Lessons 19 & 20


LESSON NINETEEN
You Order Mine

S1: Lesson Eighteen Review

Review completed Practical Exercise A (L18_praxA_trans) from Lesson Eighteen.

S2: The Imperative Mood

Along with the features of person, tense, and voice, verbs have mood. Mood is the feature of the verb which indicates the manner of the verbal action. Until this lesson, all the verbs learned have been in the indicative mood. The indicative mood is used to form statements or questions. The imperative mood, however, is used to form commands, entreaties or exhortations. For example:

          Indicative:           The Lord is healing the leper.
                                       Is the Lord healing the leper?

          Imperative:         Lord, heal the leper!

S3: The Present Imperative Endings

This lesson will look at two present imperative forms in Greek: active and passive. Since a command, entreaty or exhortation are given to another person (or thing), there are only 2nd and 3rd person forms.

The following tables show the endings of the present imperative active and the present imperative passive for the –ω verbs using λυω and the –εω verbs using φιλεω:


Notice that the all the final letters are –ω, –ε and –ωσαν in all the 3rd person singular forms and 2nd and 3rd person plural forms respectively. These are found in all imperative tenses, not just the present. This means that, once these are committed to memory, only the 2nd person singular forms of the other tenses need to be learned.

The sense of the Greek present imperative tense is difficult to represent fully in English because there is no simple way to translate its continuous aspect. A command in the present imperative implies an action is to be kept on being done—either again and again or without ceasing, depending on the context. So, generally, to express this continuous aspect in English, an over-translation is used. Consider the following:

           βαλλετε τους λιθους.       Keep on throwing the stones.
           τηρειτω τον νομον.          Let him continue keeping the law.

An imperative is negated using μη rather than οὐ; by μηδε rather than οὐδε. For example:

          μη περιπατει ἐν ταις ὁδοις της ἀδικιας, μηδε χαιρε συν τοις ἀκαθαρτοις.
          Do not (keep) walk(ing) in the ways of unrighteousness, nor rejoice with the unclean.

S4: 1st & 2nd Person Personal Pronouns

In Lesson 16 we looked at the 3rd person personal pronouns (See L16:P2-3); in this lesson, we will look at the 1st and 2nd person personal pronouns.

The following table shows the 1st & 2nd personal pronouns:


Remember, because the verb carries the case and number of its subject, the personal pronoun is not absolutely necessary in Greek. Therefore, the use of the nominative form of the personal pronouns always indicates some kind of emphasis—as when the Lord proclaims “ἐγω εἰμι ὁ ποιμην ὁ καλος” (I am the good shepherd); or “ἐγω εἰμι ἡ ὁδος”; or simply, “ἐγω εἰμι”.

(*Strictly speaking, mine & yours are the personal pronouns; my & your are personal adjectives [or determiners]).

S5: Possessive Pronouns & Adjectives

The most common way of expressing possession is by using the genitive forms of the personal pronoun (μου/ἡμων, σου/ὑμων). There are, however, 1st and 2nd person possessive adjectives:

ἐμοςηον (my) σοςηον (your)

Whenever these are used attributively, they take the article:

          και παντα τα ἐμα σα ἐστιν.*
          And all (things) mine are yours. (Luke 15:31)
          ἡ ἐμη διδαχη οὐκ ἐστιν ἐμη.
          My teaching is not mine. (John 7:16)

*Here the σα is a compliment, so the article is omitted (cf ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 1:1)

S6: 1st & 2nd Person Reflexive Pronouns

In Lesson 16 we looked at the 3rd person reflexive pronouns (See L16:P4); in this lesson, we will look at the 1st and 2nd person reflexive pronouns. As with ἑαυτον, there are no nominative forms. Unlike ἑαυτον, however, there are no neuter forms of the 1st and 2nd person reflexive pronouns.

