, whether a specific named locality or a general reference; the location for an object or activity, etc. | place, location, space | 94 | 613 |
| δικαιοσύνη, ης, ἡ | A state that is in accord with standards for acceptable behavior; being in a right relationship with God, either declaratively (the result of justification) or practically (living in such a way as to reflect the judicial reality) | uprightness, righteousness | 92 | 351 |
| εἰρήνη, ης, ἡ | A state of concord or harmony in personal or political relationships; a state of well-being (used as a greeting) | peace | 92 | 294 |
| θάλασσα, ης, ἡ | A large body of salt water; a large inland body of fresh water | sea; lake | 91 | 450 |
| Verbs | ||||
| ἦν | An inflected verb form: 3rd sg. impf. (act.) ind. of εἰμί | he/she/it was | 413 | 1,297 |
| δεῖ | An impersonal verb expressing what is necessary, compulsory, or fitting | it is necessary; one must; it had to be | 101 | 50 |
| ὑπάρχω | To be present; to come into being; what belongs to someone (subst. neut. ptc.) | I am, exist; property, holdings, possessions (subst.) | 60 | 157 |
| συνάγω | To bring together as a group (either people or things) | I gather/call together, assemble | 59 | 377 |
16.19. Key Things to Know for Chapter 16
What is the aspect of the imperfect tense-form?
Be sure that you keep the terms imperfect and imperfective distinct in your thinking.
The formulas for imperfect active indicative and imperfect middle indicative verbs.
You should know the standard B and D endings. (You first learned the B endings when you met the aorist, but they looked slightly different there due to the form marker σα.)
Remember that the endings given in the four-quad chart include the connecting vowels to make them easier to pronounce and therefore easier to memorize.
Since both the present and the imperfect tense-forms express imperfective aspect, how do they differ?
Can you recognize an augment even if it occurs in one of the variations discussed in this chapter?