Semester 2, Lecture 9: 1st Aorist
“χαῖρε μαθηταί”
Review and Addenda
- Download Verb Paradigms Chart from GKNT.ORG
Review Second Aorist – See Smyth on the 2nd Aorist
- Definition of Aorist (ἀορίστος) : Undefined aspect usually in past time
- Basic Definition: Simple Past Tense
- Alpha privative (negation) examples (atheist, agnostic, amoral, etc.)
- verb ὁρίζω – determine, appoint, fix, set limits to, define
- α + ὁριστος = undefined
- Translate as English simple past tense, e.g. “I ate” “I ran”
- Indefinite – states only the fact that the action occurred, and nothing else
- Compare with Imperfect which says something very definite about the action, viz. that its aspect is continuous
- Aorist Indicative Active is the 3rd Principal Part (or Tense Form) of 6 (22.8)
- Verbal roots and Principal Parts must be memorized exactly
- See Previous Words on page 200
- 2 ways of forming the Aorist: 1st Aorist (chapter 23) and the 2nd Aorist
- Greek verb will have one or the other form, but not both (a few exceptions)
- There is no difference in meaning between 1st and 2nd Aorist
- 1st Aorist is considered regular, cf. in English, look, looked
- 2nd Aorist is considered irregular, cf. in English swim, swam
- 2nd Aorist & Present Active tense stems will ALWAYS be different
- Verbal Root is always modified to form the present, e.g βαλ → βαλλ and λαβ → λαμβαν
- The 2nd Aorist Tense Stem almost always uses the unmodified Verbal Root for its tense stem
- This is how you can distinguish an Imperfect from a 2nd Aorist, which both have the temporal augment and secondary endings – The 2nd Aorist looks like the Imperfect except for the Tense Stem (22.11)
- Compare λαμβάνω in Imperfect and 2nd Aorist: ἐλαμβάνον vs. ἔλαβον
- When translating, focus on the Tense Stem first to avoid confusing the Imperfect with the 2nd Aorist
- See page 397 of all verbs occurring > 50 times in NT, which have 2nd Aorists
- Formation of the 2nd Aorist (22.5-6, 22.14-15)
- Temporal Augment ε
- 2nd Aorist Tense Stem (unmodified Verbal Root)
- Connecting Vowel
- Secondary Endings
First Aorist See Smyth on 1st Aorist
- Exegetical Insight
- 1st Aorist is the regular form
- Most Greek verbs follow this pattern
- The 2nd Aorist alters the Tense Stem from the Present (usually to Verbal Root)
- The 1st Aorist does not alter the Present Tense Stem, but instead uses the Tense Formative σα
- 1st Aorist Tense Stem is usually identical to Present Tense Stem
- There is no differnce in meaning between the 1st and 2nd Aorist—Simple Past
- Aspect of the Aorist is Undefined
- All Aorists use Secondary Endings, and therefor all have the Temporal Augment ε
- Most Greek verbs follow this pattern
- Formation of the 1st Aorist (23.4-5, 23.17-18)
- Temporal Augment ε
- 1st Aorist Tense Stem
- Tense Formative σα (Note that there are no connecting vowels since Tense Formative ends with a vowel)
- Easy to identify in the Active – alters only in 3rd person singular
- when Tense Formative is preceded by a stop, square of stops applies, including -ιζω and -αζω verbs (see chart below)
- Contract verbs lengthen their stem vowels in before the Tense Formation, just as in the Future
- Liquid Stems use α for Tense Formative, instead of σα (23.13-14)
- Secondary Endings – importance of memorizing the actual endings
The Square of Stops (Mounce p. 83)
| Voiceless |
Voiced |
Aspirate |
With Sigma |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labials | π | β | φ | + σ => ψ |
| Velars(Palatals) | κ | γ | χ | + σ => ξ |
| Dentals | τ | δ | θ | + σ => σσ => σ |
Master Verb Ending Chart
| Voice | Primary Tenses |
Secondary Tenses |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | |||||
| λύ ω | (-) | ἔ λυ ο ν | (ν) | ||
| λύ εις | (ς) | ἔ λυ ε ς | (ς) | ||
