18
VERBS: PART 8
SECOND AORIST (PERFECTIVE) INDICATIVE VERBS
18.1. We will begin with an analogy.[1] English creates the past tense in two different ways. Notice how this works with the verbs study and eat.
English present: “I study all the time” (or: I am studying).
English past: “I studied last night.” Here we add -ed to form the past tense.
English present: “I eat breakfast every day.”
English past: “I ate breakfast yesterday.” In this instance we change the stem to form the past tense.
From this simple example you will notice that English can form the past tense in either of these two different ways. Which pattern is followed depends on the verb in question; some use -ed (study ► studied), and others change the stem (eat ► ate; cf. go ► went). There is no difference in meaning in English regardless of how the past tense is created.
Greek does something very similar in that there are two ways to create the tense-form of the verb that expresses perfective aspect, the aorist tense-form. They are called by the imaginative names first aorist and second aorist (abbreviated: “aor.” and “2aor.”).[2] There is no difference in meaning between first and second aorist forms. Usually we say simply aorist when talking about either one unless it is important or helpful to know which pattern was used. A Greek verb normally will have either a first aorist or a second aorist form/spelling, but not both.[3]
18.2. From the review in the previous chapter, you will remember that the formula for the first aorist active indicative tense-form was augment + stem + form marker σα + B personal endings. You will also remember that the formula for the imperfect active indicative tense-form was augment + stem + connecting vowel + B personal endings. Compare these formulas with the following second aorist active indicative formula.
Formula for Second Aorist Active Indicative Verbs
augment + aorist stem + connecting vowel + B personal endings
This formula is identical to the imperfect active indicative except for one piece: the stem. You can tell the two apart because the imperfect always uses the same stem as the present tense-form, but the second aorist form will use a different stem. Or we could say that the imperfect will have a stem that is spelled the same as the lexical form, but the second aorist will have a different spelling of the stem from what is given as the main entry in the lexicon.[4]
To examine a sample second aorist form, we will need to use a different verb from what we normally use, because λύω does not have a second aorist form. We will instead use λαμβάνω, “I take, receive.”
Lexical form: λαμβάνω (= present active indicative)
Root: *λαβ
Present stem: λαμβαν
Aorist stem: λαβ
18.3. The last column on the chart below lists the imperfect active indicative form for comparison with the second aorist form.
Second Aorist Active Indicative of λαμβάνω
| Form | c.v. + B p.e. | Gloss | Impf. Act. Ind. | |
| 1S | ἔλαβον | ον | I took | ἐλάμβανον |
| 2S | ἔλαβες | ες | You took | ἐλάμβανες |
| 3S | ἔλαβε(ν) | ε(ν) | He/she/it took | ἐλάμβανε(ν) |
| 1P | ἐλάβομεν | ομεν | We took | ἐλαμβάνομεν |
| 2P | ἐλάβετε | ετε | You took | ἐλαμβάνετε |
| 3P | ἔλαβον | ον | They took | ἐλάμβανον |
Compare the second aorist forms (first Greek column) with the imperfect active indicative (last column) of the same word (λαμβάνω).[5] The only difference is that the second aorist form uses a stem (λαβ-) that is different from the stem of the lexical form (λαμβαν-).
18.4. Examples of Aorist Forms of λαμβάνω
| Matt. 8:17, Αὐτὸς τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἔλαβεν καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐβάστασεν. | He took our sicknesses and bore (our) diseases. |
| John 1:16, ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν καὶa χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος. | From his fullness we all received grace in place of grace. |
a The word καί has not been translated since it would be clumsy in English. It should probably be understood adverbially: “we all received even grace in place of grace.” |
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| 1 Cor. 4:7, τί δὲ ἔχεις ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; | What do you have that you did not receive? |
| Gen. 2:15, ἔλαβεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἔπλασεν, καὶ ἔθετο (he placed) αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φυλάσσειν αὐτόν. | The Lord God took the man whom he had made and placed him in the garden to guard it. |
| Luke 7:16, ἔλαβεν φόβος πάντας καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεόν. | |
| Rom. 5:11, We are rejoicing ἐν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δι᾿ οὗ νῦν τὴν καταλλαγὴν ἐλάβομεν. | |
| Gal. 3:2, τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν· ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως; | |
| Deut. 3:4, ἐκρατήσαμεν πασῶν τῶν πόλεων αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, οὐκ ἦν πόλις, ἣν οὐκ ἐλάβομεν παρ᾿ αὐτῶν. | |
18.6. The change in stem that identifies a second aorist is usually quite simple. Most commonly, double consonants in the lexical form (the present stem) become single consonants, and vowels/diphthongs may undergo ablaut.[6] Sometimes the present stem modifies the root by adding a letter or syllable, but the aorist retains the same spelling as the root. Here are examples of each of the most common types of changes.
