LESSON SEVENTEEN
Cases in Time
Q1: Lesson Sixteen Review
Review completed Practical Exercise A (L16_praxA_trans) from Lesson Fifteen.
Q2: The Cases in Time
As we discussed in a previous chapter (See L10:J4), the cases in Greek carry distinct senses in regards to space. However, these senses are actually characteristic in all aspects of the cases. This is how cases indicate relationships between words where English needs prepositions. For example, consider this sentence:
The apostle is writing a book for the brothers (to read).
To indicate the relationship between the book and the brothers, we need to use the preposition “for”. In Greek, the dative form of the brothers does this without a preposition:
ὁ ἁποστολος γραφει βιβλιον τοις ἁδελφοις.
Another area where these case characteristics are used to indicate prepositional relationships is in different expressions of time.
1. Accusative: As it does spatially, the accusative case represents extension with regards to time. In other words, it answers the question “how long?” For example:
δυο ἡμερας (acc pl) for two days
μενει την ἡμεραν ἐκεινην he remains that day (long)
2. Dative: As it does spatially, the dative represents a fixed place or location with regards to time. It answers the question “at which time?” For example:
τῃ τριτῃ ἡμερᾳ on the third day
3. Genitive: As it does spatially, albeit in its expanded sense, the genitive represents the where from (the origin) or kind of time expressed. It answers the question “which kind of time?” For example:
ἡμερας (gen sing) by day
Note: To illustrate how the cases represent different aspects of time in and of themselves, none of the above examples have prepositions. However, it should be understood that prepositions can and often are used in these types of expression. For example, “on the third day” could be rendered: ἐν τῃ τριτῃ ἡμερᾳ.
Q3: Prepositions Taking Three Cases
The preposition παρα means “beside” and can be used in prepositional phrases taking either the accusative, dative or genitive case depending on which sense of beside is being expressed. Consider what is being expressed by the word beside in the following three sentences:
1. The man is walking beside the house.
2. The man is remaining beside the house.
3. The man is walking from beside the house.
The first sentence expresses movement alongside the house. The second expresses the idea of being located beside the house. The third is expressing movement away from beside the house. Each of these different senses is conveyed in Greek by placing the house into the oblique case form which carries the corresponding sense:
1. Movement alongside corresponds to the accusative case, so:
ὁ ἀνθρωπος περιπατει παρα την οἰκιαν.
2. Fixed location corresponds to the dative case, so:
ὁ ἀνθρωπος μενει παρα τῃ οἰκιᾳ.
3. Movement away from corresponds to the genitive case, so:
ὁ ἀνθρωπος περιπατει παρα της οἰκιας.
The preposition ἐπι means “upon” and, like παρα, can also take one of three cases in prepositional phrases depending on which sense of upon is meant (It is believed that the case distinctions regarding ἐπι are somewhat blurred in the NT.):
1. The accusative is used if the sense is onto, so:
βαλλει αὐτα ἐπι την γην. He throws them on the ground.
2. The dative is used if the sense is located upon, so:
μενει ἐπι τῃ γῃ τῃ καλῃ. It remains on the good ground.
3. The genitive is used in three different ways:
a) Like the dative, but more along the lines of “at”:
μενει ἐπι της γης της καλης. He remains at the good ground.
b) In the time of:
ἐπ’ Ἠλειου του προφητου. In the time of Elijah the prophet.
c) In the presence of:
ἐφ Ἡρωδου του βασιλεως. In the presence of Herod the king.
Q4: Prepositions Taking Two Cases
Like the use of ἐπι with the genitive, the characteristic senses of the different cases can be somewhat hard to see with certain prepositions. It is suggested that the student learn the meanings of the following two-case prepositions by remembering the simple example phrases provided.
1) δια
Acc: because of δια τουτο because of this
Gen: through δια του ἱερου through the temple
2) μετα
Acc: after μετα ταυτα after these things
Gen: with μετ’ αὐτων with them
3) ὑπερ
Acc: above ὑπερ τον ἀνθρωπον above the man
Gen: on behalf of ὑπερ των προβατων for the sheep
4) ὑπο
Acc: under ὑπο ἐξουσιαν under authority
Gen: by ὑπο του Κυριου by the Lord
5) κατα
Acc: according to κατα Μαρκον according to Mark
Gen: against κατα της ἐκκλησιας against the church
Two more common phrases in the accusative:
κατ’ ἰδιαν privately
καθ’ ἡμεραν daily
6) περι expresses all three English senses of “about”:
Acc: approximately περι την τριτην ὡραν about the third hour
Acc: around ὀχλος περι αὐτον a crowd about him
Gen: concerning περι των νεκρων about the dead
Q5: Preparatory use of “There” and “It”
The preparatory use of the word “there” occurs in sentences where the verb comes before the subject, as in the sentence “There is a throne in the heavens.” This preparatory “there” does not exist in Greek and must be supplied by the translator. So:
ἐστιν θρονος ἐν τοις οὐρανοις. There is a throne in the heavens.
The preparatory “it”, in sentences such as “It is not lawful to work on the Sabbath”, must also be supplied by the translator.
