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Four Common Greek Verbs

1. Give, Put, Throw

Most –μι verbs have a FIRST AORIST. For example, the verb to say is φημί, φήσω, ἔφησα. Some of the most common –μι verbs, however, are not formed in the first aorist. The verb εἰμί has no aorist at all!

Other –μι verbs have their own peculiarities. The verbs δίδωμι, τίθημι, and ἵημι, for example, share the following characteristics:

• They are FIRST AORISTS in the singular, with –κα replacing –σα.
• They are SECOND AORISTS in the plural and infinitive; the long stem vowel becomes short, as in the present and imperfect tense.
• They form their INFINITIVES by adding –εναι, which contracts with the short stem vowel (S 760). For example:
  • δό-εναι → δοῦναι
  • θέ-εναι → θεῖναι
  • ἕ-εναι → εἷναι

The principal parts, as a result, now look like this:

• δίδωμι, δώσω, ἔδωκα (stem: δω/δο-)
• τίθημι, θήσω, ἔθηκα (stem: θη/θε-)
• ἵημι, ἥσω, ἧκα (stem: ἡ/ἑ-)

The Aorist, Indicative, Active of δίδωμι (S 416; GPH p. 129)

Aorist Indicative Active Infinitive: δοῦναι

The Aorist, Indicative, Active of τίθημι (S 416; GPH p. 151)

Aorist Indicative Active Infinitive: θεῖναι

The Aorist, Indicative, Active of ἵημι (S 777)

Aorist Indicative Active Infinitive: εἷναι

Notice that, in the singular, ἵημι uses ἡ-, as it does in the present tense, and also adds a –κα– marker. In the plural and infinitive, ἵημι uses εἱ– (for ἔ–ἑμεν, κτλ.; S 756).

In general, and particularly in the plural, the aorist forms of  ἵημι are more commonly found with prefixes than as stand-alone verbs.

2. Stand

Note the principal parts of another common Greek –μι verb, stand. This verb has both a FIRST and ATHEMATIC SECOND AORIST form! Note also that, unlike the previous three verbs, this verb keeps its long stem vowel throughout the singular and plural.

• ἵστημι, στήσω, ἔστησα/ἔστην (stem: στη/στα-)

The Second Aorist, Indicative, Active of ἵστημι (S 416; GPH p. 140)

Second Aorist Indicative Active Infinitive: στῆναι

The First Aorist, Indicative, Active of ἵστημι

First Aorist Indicative Active Infinitive: στῆσαι

Verbs with First and Second Aorist Forms

When a verb has both types of aorist, it is often the case that the FIRST AORIST is TRANSITIVE, and the SECOND AORIST is INTRANSITIVE. For example:

• ἵστημι, στήσω, ἔστησα/ἔστην stand
  • ἔστησα I stood (something) up.
  • ἔστην I stood up
• φύω, φύσω, ἔφυσα/ἔφυν produce, grow
  • ἔφυσα I grew (something).
  • ἔφυν I grew.

Aorist Passive

1. Formation

As we discussed earlier, in early Greek there were no distinct PASSIVE forms in the PRESENT tense. Instead, the MIDDLE endings were used also for the PASSIVE when the need arose. The AORIST, however, is one of the few tenses for which distinct PASSIVE endings developed. These forms always conjugate like a regular –μι verb.

To form the aorist passive, the following formula is used:

• ἐ + verb stem + θη + athematic secondary endings

If adding –θη– is too hard to pronounce, only –η– is added. Advanced vocabulary lists, as well as Greek lexica, provide six principal parts for Greek verbs, and the AORIST PASSIVE is the SIXTH PRINCIPAL PART. Generally speaking, however, the aorist passive is easy to recognize and parse because of its distinctive –θη– marker and regular personal endings.

The Aorist, Indicative, Passive of λύω (S 383; GPH p. 88)

Aorist Indicative Passive Infinitive: λυθῆναι

2. Use

Although this form is known as the AORIST PASSIVE, it in fact evolved in meaning over the centuries. In Classical Greek, the passive voice appears much less frequently than it does in English or later Greek. Ιn fact, in the earliest Greek, the form is almost always intransitive (as if in the middle voice):

• δεινὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε φάανθεν…
  • and her eyes (οἱ ὄσσε) appeared (φάανθεν) awesome (δεινὼ). Homer Iliad 1.200

By the time of Koine Greek, the form is used frequently in passive constructions.

• Active: ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεός.
  • God gave us eternal life. 1 John 5:11
• Passive: ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη.
  • The law was given through Moses. John 1:17

Intransitive uses continue as well, however, and in fact some verbs only use the aorist passive intransitively:

• Καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὸ Ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν.
  • And each went to his own home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Jn 7:53-8:1

Context within a sentence helps to translate the voice of the AORIST PASSIVE form. A rule of thumb is to look for a GENITIVE OF AGENT following ὑπό.

Note the following examples:

• τὸ βιβλίον ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ γράφεται.
  • The book is being written by the poet.
• τὸ βιβλίον ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἐγράφη.
  • The book was written by the poet.
  • The aorist passive of γράφω has dropped the θ, but otherwise declines normally: ἐγράφην, ἐγράφης, ἐγράφη, κτλ.
• αἱ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν λύονται
  • The cities are being destroyed by the Persians…
• αἱ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἐλύθησαν
  • The cities were destroyed by the Persians…

– τὸ τέλος –