| Lexical Form | Root | Present Stem | Aorist Stem |
| βάλλω | *βαλ | βαλλ- | βαλ- |
| φεύγω | *φυγ | φευγ- | φυγ- |
| λαμβάνω | *λαβ | λαμβαν- | λαβ- |
| πίνω | *πι | πιν- | πι- |
| γινώσκω | *γνω | γινωσκ- | γνω- |
| John 19:24, ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. | For my garment they cast lots. |
| Mark 16:8, ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου. | They fled from the tomb. |
| Col. 4:10, Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου καὶ Μᾶρκος ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Βαρναβᾶ (περὶ οὗ ἐλάβετε ἐντολάς). | Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and [so does] Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions). |
| Mark 14:23, ἔπιον ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες. | Everyone drank from it. |
| Rom. 3:17, ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν. | They do not know the way of peace. |
Different Roots
18.7. Sometimes the apparent change in a second aorist stem is radical. This is usually the case when the aorist stem is formed from a totally different root than the present stem. For example, ἐσθίω is the present tense-form of the verb “I eat,” but the second aorist is ἔφαγον. Compare the present, imperfect, and aorist forms (respectively) of this verb in the following examples.
| Mark 7:28, τὰ κυνάρια ὑποκάτω τῆς τραπέζης ἐσθίουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν παιδίων. | The dogs under the table are eating from the crumbs of the children. |
| Exod. 16:3, ἠσθίομεν ἄρτους εἰς πλησμονήν. | We were eating bread to the full. |
| Mark 2:26, τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν. | He ate the Bread of the Presence. |
Verbs may have different roots in different forms. You recognize the word λέγω (present), but the aorist form of this word is εἶπον. Why is there such a drastic difference in the spelling of these forms? Why does ἐσθίω become ἔφαγον and λέγω become εἶπον in the aorist? It is probable that many of these were originally different words with synonymous (or very similar) meanings. Each was conventionally used only in certain tense-forms, some in present, others in aorist. Eventually they came to be used as if they were different forms of the same word.[7]
The same thing happens in English. The word go (present tense) and went (past tense) are not etymologically related. English formerly had a past tense of go (eode, Anglo-Saxon; yode in Middle English). It also had a present tense of went, the form wend. This last word still occurs in English, though rarely. You will sometimes read it in poetry where it enables the poet to maintain the rhyme (notice wend — end in the sidebar). We now use go and went as if they are present and past tenses of the same word even though they are unrelated etymologically.
Greek Verbs with Different Roots
18.8. All the Greek verbs that have different roots in Koine are given below.[8] You have not yet learned all the forms listed here. Do not be concerned to understand how all of them are formed or why they are spelled the way they are. Instead look for the similarities in the root forms and the specific tense-forms built on those roots. You will understand more of this later, and then you can refer back to these lists.
Common Verbs with Multiple Roots
| Lexical Form | Root | Present | Future | Aorist | Perfect |
| λέγω, “I say” | *λεγ | λέγω | |||
| *ϝερ/*ϝρηa | ἐρῶ | ἐρρέθην (aor. pass.) | εἴρηκα | ||
| *ϝεπ | εἶπονb (aor. act.) | ||||
| ἔρχομαι, “I come” | *ἐρχ | ἔρχομαι | |||
| *ἐλευθ/*ἐλθ | ἐλεύσομαι | ἦλθον | ἐλήλυθα | ||
| ἐσθίω, “I eat” | *ἐσθι | ἐσθίω | |||
| *φαγ | φάγομαι | ἔφαγον | |||
| ὁράω, “I see” | *ϝορα | ὁράω | ἑώρακα | ||
| *οπ | ὄψομαι | ὠψάμην (aor. mid.) ὤφθην (aor. pass.) |
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| *ϝιδ | εἶδον (aor. act.) ἰδεῖν (aor. act. inf.) |
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| φέρω, “I carry” | *φερ | φέρω | |||
| *οι | οἴσω | ||||
| *ενεκ | ἤνεγκα/ἤνεγκον (aor. act.) ἠνέχθην (aor. pass.) |
ἐνήνοχα |
a Note the obsolete letter digamma (ϝ) in this root and several others in this list; see app. E.
b The epsilon in the root undergoes ablaut to ει when the digamma drops out and an augment is added.
Less Common Verbs with Multiple Roots
| Lexical Form | Root | Present | Future | Aorist | Perfect |
| αἱρέω, “I choose”a | *αιρε | αἱρέω | αἱρήσομαι | ᾑρέθην (aor. pass.) | ᾕρημαι (pf. mid.) |
| *ϝελ/*ϝαλ | εἱλόμην/εἱλάμην (aor. act.) | ||||
| πάσχω, “I suffer” | *παθ | πάσχω | ἔπαθον | ||
| *πενθ | πείσομαι | πέπονθα | |||
| πίνω, “I drink” | *πι | πίνω | πίομαι | ἔπιον | |
| *πο | πέπωκα | ||||
| τρέχω, “I run” | *θρεχ | τρέχω | |||
| *δραμ/*δρομ | δραμοῦμαι | ἔδραμον | δεδράμηκα |
a Watch the breathing mark and accent of this word carefully; it is not the word αἴρω.
