Greek Verbs Part Two

Voice

The New Testament Greek has three voices: active, middle, and passive.

1. Active Voice

   The active voice merely reflects the person (or thing) as performing the action of the verb (e.g., Bill hits the ball - in this instance, "hits" would be in the active voice showing that Bill is producing the action). A deponent verb means it is middle or passive in form, but active in meaning (the Analytical indictes it as dep.), and its primary ending is ομαι (γίνομαι – ginomai), but it also ends in αμαι (δύναμαι – dunamai).

   “and we toil (κοπιῶμεν [kopiōmen] – present active indicative), working with our own hands” (1 Corinthians 4:12).

2. Middle Voice

   The middle voice stresses the agent as participating in the result of the action that is being performed.

   1. Intensive Middle

      The intensive middle stresses the agent as being the one performing the action; i.e., he and no other is doing such and such (e.g., Bill and no other is hitting the ball).

      From that time Jesus began to preach (ἤρξατο [ērxato]] – aorist middle indicative) and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).

   2. Reflexive Middle

      The reflexive middle stresses the agent as directly participating in the results of the action (e.g.,, Bill is hitting himself - thus, Bill is hitting himself and directly participating in his action of hitting).

      "…Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself (περιεβάλετο [periebaleto] – aorist middle indicative) like one of these" (Matthew 6:29).

   3. Reciprocal Middle

      This involves a plural subject directly involved in action being done to one another (e.g., The men are hitting one another).

      "And they began to discuss (διελογίζοντο [dielogidzonto] – imperfect middle indicative) among themselves, saying, 'It is because we took no bread'" (Matthew 16:7).

3. Passive Voice

   The passive voice simply indicates that the subject is being acted upon by someone or something else (e.g., Bill is being hit by etc.).

   “… My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (ἀπεκτάνθη [apektanthē] – aorist passive indicative) among you, where Satan dwells “ (Revelation 2:13).

Mood

The New Testament Greek has four moods: indicative, subjunctive, optative and imperative.

1. Indicative Mood

   The indicative mood is the mood of reality; i.e., it describes something as really happening.

2. Subjunctive Mood

   The subjunctive mood expresses action that is likely to occur, but is not actually happening.

   1. Hortatory Subjunctive

      This is used in the first person plural to exhort people to do something; e.g., Let us hit…

      "… let us kill (ἀποκτείνωμεν [apokteinōmen]] - aorist active subjunctive) him, and seize his inheritance" (Matthew 21:38).

   2. Prohibitive Subjunctive

      This is used with the 2nd person aor. subj. (aorist subjunctive) to express a negative command:

      "(You) Do not lead (εἰσενέγκῃς [eisenegkę̄s]– aorist active subj.) us into temptation, …" (Matthew 6:13a).

      With the aorist, this entreaty is requesting that such a thing not even begin! Grammatically, the subjunctive mood implies contingency or possibility. Thus, theologically, the possibility exists that God may indeed allow us to be led into temptation as He did with Jesus, but He is never the one who tempts us with evil – Satan does that. However, it is significant to note in this passage that the request is for God to not allow us to be led into temptation and to keep us from evil because we cannot, with our own strength, wisdom, and will, keep ourselves from being led into temptation, nor can we by our own power deliver ourselves from evil, or the "evil one." Thus, an amplified translation would be:

      "(You, Oh God) do not allow us to be led into temptation, and (You, Oh God) deliver us from evil' (or the "evil one")" (Matthew 6:13b).

   3. Deliberative Subjunctive

      This is used to express a question and expects no answer at all, or an answer in the imperative; e.g., What shall I hit? The answer will either be no answer, or, Hit this!

      “Are we to continue (ἐπιμένωμεν [epimenōmen]- present subjunctive) in sin that grace might increase? May it never be” (Romans 6:1-2a)!

