APPENDIX C

 

CONJUGATION

 

C3. THE THIRD CONJUGATION

 

C3.0 FEATURES OF THE THIRD CONJUGATION (C3)

 

C3.01 For Third Conjugation verbs, as for Second Conjugation verbs, the verb stem is the aorist stem, to which affixes are added to form the various other tenses. Verbs of the Third Conjugation are those which have one or both of the following two features: (a) They lack the neutral morph (-ο/ε-) which is used by the Second Conjugation in adding the aorist endings to the stem, and which is used in both the First and Second Conjugations in adding the present and imperfect endings to the durative stem; and/or (b) They have their lexical form ending in μι.

 

C3.02 The conjugation of Third Conjugation verbs is shown in the Conjugation Conspectus, #C6.

 

C3.03 For a comparison of the formation of the flexions of the three Conjugations, see #10.1, #10.2.

 

C3.04 There are altogether 36 Third Conjugation verbs which occurr in the New Testament, 32 of which have lexical forms ending in μι, and four verbs in -ω which are Third Conjugation in the aorist. A number of those which have forms in -μι also have First Conjugation forms which circulated in the Hellenistic Greek period and which can at times be found in the New Testament. For many verbs, the First Conjugation forms were, in New Testament times, in the process of supplanting the Third Conjugation forms.

 

C3.05 The main feature subdividing the Third Conjugation verbs is that of the manner in which they form their durative (present) stem from their verb stem, which is usually also the aorist stem; and they are categorised here primarily on that basis. Other differences may be noted from a comparison of their Principal Parts.

 

C3.1 REDUPLICATE IN -ι

δίδωμι	give	(√δο)	δώσω	ἔδωκα	δέδωκα	δέδομαι	ἐδόθην
-ἵημι	send	(√ἑ)	-ἥσω	-ἧκα	-εἷκα	-εἷμαι	-εἵθην
ἵστημι	stand	(√στα)	στήσω	ἔστην	ἕστηκα	ἕσταμαι	ἐστάθην
κίχρημι	lend	(√χρα)	χρήσω	ἔχρησα	(κέχρηκα)	(κέχρημαι)	—
ὀνίνημι	benefit	(√ὀνα)	ὀνήσω	ὠνάμην	—	—	(ὠνήθην)
πίμπλημι	fill	(√πλα)	πλήσω	ἔπλησα	(πέπληκα)	(πέπλησμαι)	ἐπλήσθην
πίμπρημι	burn	(√πρα)	πρήσω	(ἔπρησα)	—	(πέπρησμαι)	(ἐπρήσθην)
τίθημι	place	(√θε)	θήσω	ἔθηκα	τέθεικα	τέθειμαι	ἐτέθην

 

C3.2 ADD -λυ (after λ), -νυ (after any other consonant) or -ννυ (after a vowel)

ἀμφιέννυμι	clothe	(√ἐ)	(ἀμφιέσω)	(ἠμφίεσα)	—	ἠμφίεσμαι	(ἠμφιέσθην)
ἀπόλλυμι	destroy	(√ὀλ)	ἀπολέσω ἀπολέω	ἀπώλεσα	(ἀπολώλεκα)	ἀπόλωλα	—
δείκνυμι	show	(√δεικ)	δείξω	ἔδειξα	(δέδειχα)	δέδειγμαι	ἐδείχθην
ἐκπετάννυμι	hold out	(√πετα)	ἐκπετάσω	ἐξεπέτασα	—	—	—
ζώννυμι	gird	(√ζω)	ζώσω	ἔζωσα	—	ἔζωσμαι	—
κατάγνυμι	break	(√ϝαγ)	κατεάξω	κατέαξα	—	—	κατεάγην
κεράννυμι	mix	(√κερα)	—	ἐκέρασα	(κεκέρακα)	κεκέρασμαι	(ἐκράθην)
κορέννυμι	fill	(√κορε)	—	(ἐκόρεσα)	—	κεκόρεσμαι	ἐκορέσθην
κρεμάννυμι	hang	(√κρεμα)	—	ἐκρέμασα	—	—	ἐκρεμάσθην
μίγνυμι	mix	(√μιγ)	(μίξω)	ἔμιξα	—	μέμιγμαι	(ἐμίγην)
ὄμνυμι	vow	(√ὀμ)	(ὀμόσω)	ὤμοσα	(ὀμώμοκα)	—	(ὠμόθην)
πήγνυμι	fasten	(√πηγ)	(πήξω)	ἔπηξα	—	—	—
ῥήγνυμι	break up	(√ῥηγ)	ῥήξω	ἔρρηξα	—	—	—
ῥώννυμι	strengthen	(√ῥω)	(ῥώσω)	ἔρρωσα	—	ἔρρωμαι	(ἐρρώσθην)
σβέννυμι	extinguish	(√σβε)	σβέσω	ἔσβεσα	—	—	(ἐσβέσθην)
στρώννυμι	spread	(√στρω)	(στώσω)	ἔστρωσα	—	ἔστρωμαι	—
συζεύγνυμι	join	(√ζευγ)	—	συνέζευξα	—	—	—