Q6: Practical Exercise
See L17 Practical A (L17_praxA_trans). For vocabulary refer to L17 Vocabulary (L17_vocab).
LESSON EIGHTEEN
Passive Relatives
R1: Lesson Seventeen Review
Review completed Practical Exercise A (L17_praxA_trans) from Lesson Seventeen.
R2: The Passive Voice
Along with the aspects of person, tense, and mood, verbs have voice. Voice is the aspect of the verb which indicates the relationship of agency between the subject and the activity of the verb. Until this lesson, all the verbs learned have been in the active voice. The active voice is used when the subject does the action. The passive voice, however, is used when the subject is acted upon. For example:
Active: Jesus is healing the leper.
Passive: The leper is being healed.
Both of these sentences describe the same activity—the healing of a leper—but from a different perspective. In the active sentence, the subject is Jesus; in the passive sentence, the subject has become the leper. Notice what has happened to the verb.
If we wanted to include the subject of the active sentence (Jesus) in the passive sentence, we would need to use the preposition “by”:
Active: Jesus is healing the leper.
Passive: The leper is being healed by Jesus.
Thus the object of the active sentence has become the subject of the passive sentence and the subject of the active has become what is called an “agent”.
In English, the agent is always put in a prepositional phrase, but in Greek, the prepositional phrase is only used if the agent is a living person. If the agent is a thing, then it is called the “instrument” and it is put in the dative case without the preposition . For example:
The leper is healed by the Lord.
ὁ λεπρος θεραπευεται ὑπο του Κυριου.
The leper is healed by his word.
ὁ λεπρος θεραπευεται τῳ λογῳ αὐτου.
R3: The Present Indicative Passive
The three “voices” in Greek are active, middle , and passive. Unlike in English, where passive verbs are formed using a form of the auxiliary to be, Greek passives are formed through inflection.
The following tables show the endings of the present indicative passive for both the –ω verbs and –εω verbs using λυω and φιλεω respectively:
Note that the verbal stem contraction rules are in force with the –εω verbs.
As well, although it is important to be aware that, like the present indicative active, the present indicative passive is closest in meaning to the English present continuous tense, the use of the English present simple tense is often sufficient for our purposes.
R4: Imperfect Indicative Passive
The following tables show the endings of the imperfect indicative passive for both the –ω verbs and –εω verbs using λυω and φιλεω respectively:
Notice that the past-tense indicator, the ε augment, is present in both verb forms and that the contraction rules are once again in force with the –εω verbs.
R5: The Relative Pronoun
The English relative pronouns are “who”, “that”, and “which”. They are used to relate a verbal activity in a subordinate clause to a noun or pronoun—expressed or implied—in the main clause. The noun or pronoun being related to is called the antecedent. Consider the following sentence:
This is the leper who Jesus was healing.
The relative pronoun is “who”. The main clause is “this is the leper”. The subordinate clause—in this case, the relative clause—is “who Jesus was healing”.
Notice that the relative pronoun is relating the information in the relative clause back to the subject of the main clause, “the leper”—indicating that this is the antecedent.
As well, since the relative clause describes or qualifies a noun, it means that it is also an adjective clause.
The following table shows the Greek relative pronouns:
Notice that:
1. These forms are the same as the endings of αὐτος.
2. Every form begins with a rough breathing mark.
3. A grave accent is the only way to distinguish these relative
pronoun forms: ἣ, ὃ, οἳ, and αἳ from these definite articles:
ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ.
The Greek relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number and gender, but not in case. The case of the relative pronoun is determined by the function it performs in the relative clause.
Consider the following examples, making note of the reason for the particular cases of the relative pronouns:
1. βλεπει τους δουλους οἳ ἀκολουθουσιν.
He sees the slaves who are following.
2. οἱ ἀποστολοι οὑς πεμπετε φωνουσιν.
The apostles whom you are sending are calling.
3. τουτο ἐστιν το βιβλιον ὃ τηρειται ἐν τῃ οικιᾳ.
This is the book that is kept in the house.
4. αὑτη ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιστολη ἡν εἰχεν ὁ ἀδελφος.
This is the letter which the brother used to have.
5. οἱ μαθηταις οὑς ἐδιδασκον μαρτυρουσιν.
The disciples whom I was teaching are witnessing.
6. ὁ ἀνθρωπος οὑ ἀναγινωσκεις την γραφην ἁγιος ἐστιν.
The man whose writings you are reading is holy.
7. αἱ παρθενοι αἱς ποιω τουτο διακονοι ἐστιν.
The virgins for whom I am doing this are servants.
The antecedent of a relative pronoun can also be implied as in this example:
8. ὁς οὐ λαμβανει τον σταθρον αὐτου, οὐκ ἐστιν ἀξιος.
He who does not take his cross, is not worthy. (Matt. 10:38)
As with the eight examples above, the relative pronoun stands immediately after its antecedent in the majority of cases.
R6: Practical Exercise
See L18 Practical A (L18_praxA_trans). For vocabulary refer to L18 Vocabulary (L18_vocab).