   4. Emphatic Negation

      This is one of the most important usages of the subjunctive as it uses the double negative, οὐ μὴ (ou mē), and it is much stronger and more emphatic than the single, οὐ (ou). The best example of this usage is in John 10:28:

      "and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish (καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα - kai ou mē apolōntai eis ton aiōna); and no one will snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28)

      The verb, ἀπόλωνται (apolōntai) is an aorist middle subjunctive from (apollumi), which means to be lost, perish, ruined. Thus, because the subjunctive implies contingency (i.e., the possibility that something may occur), when it is used with the double negative, οὐ μὴ (ou mē), all such contingency and possibility is removed; i.e., it is stating that there is absolutely no possibility for such and such a thing to occur, what ever is being discussed. In this case in John 10:28, Jesus is saying that there is absolutely no possibility that "My sheep" will perish: "and they shall never unto the ages cause themselves to perish (reflexive middle)…"

   5. Final Subjunctive

      This is the use of the subjunctive with the particle ἵνα (hina) or ὅπως (hopōs), in order to express purpose.

      "And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they questioned Him, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'-- in order that (ἵνα - hina) they might accuse (κατηγορήσωσιν [katēgorēsōsin] - aorist active subjunctive) Him" (Matthew 12:10).

   6. Probable Subjunctive

      This use of the subjunctive includes the Greek coordinating conjunction ἐὰν (ean) or ἄν (an) in the "if" clause with a verb in the subjunctive, and a verb in any mood in the "then" clause. This is a conditional sentence, and the "if" clause is called the protasis, and the "then" clause is called the apodosis. This conditional construction includes other forms of conditional sentences, and we will look at three of the basic ones.

      1. In the first one, the protasis is introduced by εἰ (ei - if) with a verb in the indicative mood, and the apodosis can have a verb in the indicative, subjunctive, optative or imperative mood. This usage is basically a fulfillment of the initial "if" clause in the protasis:

         "If (εἰ) You do (ποιεῖς [poieis] - present act. indicative) these things, show (φανέρωσον [phanerōson]] - aorist act. imperative) Yourself to the world" (John 7:4b).

      2. This second usage contrasts opposite statements in order to prove a point. The protasis contains εἰ with a verb in the indicative mood, and the apodosis has the Greek particle ἄν, which indicates contingency, with a verb in the indicative:

         “For if (εἰ) you believed (ἐπιστεύετε [episteuete] - imperfect indicative) Moses, (ἂν) you would believe (ἐπιστεύετε - imperfect indicative ) Me:..” (John 5:46).

      3. The third example is the probable subjunctive above:

         1. It may have ἐὰν in the protasis with a subjunctive mood verb, and an indicative verb in the apodosis (John 6:51):

            "…If (ἐὰν) any eats (ϕάγῃ [phagę̄] - aorist act. subjunctive) of this bread, he shall live (ζήσει [zēsei] - future indicative) forever;…" (John 6:51).

         2. or ἄν in the protasis with a subjunctive mood verb, and an indicative mood verb in the apodisis (Matthew 5:19):

            "But whoever (ἄν) does (ποιήσῃ [poiēsē]] – aor. act. subj.) and teaches (διδάξῃ [didaxē] – aor. act. subj.) will be called (κληθήσεται [klēthēsetai] – fut. act. ind.)…”

3. Optative Mood

   The optative mood expresses action that one hopes will occur, and is one more step removed from reality than the subjunctive.

   "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (ἁγιάσαι [hagiasai] - aorist optative) you entirely” (I Thessalonians 5:23).

4. Imperative Mood

   The imperative mood is the mood of command; i.e., it is requiring something of someone or someones that is volitionally possible from those of whom the action is being required. With the present imperative, the action conveyed is keep on doing whatever one is doing, and with the aorist imperative, the action is start doing something.

   "And I say to you, ask (αἰτεῖτε [aiteite] – present act. imperative), and it shall be given to you; seek (ζητεῖτε [zēteite] – present imperative), and you shall find; knock (κρούετε [krouete] – present act. imperative), and it shall be opened to you" (Luke 11:9),"

   The emphasis in the above example is to continue "asking," continue "seeking" and continue "knocking."

   "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave (δότε [dote] – aorist act. imperative) room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

   Here, in this example, the emphasis is, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but begin right now to leave room for the wrath of God,…"

   In addition, with the 3rd person imperative, the translation is, Let him/her…, or Let them do etc. Thus, with the third person singular or plural, the imperative implies permission given for something to occur.

   "But let him ask (αἰτείτω [aiteitō] - present act. imperative) in faith without any doubting" (James 1:6).