 

C3.3 ADD ENDINGS DIRECT TO STEM (SOMETIMES WITH VOWEL LENGTHENING)

δύναμαι	be able	(√δυνα)	δυνήσομαι	—	—	(δεδύνημαι)	ἠδυνήσθην
εἰμί	be	(√ἐσ)	ἔσομαι	—	—	—	—
-εἶμι	go	(√ἰ)	—	—	—	—	—
ἐπίσταμαι	understand	(√στα)	—	—	—	—	—
κάθημαι	sit down	(√ἡσ)	καθήσομαι	—	—	—	—
κεῖμαι	lie down	(√κει)	κείσομαι	—	—	—	—
φημί	say	(√φα)	—	—	—	—	—

 

C3.4-C3.7 TAKE -ω NOT -μι IN THE PRESENT TENSE, AND:

 

C3.4 ADD –ιν

-βαίνω

go

(√βα)

-βήσομαι

-ἔβην

-βέβηκα

(-βέβαμαι)

-ἐβάθην)

 

C3.5 REDUPLICAIE IN .ι AND ADD -σκ

γινώσκω

know

(√γνο)

γνώσομαι

ἔγνων

ἔγνωκα

ἔγνωμαι

ἐγνώσθην

 

C3.6 ADD -ν

δύνω

sink

(√δυ)

(δύσω)

ἔδυν

—

—

—

 

C3.7 ADD ENDINGS DIRECT TO THE STEM

φύω

grow up

(√φυ)

(φύσω)

(ἔφυν)

—

—

ἐφύην

 

C3.8 CONCERNING THE FEATURES OF THE VERBS OF THE THIRID CONJUGATION

 

C3.81 A hyphen in front of a word (e.g., -βαίνω) indicates that this is the simplex form of the verb, but that the verb is only found in the New Testament in compounds. Where a dash occurs in this Synopsis, it indicates that no form derived from that particular Principal Part occurs in the United Bible Societies’ Edition of the New Testament, either for the simplex or compound form of that verb. However, some forms are given in this synopsis even though no derived forms from them occur in the New Testament, where these are of interest or of help in understanding the pattern of the verb - brackets indicate such a form. (The root is also given in brackets and indicated by the sign √ — see #C3.84.)

 

C3.82 The foregoing is a Synopsis of all the verbs found in the New Testament which have a lexical form ending in -μι and/or which form their aorist active by adding the Third Conjugation endings directly to the verb stem or root. The fact of the matter was, however, that this Conjugation was breaking down in New Testament times and assimilating to the First Conjugation, so that it can be seen from the Synopsis that there were only five verbs which followed the aorist pattern of the Third Conjugation: ἵστημι, -βαίνω, δύνω, γινώσκω and φύω. Of these, φύω is a verb with a Third Conjugation aorist active, but no forms from this flexion actually occur in the New Testament; and there is only one occuffence (in Mark l:32) of a form from the aorist of δύνω. This means that the aorist indicative active bf the Third Declension is represented in the New Testament by only three verbs, ἵστημι, -βαίνω and γινώσκω, together with the occurrence of one third aorist form from δίδωμι (παρέδοσαν in Luke 1:2, where Luke is very consciously using the classical form in his Prologue). As shown in the Conspectus, #C6, the Third Conjugation aorist active does occur for some verbs in other modes. All other Third Conjugation verbs in the New Testament follow the First Conjugation pattern of λύω for their aorist indicative active. These words are included in the Third Conjugation list because they have a lexical form in -μι, and follow the Third Declension pattern of conjugation for the durative (present and imperfect) tenses. However, in the case of many of these words, they only occur in the New Testament a very small number of times, and none of these occurrences may necessarily be from the distinctive Third Conjugation flexions.