The following table shows the declension pattern of the 1st and 2d person reflexive pronouns:



Note that:
1. There are masculine and feminine endings for each person.
2. The singular reflexives are combinations of ἐμε and σε with αυτος.
3. The plurals are ἑαυτους, the same as the 3rd person reflexive pronoun.

          ἐγω ἀπ’ ἐμαυτου λαλω.
          I speak from myself. (John 7:17)
          συ περι σεαυτου μαρτυρεις.
          You bear witness about yourself. (John 8:13)
          μαρτυρειτε ἑαυτοις.
          You bear witness to yourselves (Matthew 23:31)

S7: Practical Exercise

See L19 Practical A (L19_praxA_trans). For vocabulary refer to L19 Vocabulary (L19_vocab).



LESSON TWENTY
Miscellany

T1: Lesson Nineteen Review

Review completed Practical Exercise A (L19_praxA_trans) from Lesson Nineteen. For new vocabulary refer to L19 vocabulary (L19_vocab).

T2: Miscellany

What follows is a series of brief looks at a miscellany of basic elements of Greek grammar that could not be inserted neatly into any of the previous lessons. In keeping with the course’s guiding principle of simplicity, the examinations are only as deep as is necessary to help the student recognise these elements when they come across them in their reading of the Greek New Testament.

T3: Article with δε

Along with αὐτος and the two demonstratives οὑτος and ἐκεινος, the 3rd person personal pronoun can be expressed with the article followed by δε. This is an extremely common way for a narrative to introduce a new subject. Usually, for the sake of readability, δε is translated using “then” or “and”. Here are the first few words of a series of changes from Mark 15:11-16 between four subjects, the chief priests, Pilate, the crowd and the soldiers:

       οἱ δε ἀρχιερεις ἀνεσεισαν…      The chief priests stirred up…
       ὁ δε Πιλατος ἀποκριθεις…      Then Pilate answered…
      οἱ δε παλιν ἐκραξαν…       And they (the crowd) again cried…
      ὁ δε Πιλατος ἐλεγεν…      Then Pilate said…
      οἱ δε περισσοτερως ἐκραξαν...      And they cried the more…
      ὁ δε Πιλᾶτος βουλομενος…      Then Pilate wanting…
      οἱ δε στρατιωται…      Then the soldiers…

T4: μεν and δε

Often, two balanced items are contrasted in separate clauses using the two post-positive particles μεν & δε. The particles themselves are not directly translatable when used this way, but the sense of contrast usually can be. If the clauses are fairly lengthy, the phrasing is left to the translator’s discretion but phrases like “on the one hand…, on the other”, or “some…, others…” are often used. However, if the clauses are short, then μεν can be left untranslated and δε translated as “but”. For example:

ἐγω μεν ἐβαπτισα ὑμας ἐν ὑδατι, αὐτος δε βαπτισει ὑμας ἐν πνευματι ἁγιῳ.
I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you in holy spirit. (Mark 1:8)

οἱ μεν ἠσαν συν τοις Ἰουδαιοις, οἱ δε συν τοις ἀποστολοις.
Some were with the Jews and others with the apostles. (Acts 14:4)

T5: Article with Prepositional Phrases

We have seen prepositional phrases as separate clauses in the predicate. However, it is extremely common for a prepositional phrase to be placed in the attributive position between an article and its noun. When placed this way, it is an adjectival prepositional phrase and functions as an attributive adjective. Consider this sentence:

                   She saw the man in the house.

Here, the prepositional phrase “in the house” is ambiguous; it can mean either the man was in the house or she was in the house. In Greek, however, ambiguity is avoided by the strategic placement of the prepositional phrase. Compare the following two sentences:

            βλεπει τον ἀνθρωπον ἐν τῳ οἰκιῳ.            She saw the man in the house.
            βλεπει τον ἐν τῳ οἰκιῳ ἀνθρωπον.            She saw the in-the-house man.

When the subject is the one referred to by the prepositional phrase, the prepositional phrase is in the predicate. When the object is referred to by the prepositional phrase, it is incorporated into the article-noun unit itself.