18.9. Examples of Greek Verbs with Different Roots
| 1 Cor. 11:24, ἔκλασεν καὶ εἶπεν, Τοῦτό μού ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. | He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you.” |
| Gal. 1:21, ἔπειτα ἦλθον εἰς τὰ κλίματα τῆς Συρίας καὶ τῆς Κιλικίας. | Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. |
| Gal. 1:19, ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου. | But I did not see another of the apostles except James the Lord’s brother. |
The translation given above is a formal equivalent to help you understand the structure of the verse. In more idiomatic English we would probably express the first part of this statement as, “But I saw none of the other apostles.”
| John 4:33, ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Μή τις ἤνεγκεν αὐτῷ φαγεῖν; | Then the disciples said to one another, “No one has brought him [anything] to eat, have they?” (or, “It’s not that anyone has brought him food, is it?”) |
| Gen. 24:54, ἔφαγον καὶ ἔπιον, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ. | They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him. |
| 1 Kgdms. (1 Sam.) 4:12, ἔδραμεν ἀνὴρ Ἰεμιναῖος ἐκ τῆς παρατάξεωςa καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Σηλὼμ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ διερρηγότα, καὶ γῆ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ. | A man, a Benjamite, ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh in that day, and his garments were torn, and there was dirt on his head. |
a παράταξις, εως, ἡ, “battle line, place of battle” |
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Recognizing Second Aorist Forms
18.10. How do you identify the stem of a second aorist verb? What is its lexical form? Many of these different stems are close in spelling to the lexical form and fairly obvious. Remember the common kinds of changes (see above). You would do well to learn the most common verbs that have divergent stems. In vocabulary lists for each chapter, ask yourself, Is this form close enough that I will be able to remember the lexical form? If not, memorize the aorist stem along with the definition.[9] For example, when you learn that the second aorist form of ἀποθνῄσκω is ἀπέθανον, you will need to ask yourself if that is the sort of change you will be able to figure out when you encounter it in a text. The same applies for the second aorist of ἔρχομαι, which is ἦλθον. Every person is different, so your decision may be different from your neighbor’s.
When you are stumped by an odd form, try looking it up in your lexicon just the way it is spelled. If you encounter ἤγαγεν and have no idea what it is, then try looking it up under eta in your lexicon (even though you suspect that the eta might be an augment). What you will find in Danker’s Concise Lexicon is this:
ἤγαγον 2 aor. act. ind. of ἄγω
Likewise, for ἐφάγομεν you will find:
ἔφαγον 2 aor. act. ind. of ἐσθίω
Note that you will find only first singular forms, not second or third singular forms, nor first, second, or third plural forms. In other words, aorist forms listed alphabetically will always end with -ον (or sometimes αμην if it is a middle-only form).
18.11. If none of these suggestions help, check the lexicon under the word that you think it is. Lexicons will typically list the aorist form if a word has a second aorist.[10] The most complete listing of this sort of information in a lexicon is found in BDAG. That is just one of the reasons why that particular tool is indispensable for serious exegesis. For example, perhaps you are reading 2 Tim. 4:20, Τρόφιμον δὲ ἀπέλιπον ἐν Μιλήτῳ, and you do not recognize the verb ἀπέλιπον. Glancing at your lexicon shows that there is no verb that begins απελιπ- or απολιπ-. Since vowels often undergo ablaut in the various verb stems, you might wonder, “Is ἀπέλιπον from ἀπολείπω?” That would be a good guess. If you look under ἀπολείπω you will often find a note that its second aorist form is ἀπέλιπον.[11] The present stem is λειπ-, but the aorist stem is λιπ-. The first part of the entry in BDAG reads as follows.
ἀπολείπω impf. ἀπέλειπον; fut. ἀπολείψω; 1 aor. ἀπέλειψα LXX; 2 aor. ἀπέλιπον, mid. ἀπελιπόμην, 3 sg. pass. ἀπελείφθη LXX (Hom.+).
1. to cause or permit to remain in a place upon going away, leave behind . . .
With compound verbs another thing you might try is to look up the word without the prepositional prefix. Sometimes the lexicon will give the aorist form of the base word but not the compound form.
18.12. Another resource is one that you have as appendix B in this textbook: the “Morphology Catalog of Common Koine Verbs.” This gives a variety of forms (including the second aorist forms) of the most common verbs in the NT and in the LXX. If you were wondering if a particular form, perhaps ἔπαθεν, was from πάσχω, you could turn to the verb catalog in appendix B and find this info:
πάσχω (NT 42): 3SFAI παθεῖται; 3PFAI παθοῦνται; 2AAI ἔπαθον; 2RAI πέπονθα; 3PLAI ἐπεπόνθεισαν; 2RAP πεπονθώς
The catalog uses the short-form parsing abbreviations for verbs due to the large quantity of information included. See the explanation at the end of chapter 13. In the example cited here, “3SFAI” means “third singular future active indicative.”
