Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a

In the PASSIVE versions of #’s 3 and 4 above, you will notice how closely they
resemble the diagram of the simple linking verb with a predicate noun or adjective:
The Son is being made Lord, closely resembles The Son is Lord; The Son is being
made rst, closely resembles The Son is rst. Verbs that can be followed by two
accusatives (as in #’s 3 and 4 above) will act, when converted into passives, much
like linking verbs by taking a Predicate Nominative (noun or adjective).
Linking Verb
The Son is Lord (or rst)
Reasons for using the English passive largely overlap the reasons in Greek:
Stylistic
Variation:
Focus:
Good writers have learned to vary their grammatical expression to
enhance reading pleasure, interest, and ease. Biblical writers (and
speakers) were often sensitive in these same ways.
Sometimes it is better to draw attention away from the actor in
order to place more attention upon the action itself or its results, etc.
Several different motives might be at work in such a shift:
Perhaps the actor is not known
Type 3 or 4
Passive Verb
Predicate
Nominatives
Perhaps mentioning the actor would only be distracting
Perhaps the identity of the actor is being concealed
Perhaps the identity of the actor is not important
The Son is being made Lord (or rst)
Reasons for Using the Passive
We’ve talked a lot about passive sentences, but haven’t yet addressed why authors
would use them…when active forms are readily available.
Obvious
Agency:
Often in the GNT the passive is used when, without doubt, God is
the agent! In such a circumstance, the focus would be on the action
without in any way demeaning or diminishing the role of God.
[Traditionally this has been called the divine passive, and explained
by the Jewish hesitation to mention the divine name. But GNT
writers often refer to God () without hesitation.] Most notably
the beatitudes are best interpreted as divine passives:
…they shall be comforted… = …(God) will comfort them…
Why would I say“The oak tree was destroyed by a bolt of lightning,”
rather than “A bolt of lightning destroyed the oak tree”?
…they shall be satised… = …(God) will satisfy them…
These beatitudes leap into bold colors when we realize that “being comforted” and
“being satised” are not the work of impersonal or generalized forces…but of God!
9: Active, Middle, Passive Voices
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