T6: Increased Negation

In Greek, double negatives do not cancel one another out, but rather increase the negation. For example:

                  Και μη κρινετε και οὐ μη κριθητε.
                “And judge not and you shall (definitely) not be judged” (Luke 6:37).

T7: Hesitant and Prejudicial Questions

A hesitant question is a question which is framed in the negative by using μη or μητι that indicates uncertainty while allowing for the possibility that the answer to it is “yes”. For example:

μη οὑτος ἐστιν ὁ υἱος Δαβιδ;
Is this not the son of David? (Matt 12:23)
or: Surely this must be the son of David?

It is also possible in Greek to form negative questions which prejudice their answers by using forms of either μη or οὐ. If the question uses μη or μητι, it expects the answer “no”. If the question uses οὐ or οὐχι, it expects the answer “yes”. For example:

     μητι ἐγω Ἰουδαιος;           Am I a Jew? (John 18:35)
     οὐκ ἐγω σε εἰδον ἐν τῳ κηπῳ;    Did I not see you in the garden? (Jn 18:26)

T8: It Came to Pass

The phrases και ἐγενετο (3rd person, 2nd aorist middle indicative of γινομαι) and και ἐγενετο και are common features of the NT (sometimes written ἐγενετο δε). These phrases always begin a sentence and they literally mean “And it happened (and)”, but are generally translated “And it happened that” or, as in the KJV, “And it came to pass”.

T9: Someone and Who?

The interrogative pronouns “who?” and “what?”, and the indefinite pronouns “someone” and “anyone”, are the same word in Greek. They are distinguished* by an acute accent on the interrogatives. Consider these two sentences:

          τίς γινωσκει ἡμας;                 Who knows us?
          τις γινωσκει ἡμας.                 Someone knows us.

The following table shows the unaccented declension of τις:



Notice:
1. The masculine and feminine forms are the same.
2. Only the nominative and accusative forms are different.
3. The nominative and accusative duplications in the neuter.

As in Luke 6:46, the neuter interrogative τί usually asks, “Why?”

       τί δε με καλειτε, Κυριε Κυριε;        Why do you keep calling me, Lord, Lord?

*There are rare cases where the indefinite pronouns have the acute accent (e.g. John 12:47; 16:30)

T10: One and Nothing

There are masculine, feminine and neuter forms of the adjective “one”. The following table shows how they decline:


Notice:
1. The masculine and neuter dative and genitive are the same.
2. The rough breathing mark on εἱς and ἑν, distinguishing them from the pronouns εἰς and ἐν.

In the indicative mood, “no one” and “nothing” is expressed by combining εἱς with δε and οὐ giving οὐδεις. In all other moods, μηδεις is used. These two forms are declined like εἱς, except that there final ε of δε does not elide in the feminine forms.

T11: A Few Common Aorist Verbs

Verbs in Greek actually have two different stems called “Present Stems” and “Verbal Stems”. All the verbs we have learned have been formed from present stems. There is a tense we haven’t study in this course called the “2nd Aorist”. The verbs of the 2nd aorist tense are formed from verbal stems and consequently appear much different than the present stem verbs we are used to.

The following list gives a few of the New Testament verbs more commonly found in the 2nd aorist form:

Present Stem         2nd Aorist           Meaning
   ἐρχομαι                   ἠλθον                 I come
   ἐσθιω                       ἐφαγον               I eat
   λεγω                         εἰπον                    I say
   ὁραω                        εἰδον               I perceive
   φερω                      ἠνεγκον              I carry

The 2nd aorist endings are the same as the imperfect indicative.

There is also a 1st aorist tense with different endings than the 2nd. Often 2nd aorist stems are attached to 1st aorist endings. The following table shows these 1st aorist endings:


T12: Practical Exercise

See L20 Practical A (L20_praxA_trans). For vocabulary refer to L19 & L20 Vocabulary (L19_L20_vocab).