Try these various tips in the following examples. If one does not help, try one of the other options until you can identify the second aorist verbs in these verses. The first few have an English equivalent to get you started.
| Mark 10:18, ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός. | Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one: God.” |
| Mark 1:35, ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ἔρημον τόπον κἀκεῖ προσηύχετο. | He went out and departed to a deserted place, and there he prayed. |
| Mark 1:37, εὗρον αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ὅτι Πάντες ζητοῦσίν σε. | They found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”a |
a Formally, “all are seeking you,” but English idiom prefers the collective singular, “everyone,” even though that requires changing the Greek plural verb to a singular. The meaning is unchanged. |
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| Gen. 2:22, ᾠκοδόμησεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὴν πλευράν, ἣν ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδάμ, εἰς γυναῖκα καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀδάμ. | The Lord God fashioned the rib which he had taken from Adam into a woman, and he brought her to Adam. |
| Mark 4:4, ὃ μὲνa ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό. | |
a ὃ μέν, “some”; introduces a series that is continued in the verses that follow. |
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| Rev. 10:10, ἔλαβον τὸ βιβλαρίδιον ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου καὶ κατέφαγον αὐτό. | |
| 1 Macc. 9:65, ἀπέλιπενa Ἰωναθὰν Σίμωνα τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ πόλει κα ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὴν χώραν καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν ἀριθμῶ.b | |
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a You will have to distinguish the subject and object of the first verb by context since both are indeclinable forms. b ἐν ἀριθμῶ is formally, “in/with a number,” but the sense of the context is that this is “with a [small] number.” The setting is a military encounter in which those mentioned here defeat a much larger army. |
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Aorist Active Indicative of γινώσκω
18.15. The root and aorist stem of γινώσκω is *γνω. The paradigm is a bit unusual; it is a second aorist form. The stem vowel, omega, combines with the connecting vowel, omicron, to form omega as a result of the ablaut. All but the third plural form are standard second aorist forms. The third singular does not use the movable nu. The third plural uses the second aorist stem but appears to add the first aorist form marker. This one is a bit tricky, but you will want to remember it since it occurs frequently in the NT (213 times, of which 89 are the third singular form) and the LXX (207 times, of which 88 are the third singular form).
Second Aorist Active Indicative of γινώσκω
| 1S | ἔγνων | |
| 2S | ἔγνως | |
| 3S | ἔγνω | |
| 1P | ἔγνωμεν | |
| 2P | ἔγνωτε | |
| 3P | ἔγνωσαν |
18.16. Examples of the Aorist Active Indicative of γινώσκω
| Mark 12:12, ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι, ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν εἶπεν. | They sought to seize him, for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them. |
| John 1:10, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. | He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not know him. |
| John 17:25, πάτερ δίκαιε,a καὶ ὁ κόσμος σε οὐκ ἔγνω, ἐγὼ δέ σε ἔγνων, καὶ οὗτοι ἔγνωσαν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας. | |
a For πάτερ and δίκαιε see app. D. |
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| Gen. 20:6, εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς καθ᾿ ὕπνον, Κἀγὼ ἔγνων ὅτι ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ἐποίησας τοῦτο. | |
| Josephus, Life 182, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἀγρίππας ὡς ἔγνω ψευδῆa τὴν περὶ Φιλίππου φήμην ἔπεμψεν ἱππεῖς τοὺς παραπέμψονταςb τὸν Φίλιππον. | |
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a ψευδῆ is a two-form adjective, ψευδής, ές. It follows the same pattern of endings as does ἀληθής (see chap. 12). b ἱππεῖς τοὺς παραπέμψοντας, “a cavalry which would escort” |
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This text will make you think; Josephus is not the easiest Greek writer to read. Here he places an attributive adjective in predicate position.
Second Aorist Middle Indicative Forms
18.18. Everything that you have learned thus far in this chapter regarding the aorist active indicative form also applies to the aorist middle indicative. All you need is the appropriate formula.