| λύ ει | (ι) | ἔ λυ ε(ν) | (-) | ||
| λύ ο μεν | (μεν) | ἐ λύ ο μεν | (μεν) | ||
| λύ ε τε | (τε) | ἐ λύ ε τε | (τε) | ||
| λύ ουσι(ν) | (νσι) | ἐ λυ ο ν | (ν) | ||
| Middle & Passive |
|||||
| λύ ο μαι | (μαι) | ἐ λυ ό μην | (μην) | ||
| λύ ῃ | (σαι) | ἐ λύ ου | (σο) | ||
| λύ ε ται | (ται) | ἐ λύ ε το | (το) | ||
| λυ ό μεθα | (μεθα) | ἐ λυ ό μεθα | (μεθα) | ||
| λύ ε σθε | (σθε) | ἐ λύ ε σθε | (σθε) | ||
| λύ ο νται | (νται) | ἐ λύ ο ντο | (ντο) | ||
Master Verb Chart (Mounce p.356)
| Verb Tense | Augment/ Reduplication |
Tense Stem |
Tense Formative |
Connecting Vowel |
Personal Endings |
1st Person Singular |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present Active | — | Present | — | ο/ε | Primary Active | λύω |
| Present Middle/Passive | — | Present | — | ο/ε | Primary Middle/Passive | λύομαι |
| Imperfect Active | ε | Present | — | ο/ε | Secondary Active | ἔλυον |
| Imperfect Middle/Passive | ε | Present | — | ο/ε | Secondary Middle/Passive | ἐλυόμην |
| Future Active | — | Future Active | σ | ο/ε | Primary Active | λύσω |
| Liquid Future Active | — | Future Active | εσ | ο/ε | Primary Active | μενῶ |
| Future Middle | — | Future Active | σ | ο/ε | Primary Middle/Passive | πορεύομαι |
| Liquid Future Middle | — | Future Active | εσ | ο/ε | Primary Middle/Passive | μενοῦμαι |
| 1st Future Passive | — | Aorist Passive | θησ | ο/ε | Primary Middle/Passive | λυθήσομαι |
| 2nd Future Passive | — | Aorist Passive | ησ | ο/ε | Primary Middle/Passive | ἀποσταλήσομαι |
| 1st Aorist Active | ε | Aorist Active | σα | — | Secondary Active | ἔλυσα |
| Liquid Aorist Active | ε | Aorist Active | α | — | Secondary Active | ἔμεινα |
| 2nd Aorist Active | ε | Aorist Active | — | ο/ε | Secondary Active | ἔλαβον |
| 1st Aorist Middle | ε | Aorist Active | σα | — | Secondary Middle/Passive | ἐλυσάμην |
| 2nd Aorist Middle | ε | Aorist Active | — | ο/ε | Secondary Middle/Passive | ἐγενόμην |
| 1st Aorist Passive | ε | Aorist Passive | θη | — | Secondary Active | ἐλύθην |
| 2nd Aorist Passive | ε | Aorist Passive | η | — | Secondary Active | ἐγράφην |
| 1st Perfect Active | λε | Perfect Active | κα | — | Primary Active | λέκυκα |
| 2nd Perfect Active | λε | Perfect Active | α | — | Primary Active | γέγονα |
| Perfect Middle/Passive | λε | Perfect Passive | — | — | Primary Middle/Passive | λέκυμαι |
- How to recognize a Liquid Aorist:
- final stem consonant is a liquid (μνλρ)
- Tense Formative is α, not σα
- (Liquid Tenses only occur in Future and Aorist)
- Sometimes you will find 2nd Aorist stems with 1st Aorist endings – Koine Greek was in the process of standardization
- Aorist has distinct form for the Middle voice and the Passive voice, as does the Future
- You can recognize an Aorist deponent, because its lexical form will end with -μην
Review New Vocabulary
- ἄρχω – has an actual middle meaning – occurs mostly in the middle
- Learn the Aorists for previous vocabulary
Look at chapter 24 workbook exercises
Assignments
- Continue your life habit of reading Greek aloud from the Greek New Testament
- Prepare for quiz next week on chapter 23 on 1st Aorist and complete workbook exercise 23 on First Aorist
- Study chapter 24 on Aorist and Future Passive Indicative
- Learn 3rd principal part (Aorist Indicative Active) for all verbs
- Lexical Aids: Appendix II pp 79-85 on compound verbs. Part I pp.1-10 – make sure you know all words with NT occurrences > 150. Pay special attentive to the derivatives
- Continue taking your Greek NT to church with you, and follow along
The Lord’s Prayer
Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δοξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.
ἀμήν.
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη, Διδάσκαλος Ἀνδρέας Ἀέρος :-)