Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
Elementary New Testament Greek, 2014a
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10: Imperfect Tense<br />
Assembly Line “G”<br />
Some evidence exists that a very old Assembly Line, which added the sufx to<br />
form the First Principle Part, had for a time been operational. Only a few traces of<br />
its work remain.<br />
Root<br />
<br />
First Principal<br />
Part<br />
<br />
Explanation<br />
The delta (), when followed by a theta (), was<br />
converted into a sigma ().<br />
Neuter Plural Subjects with 3rd Singular<br />
Verbs<br />
129<br />
In the GNT it is common to nd a neuter plural subject taking a 3rd singular verb<br />
(instead of a 3rd plural verb).<br />
The “Normal:”<br />
A common<br />
“Abnormality:”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The children are seeing<br />
the Lord.<br />
The children are seeing<br />
the Lord.<br />
Root, the 1st Principal Part, and the Lexical<br />
Entry<br />
The value of knowing the verb root will emerge more clearly in the next chapter when<br />
we study the Future tense. You will discover that the Future, along with many other<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> verb tenses, is built from one of the other ve Principal Parts, not built from<br />
the First!<br />
And yet, unfortunately, it is the First Principal Part (rather than the root) which has<br />
been chosen by tradition to stand as a verb’s “name tag,” or Lexical Entry, in most<br />
<strong>Greek</strong> dictionaries. So you will be told, for example, that the <strong>Greek</strong> verb meaning<br />
“take/receive” is μ, and you will imagine (unwisely) that from this form<br />
all other forms of this verb will be built. By now you know that (and not<br />
μ ) is the root of this verb from which all the various forms of this verb will<br />
ultimately be derived. You must learn, therefore, to recognize the Dictionary Entry<br />
(e.g. μ) merely as one “branch ofce” of a verb, and must remember that<br />
the “corporate ofce” which runs all the “branch ofces” may not look much like the<br />
Dictionary Entry.<br />
The Imperfect Indicative of μ<br />
Because the verb “to be” is stative (i.e. not expressing action, but state), it is not<br />
really appropriate to parse it with “voice” (Active, Middle, or Passive), even though<br />
Mounce treats these forms (in his Interlinear Code) as Active. We will simply omit<br />
reference to voice, so that we will parse μ as “Imperfect, —, Indicative, First<br />
Person, Singular.”<br />
Singular<br />
Plural<br />
1st μ μ<br />
2nd <br />
3rd