Formula for Second Aorist Middle Indicative Verbs
augment + aorist stem + connecting vowel + D personal endings
The only difference from the aorist active is that the D endings are used. (These forms are always aorist middle; there is a distinct form for aorist passive, which you will learn later.) If we use the verb γίνομαι as an example, the aorist middle forms will look like this:
Second Aorist Middle Indicative of γίνομαι
| Form | c.v. + D p.e. | Gloss | |
| 1S | ἐγενόμην | ομην | I became |
| 2S | ἐγένου | ου | You became |
| 3S | ἐγένετο | ετο | He/she/it became |
| 1P | ἐγενόμεθα | ομεθα | We became |
| 2P | ἐγένεσθε | εσθε | You became |
| 3P | ἐγένοντο | οντο | They became |
18.19. Examples of Second Aorist Middle Indicative Verbs
| Matt. 6:29, λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδὲ Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων. | I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these. |
| Acts 7:10, ἐξείλατοa αὐτὸν ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔδωκεν (he gave) αὐτῷ χάριν καὶ σοφίαν ἐναντίον Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου. | He rescued him from all his troubles and gave him grace and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. |
a ἐξείλατο ► ἐξαιρέω |
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| Gen. 4:3–4, καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ᾿ ἡμέρας ἤνεγκεν Κάϊν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ Ἅβελ ἤνεγκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ. |
This example shows the most common second aorist middle indicative verb. This specific form, ἐγένετο, occurs 202 times in the NT, and other person/number combinations of the same word bring the total to 233. (There are only 30 other second aorist middle indicative forms in the entire NT.) The same form occurs 793 times in the LXX, often as καὶ ἐγένετο to introduce a new pericope in the narrative.
| Mark 1:11, φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. | |
| Acts 12:11, ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν, Νῦν οἶδα ἀληθῶς ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξείλατό με ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρῴδου. | |
| Rom. 15:7, Διὸ προσλαμβάνεσθε (welcome!) ἀλλήλους, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς προσελάβετο ὑμᾶς εἰς δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ. | |
| Wis. 7:10, ὑπὲρ ὑγίειαν καὶ εὐμορφίαν ἠγάπησα αὐτὴν καὶ προειλόμην αὐτὴν ἀντὶ φωτὸς ἔχειν. | |
18.21. The following list gives the eleven most important verbs for which you should be able to recognize the second aorist forms. Some are obvious enough to recognize if you know the lexical form, especially words that have a common root but have ablaut or other changes to the root for the aorist stem. Others must simply be memorized as another vocabulary word, especially verbs whose aorist is formed from a different root than the lexical form, which uses the present stem.[12]
Under each main form are listed the compound forms of that verb. If you know the main entry, you can also identify the second aorist form of the other words with no additional memorization. That is, once you know that the second aorist of λέγω is εἶπον, then it is easy to identify προεῖπον as the second aorist of προλέγω. The second aorist of the main forms in this list occur a total of 1,605 times in the NT—not bad for learning 11 forms. But you can leverage these 11 forms by their compounds to recognize a total of 2,041 NT forms and nearly 1,600 more in the LXX.[13] (If other moods were included, the numbers would be considerably higher.) Now that is a real payoff for learning 11 basic forms!
18.22. The format of these entries is as follows:
lexical form ► second aorist form (*root), “gloss” (occurrences of this lexical form in the NT) [total of all forms including compounds]
λέγω ► εἶπον (*ϝεπ/*ϝερ), “I say, speak, tell” (775) [779]
προλέγω, “I say ahead of time; I foretell” (3)
συλλέγω, “I gather, collect, glean” (1)
ἔρχομαι ► ἦλθον (*ελευθ/*ελθ), “I come, go” (171) [456]
ἀνέρχομαι, “I go up, return, enter” (3)
ἀντιπαρέρχομαι, “I come upon, surprise, pass by on the other side” (2)
ἀπέρχομαι, “I go away, depart” (61)