 

Moreover, a number of these words had parallel -ω forms in use in Hellenistic (and New Testament) Greek alongside their -μι forms. But all these words are included here in order that this Synopsis will constitute a complete listing of all the -μι words used in the New Testament.

 

C3.83 On the other hand, some of these words are of very frequent occurrence, both in their simplex forms and also compounded with a wide range of prepositions.

 

C3.84 The root of each verb is given in brackets after its lexical form, with the sign √. Thus it is usually easy to see how the particular durative morph has been added to the verb stem to form the present stem. A number of the verbs are deponent, so their endings are -μαι, not -μι.

 

C3.85 The three verbs δίδωμι, -ἵημι and τίθημι (and only these three) form their aorist active forms in the New Testament by adding -κα, not -σα, to their stem. They thus have the aorist flexion forms ἔδωκα, -ἧκα, and ἔθηκα respectively. These conjugate as first aorist active flexions that follow λύω). These verbs’ forms in -κα are easily distinguished from their reduplicated perfects, δέδωκα, -εἷκα, and τέθεικα respectively.

 

C3.86 The flexions of the Third Conjugation are set out in the Conjugation Conspectus, #C6. In this Conspectus you can see that the third aorist endings (seen in ἵστημι, -βαίνω, γινώσκω and δύνω) are identical with those of the aorist passive, where they have been added to the passive morph. A. T. Robertson, commenting on the voices in Greek, explains: "Originally there was no passive voice, but only active and middle... The passive voice is a later development... In fact, in Greek only two tenses developed separate passive forms (the aorist and the future)... The active and middle had separate endings all through, while the passive had no separate endings at all, but even in the aorist and future had to borrow the active endings for the aorist and the middle for the future, added to a special suffix for these tenses." ³² That is to say, the aorist passive is formed from the active by adding the passive morph -θε- to the stem and then suffixing to this morph (which thereupon lengthens to -θη-) the endings of the third aorist (respectively, -ν, -ς, -∅, -μεν, -τε, -σαν). Thus the passive aorist and the third aorist endings correspond because the aorist passive flexion was built up of the passive morph plus the third aorist paradigm endings. Third Conjugation endings will also be noted on the pluperfect active and the aorist optative passive (these flexions are set out in #C1.11 and #C1.12 respectively).

 

C3.87 It can be seen in the Conspectus that the verbs τίθημι and δίδωμι had third aorist active forms in the plural. However, these had become almost entirely superseded in New Testament times by the first aorist flexions ἔθηκα and ἔδωκα (#C3.85) - as mentioned (#C3.82), a third aorist form from δίδωμι occurs just once in the New Testament, and there are no third aorist forms in the New Testament from τίθημι.

 

C3.88 The verb ἵστημι, "I stand", is unique in possessing both first aorist and third aorist forms in common use, with divergent meanings. The third aorist indicative active flexion ἔστην, and the other aorist modes and forms, subjunctive, imperative, infinitive and participle, are all intransitive, and refer to the subject taking his stand himself. Thus ἔστην is used in the passage where Jesus stood on a level place (Luke 6:17), and in the statement that after the resurrection, Jesus stood in their midst (Luke 24:36). In contrast, the first aorist indicative active flexion ἔστησα, together with the entire durative system (present and imperfect indicative active, present subjunctive, imperative, infinitive and participle) are all transitive, indicating that the action caries over to an object. Thus ἔστησα used with the meaning "I made to stand, I caused to stand, I set up, I placed in position", with reference to a specific person or thing. In the RSV this use is often translated "set" or "put" - thus the devil set (NRSV "placed") Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:5; Luke 4:9); Jesus put a child in the midst of them (Matthew l8:2): the NIV translares respectively, "the devil...made him stand on the highest point of the temple"; "Jesus called a child and had him stand among them".

 

C3.89 There are 34 Second Conjugation verbs and 36 Third Conjugation verbs (a total of 70) in the New Testament. Of the 1,000 different verbs used in the New Testament, the remaining 930 (93%) behave in the New Testament as First Conjugation.