διέρχομαι, “I pass through” (7)
εἰσέρχομαι, “I enter” (60)
ἐξέρχομαι, “I come out, go out” (103)
ἐπέρχομαι, “I come upon, am at hand” (1)
κατέρχομαι, “I come down, go down, return” (8)
παρεισέρχομαι, “I enter” (2)
παρέρχομαι, “I pass by, pass away” (3)
περιέρχομαι, “I travel about” (1)
προέρχομαι, “I go before” (2)
προσέρχομαι, “I come to” (25)
συνεισέρχομαι, “I go in with” (2)
συνέρχομαι, “I come/go together” (5)
γίνομαι ► ἐγενόμην (*γεν),[14] “I become, am, am born, am created” (233) [244]
παραγίνομαι, “I come, appear” (11)
ὁράω ► εἶδον (*ϝιδ), “I see” (146) [147]
ἐφοράω, “I watch over, observe” (1)
λαμβάνω ► ἔλαβον (*λαβ),[15] “I take, receive, choose” (68) [104]
ἀναλαμβάνω, “I take up, raise, undertake” (1)
ἀντιλαμβάνω, “I take hold of together, support, take part in” (1)
ἀπολαμβάνω, “I receive” (2)
ἐπιλαμβάνομαι, “I take hold of” (2)
καταλαμβάνω, “I take, overtake, reach” (3)
παραλαμβάνω, “I take” (17)
προλαμβάνω, “I do ahead of time; I am surprised” (1)
προσλαμβάνω, “I increase; I receive, accept” (5)
συλλαμβάνω, “I seize” (3)
ὑπολαμβάνω, “I suppose; I lift up; I reply” (1)
πίπτω ► ἔπεσα (*πετ),[16] “I fall” (45) [73]
ἀναπίπτω, “I fall down, recline, sit down” (6)
ἀποπίπτω, “I fall” (1)
ἐκπίπτω, “I fall” (4)
ἐπιπίπτω, “I fall, fall upon, attack” (8)
καταπίπτω, “I fall down” (1)
περιπίπτω, “I strike; I fall among; I embrace” (1)
προσπίπτω, “I fall upon; I fall down before” (6)
συμπίπτω, “I collapse, fall together” (1)
βάλλω ► ἔβαλον (*βαλ), “I throw, put” (30) [61]
ἀναβάλλω, “I lay on, throw on; I defer” (1)
ἐκβάλλω, “I cast/send out” (13)
ἐπιβάλλω, “I lay hands on, throw” (8)
παραβάλλω, “I throw aside; I am attentive; I arrive” (1)
περιβάλλω, “I put on, clothe” (6)
συμβάλλω, “I meet, consider, compare” (1)
ὑποβάλλω, “I subject, submit; I substitute” (1)
εὑρίσκω ► εὗρον (*ευρ),[17] “I find” (54) [55]
ἀνευρίσκω, “I discover, seek” (1)
ἄγω ► ἤγαγον (*αγ),[18] “I bring, lead, go, celebrate” (23) [55]
ἀνάγω, “I lead/bring up; I bring before; I offer up” (3)
ἀπάγω, “I lead away” (7)
εἰσάγω, “I bring in” (6)
ἐξάγω, “I lead away, bring out” (5)
κατάγω, “I bring down, lead down” (2)
προάγω, “I go before” (1)
συνάγω, “I gather, bring together” (8)
θνῄσκω, [ἔθανον] (*θαν), “I die” (0) [51]
ἀποθνῄσκω ► ἀπέθανον, “I die” (48)
συναποθνῄσκω, “I die with” (3)
ἔχω ► ἔσχον (*σεχ ► σχ), “I have” (12) [18]
ἀνέχω, “I lift, esteem, hinder, stop, bear, suffer” (1)
ἐπέχω, “I hold, hold back; I notice, give close attention to” (1)
μετέχω, “I partake” (1)
παρέχω, “I provide, cause, grant, present” (1)
περιέχω, “I surround, seize, contain, say” (1)
συνέχω, “I surround, control, constrain” (1)
Second Aorist Passive Indicative Verbs
18.23. You have already learned that the formula for an aorist passive indicative verb is augment + stem + form marker θη + B personal endings. All you need to know about second aorist passive verbs is that the second aorist passive sometimes uses a different stem, and the theta may drop out of the form marker. Some of these forms do both (use a different stem and drop the theta); others do one or the other. When a second aorist passive form drops the theta, the form marker looks like it is just an eta. In any case, you do not need to know if it is first or second aorist, just that it is aorist.[19]
Formula for Second Aorist Passive Indicative Verbs
augment + stem[20] + form marker η + B personal endings
The second aorist passive forms of χαίρω (“I rejoice”) appear below. It is the most common second aorist passive verb in the NT (yet it occurs only 13 times). The stem has changed (ablaut) from χαιρ- to just χαρ-.
Second Aorist Passive Indicative of χαίρω
| 1S | ἐχάρην | |
| 2S | ἐχάρης | |
| 3S | ἐχάρη | |
| 1P | ἐχάρημεν | |
| 2P | ἐχάρητε | |
| 3P | ἐχάρησαν |
The next most common second aorist passive verbs in the NT are the following:
ἀνοίγω, most commonly third singular (ἠνοίγη) or third plural (ἠνεῴχθησαν)[21]
φαίνω, usually seen in third singular (ἐφάνη)
ὑποτάσσω (first singular, ὑπετάγη; third plural, ὑπετάγησαν)
In all the forms cited as examples, the stem changes from the lexical form, and the form marker is almost always just eta rather than θη. Some second aorist passive verbs, however, do not change the stem. For example, γράφω appears as ἐγράφην.
18.24. Examples of Second Aorist Passive Indicative Verbs
| Matt. 1:20, ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ᾿ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ. | An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. |
| Matt. 3:16, ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ. | The heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God. |
| Gen. 45:16, διεβοήθηa ἡ φωνὴ εἰς τὸν οἶκον Φαραώ, Ἥκασιν (they have come) οἱ ἀδελφοὶ Ἰωσήφ. ἐχάρη δὲ Φαραὼ καὶ ἡ θεραπεία αὐτοῦ. | The message was announced in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And Pharaoh and his household staff rejoiced. |
a διαβοάω, “I announce abroad, proclaim” |
|
| Mark 14:11, ἐχάρησαν καὶ ἐπηγγείλαντο αὐτῷ ἀργύριον δοῦναι (to give). | |
| Rom. 8:20, τῇ ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη. | |
| Rev. 11:19, ἠνοίγη ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ὤφθη ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ. | |
| Num. 23:4, ἐφάνη ὁ θεὸς τῷ Βαλαάμ, καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Βαλαάμ, Τοὺς ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς ἡτοίμασα καὶ ἀνεβίβασαa μόσχον καὶ κριὸνb ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν. | |
|
a ἀναβιβάζω has a wider range of meaning in the LXX than in the NT. The only NT use (Matt. 13:48) means “I draw up” a net onto the shore. In the LXX it can be used to mean “I offer (a sacrifice),” that is, to raise it up and place it on the altar. b κριός, οῦ, ὁ, “ram, male sheep” |
|
| Rev. 20:12, εἶδον τοὺς νεκρούς, τοὺς μεγάλους καὶ τοὺς μικρούς, ἑστῶτας (standing) ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου. καὶ βιβλία ἠνοίχθησαν, καὶ ἄλλο βιβλίον ἠνοίχθη, ὅ ἐστιν τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ἐκρίθησαν οἱ νεκροὶ ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων (things written) ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν. |
θη-Middle Forms
18.27. You will remember from chapter 17 that some θη forms are not passive in meaning but (at least in English) seem idiomatic. They are called θη-middle forms and are translated just like any other middle form. These aorist θη forms are essentially aorist intransitive forms, in contrast to the aorist middle (i.e., a form created with a σα form marker), which is typically transitive.
| Transitive takes a direct object |
Intransitive does not take a direct object |
|
| “I answered the question.” | “I answered.” |
Some of the aorist passive examples above may be considered θη-middle forms even if the theta has dropped out. See, for example, the intransitive forms in Matt. 1:20; Mark 14:11; Gen. 45:16; and Num. 23:4.
Examples of θη-Middle Forms
18.28. The aorist middle form ἀπεκρινάμην[22] is usually transitive, that is, it has an object. The lexical form is ἀποκρίνομαι, “I answer”; the -ομαι ending tells us that this is a middle-only form. Notice that in both of the following examples there is an accusative direct object.
| Matt. 27:12, οὐδεν ἀπεκρίνατο. | He [Jesus] answered nothing. |
| Mark 14:61, ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίνατο οὐδέν.a | But he did not answer him anything at all. |
a The double negative is an emphatic statement; see the note on John 15:5 in §5.26. |
|
Although there are not active forms of ἀποκρίνομαι, there are θη forms. The aorist form ἀπεκρίθη, “he/she answered,” is an intransitive θη-middle form.
| Mark 7:28, ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Κύριε, . . . | But she answered and said to him, “Lord, . . .” |
You do not translate this example as “she was answered” (that is, by someone else), because ἀπεκρίθη is not passive despite the θη. It is a θη-middle form in which the subject performs the action.
18.29. Reading Passage: John 19:16–30
The Crucifixion of Jesus
16τότε οὖν παρέδωκεν (he delivered) αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σταυρωθῇ (he should be crucified).
Παρέλαβον οὖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, 17καὶ βαστάζων (carrying) ἑαυτῷ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸν Κρανίου Τόπον, ὃ λέγεται Ἑβραϊστὶ Γολγοθᾶ, 18ὅπου αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἄλλους δύο ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν,a μέσον δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν. 19ἔγραψεν δὲ καὶ τίτλον ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἔθηκεν (he placed) ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ἦν δὲ γεγραμμένον (written), Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. 20τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τίτλον πολλοὶ ἀνέγνωσαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἦν ὁ τόπος τῆς πόλεως ὅπου ἐσταυρώθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς· καὶ ἦν γεγραμμένον (written) Ἑβραϊστί, Ῥωμαϊστί, Ἑλληνιστί. 21ἔλεγον οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Μὴ γράφε (write!), Ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν, Βασιλεύς εἰμι τῶν Ἰουδαίων. 22ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Ὃ γέγραφα (I have written), γέγραφα.
23Οἱ οὖν στρατιῶται, ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἔλαβον τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη,b ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα. ἦν δὲ ὁ χιτὼν ἄραφος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς δι᾿ ὅλου.c 24εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Μὴ σχίσωμεν (let’s tear) αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λάχωμεν (let’s cast lots) περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται·d ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ (may be fulfilled) ἡ λέγουσα (which says), Διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.e Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα ἐποίησαν. 25εἱστήκεισαν (they stood) δὲ παρὰ τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ καὶ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή. 26Ἰησοῦς οὖν λέγει τῇ μητρί, Γύναι,f ἴδε ὁ υἱός σου. 27εἶτα λέγει τῷ μαθητῇ, Ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ σου. καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἐκείνης τῆς ὥρας ἔλαβεν ὁ μαθητὴς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ἴδια.
28Μετὰ τοῦτο εἰδὼς (knowing) ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἤδη πάντα τετέλεσται (were complete), ἵνα τελειωθῇ (should be fulfilled) ἡ γραφή, λέγει, Διψῶ. 29σκεῦος ἔκειτοg ὄξους μεστόν· σπόγγον οὖν μεστὸν τοῦ ὄξους ὑσσώπῳ περιθέντες (putting) προσήνεγκαν αὐτοῦ τῷ στόματι. 30ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβεν τὸ ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Τετέλεσται (it is finished), καὶ κλίνας (bowing) τὴν κεφαλὴν παρέδωκεν (he gave up) τὸ πνεῦμα.
a ἐντεῦθεν, “from here” (adv.); ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, formally, “from here and from there” = “on each side”
b μέρη may perplex you at first. It is from μέρος, ους, τό, a third-declension noun that follows a less common pattern of endings. See the paradigm for ἔθνος, ους, τό, in app. A (“Six Key, Representative Paradigms”).
c ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς δι᾿ ὅλου, “from above woven through all” = “woven in one piece from top to bottom”
d περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται, “concerning it whose it will be” = “to see who will get it” (τίνος, interrogative pronoun in an indirect question; ἔσται, future form of εἰμί). The soldiers’ statement stops at this point. The following statement, beginning with ἵνα, is the author’s editorial comment explaining the significance of their actions.
e Διεμερίσαντο . . . κλῆρον is quoted from Ps. 21:19 (22:18 Eng.).
f Γύναι, vocative form of γυνή (a third-declension noun)
g ἔκειτο, 3rd sg. impf. mid. ind. ► κεῖμαι, “I lie”; the clause σκεῦος ἔκειτο ὄξους μεστόν means “a jar full of sour wine was sitting there.”
18.30. Vocabulary for Chapter 18
| Part of Speech | Definition | Possible Glosses | Frequency | |
| Word | NT | LXX | ||
| Adjective | ||||
| δώδεκα | The number twelve (indeclinable); when used as a noun in the NT this refers to the group of Jesus’ disciples (even if not all twelve are present) | twelve, 12; the Twelve | 75 | 100 |
| Adverbs | ||||
| ἤδη | A temporal adverb most commonly expressing completion or referring to a previous situation (ctr. ἔτι, “still”) | already, now | 61 | 64 |
| ὧδε | Adverb of place with reference to relative nearness; can also have temporal implications referring to a present circumstance | here, in this place; in this case | 61 | 89 |
| Conjunction | ||||
| διότι | A subordinating conjunction that gives a reason for the preceding statement or that draws an inference from it | because, for; therefore | 24 | 341 |
| Idiom | ||||
| εἰ μή | An idiomatic expression specifying an exception | except | 86 | 93 |
| Nouns | ||||
| καιρός, οῦ, ὁ | A point of time or a period of time, general or specific (wide variety of uses, depending on contextual adjuncts) | time, period | 85 | 487 |
| σημεῖον, ου, τό | A distinctive indication or confirmation by which something is known (in the NT this word often refers to a miracle, but it should not usually be translated as such) [cf. δύναμις and τέρας] | sign, indication; (miraculous) sign, portent | 77 | 120 |
| Verbs | ||||
| γίνομαι | Generally, to transfer from one state or condition to another; to come into being by birth, production, or manufacture; to occur; to enter a new condition; to change location; etc. [Read the summary in CL!] | I become, I am/exist; I am born/produced; I come about, take place | 669 | 2,174 |
| εἶπον | To express a thought, opinion, or idea in spoken words (used as the 2aor. of λέγω) | I say, tell | 62 | 4,608 |
| εἶπεν | Very common inflected verb form: 3rd sg. 2aor. act. ind. of εἶπον (λέγω) | he/she/it said/told | 613 | 2,758 |
| λαμβάνω | To get hold of something; to take possession of; to take away; to receive a person or thing; to be a receiver (in a passive sense) | I take, grasp; I acquire; I take away, remove; I accept; I receive | 258 | 1,335 |
| παραλαμβάνω | To take into close association; to gain control of | I take (to myself), take with/along; I take over; I accept | 49 | 38 |
| πορεύω | To cause to go, to carry (act.; not in the NT or LXX); to move or travel from one place to another (mid. and pass.) | I go, proceed (mid. and pass.) | 153 | 1,263 |
| ἀπεκρίθη | Very common inflected verb form (a θη-middle form): 3rd sg. aor. pass. ind. of ἀποκρίνω; to make a response, to either a specific question, a statement, or a situation | he/she/it answered | 82 | 95 |
| εἶδον | To perceive by seeing with the eyes; to become aware of or notice something (used as 2aor. of ὁράω) [see chap. 21] | I saw, perceived; I noticed | 76 | 207 |
18.31. Key Things to Know for Chapter 18
How does a second aorist form differ from a first aorist form in spelling? (That is another way of saying you need to know the three formulas for second aorist indicative forms: active, middle, and passive.)
There is no difference in meaning between a first and a second aorist form; both express perfective aspect.
Can you identify the most common types of stem changes that occur in second aorist verbs?
What is the difference between a verb stem and a verb root?
What is meant when we say that a verb may have more than one root?