APPENDIX C

 

CONJUGATION

 

C7. DEPONENT VERBS

 

C7.1 A number of Greek verbs do not have active forms in use and are found only in the middle and/or passive, but with active meaning. These are called deponent verbs (meaning 'set aside", the active being no longer used).

 

C7.2 With these are usually classified a number of verbs that are frequently deponent (that is, used in the middle or passive, but with active meaning) but which may also be found in the active (for example, εὐαγγελίζομαι “preach the gospel”), and others which are not found in the active but which have a “middle”-type meaning (for example, ἀπολογέομαι, “defend oneself in an argument”) or a passive sense δαιμονίζομαι, “be demon-possessed”), and also others that do exist in the active but with a different meaning (for example, ἅπτω, “light” / ἅπτομαι, “touch”; ἄρχω, “rule” / ἄρχομαι, “begin”; see #6.17).

 

C7.3 It is important that when you are reading the Greek New Testament you are able to recognise a deponent verb, especially one with active meaning, so that you can take account of this meaning.

 

C7.4 Verbs that are deponent in the present are (almost without exception) deponent in the other tenses also-. (the only exceptions to note are that γίνομαι is γέγονα in the perfect, and the suppletive ἔρχομαι has active aorist and perfect forms from ἐλθ-; ἦλθον and ἐλήλυθα).

 

C7.5 The following list contains all the deponents which occur in the New Testament ten times or more, apart from those that are compounds where the simplex verb is not deponent. Some verbs occurring less than ten times are also included where they are of interest for some other reason. Second and Third Conjugation verbs are indicated by the figures ² and ³ respectively. A cross reference is given for verbs listed elsewhere in this Appendix as well (where the Principal Parts are given).

 

²αἰσθάνομαι	(#C2.33)	undersrand
αἰσχύνομαι	(#C1.89)	be ashamed
ἅλλομαι	(#C1.89)	leap/spring
ἀμύνομαι	(#C1.89)	come to help
ἀποκρίνομαι	(#Cl.9c)	answer/respond
ἀπολογέομαι		defend oneself
ἅπτομαι	(#c5.7)	touch
ἀρνέομαι		deny
ἄρχομαι	(#6.17)	begin
ἀσπάζομαι		greet
²ἀφικνέομαι	(#C2.32)	reach
βούλομαι	(#C1.89)	want
γεύομαι		taste
²γίνομαι	(#C2.l)	become
δαιμονίζομαι		be demon-possessed
δέομαι	(#C8.76)	entreat/beseech
δέχομαι		receive
³δύναμαι	(#C3.3)	be able
ἐμβριμάομαι		be moved with anger
ἐντέλλομαι	(#C1.89)	command
ἐπαγγέλλομαι	(#C1.8a)	promise
ἐπισκέπτομαι	(#C5.7)	care for/visit
³ἐπίσταμαι	(#C3.3)	understand
ἐργάζομαι	(#C8.74)	work
²ἔρχομαι	(#C2.8)	come
εὐαγγελίζομαι		preach the gospel
εὔχομαι		pray
ἐφάλλομαι	(#C2.2)	jump on
ἡγέομαι		think/lead
θεάομαι	(#C1.48)	look at
ἰάομαι	(#C1.48)	heal
ἱλάσκομαι	(#C5.5)	propitiate
³κάθημαι	(#C3.3)	sit down
καταράομαι	(#C1.48)	curse
καυχάομαι		boast
³κεῖμαι	(#C3.3)	lie down
κοιμάομαι		sleep
³κολλάομαι		join/cleave to
λογίζομαι		account/reckon
λυμαίνομαι	(#C1.89)	harass/desrroy
μαίνομαι	(#C1.89)	be insane
μαρτύρομαι	(#C1.89)	testify
μεθύσκομαι	(#C5.5)	get drunk
μεταμέλομαι	(#C1.89)	regret
μοιχάομαι		commit adultery
ὁμείρομαι	(#C1.89)	yearn for
ὀρχέομαι		dance
πορεύομαι		go/journey
²πυνθάνομαι	(#C2.34)	inquire
ῥύομαι		rescue/deliver
ῥυπαίνομαι	(#C1.89)	be impure
σαίνομαι	(#C1.89)	be disturbed
σέβομαι		worship
σπλαγχνίζομαι		have compassion
φείδομαι
φοβέομαι
χαρίζομαι
χράομαι
ψεύδομαι

 

C7.6 There are a number of verbs which are deponent only in their future tense, and have active forms in the present and the other tenses. Because of this special feature, these verbs need to be carefully noted. There are fourteen verbs which have deponent future forms in the New Testament. (A number of other verbs which occur in the New Testament but not in the future tense are not included here, though they have deponent futures in literature outside the New Testament.)

αἱρέω	αἱρήσομαι	(#C2.8)	take away	ὁράω	ὄψομαι	(#C2.8)	see
-βαίνω	-βήσομαι	(#C3.41)	go	πίνω	πίομαι	(#C2.31)	drink
γινώσκω	γνώσομαι	(#C3.5)	know	πίπτω	πεσέομαι	(#C2.1)	fall
εἰμί	ἔσομαι	(#C3.3)	be	τίκτω	τέξομαι	(#C2.1)	give birth to
ἐσθίω	φάγομαι	(#C2.8)	eat	φαίνω	φανέομαι	(C1.89)	shine/appear
θνῄσκω	θανέομαι	(#C2.4)	die	φεύγω	φεύξομαι	(#C2.5)	flee
λαμβάνω	λήμψομαι	(#C2.34)	take	χαίρω	χαρήσομαι	(#C1.89)	rejoice

 

C7.7 Rarely, one encounters a reverse deponent - an active form with passive meaning. One such is ἀπόλωλα, the direct flexion perfect active from ἀπόλλυμι (#C4.3), meaning "I have been destroyed", which is passive (see #C3.2).

 

C8. IRREGULAR VERBS

 

C8.0 REGULARITY AND IRREGULARITY IN VERBS

 

C8.01 A general description can be given of how the Greek verb behaves in constructing all its forms. The behaviour of most flexions of most verbs can be covered by such a description, and a verb is said to be regular if all its forms are derived from its lexical form with complete regularity in accordance with such a general description of verb behaviour.

 

C8.02 Such a general description includes descriptive phonemic rules ³³. These are rules which describe the effect upon a particular tense or form which results because the verb's stem ends in one phoneme (or sound, represented by a letter) rather than another. Thus the descriptive rules can be stated to cover all the different phoneme groups of a language. An example of such a rule is the Short Vowel Stem Rule, in its two parts: “A short vowel stem verb (a) lengthens this short vowel when it adds a morph that begins with a consonant, and (b) contracts this short vowel with the following vowel when it adds a morph that begins with a vowel” (see #E2.11,#E2.31). Another descriptive rule will cover the pattern of this vowel contraction. Similarly, the Labial Amalgamation Rule states, "A final labial amalgamates (a) with a following -σ- to form -ψ-; (b) with a following rough breathing or -κ- to form -χ-" (see #E2.61). And so on. All these descriptive rules have been set out in their appropriate places in this book.

 

C8.03 It can be seen that all the nine paradigms of the First Conjugation are regular, because the differences between them are entirely related to the particular phonemes with which their verb stems end, and can be stated in terms of those phonemes. Thus upon the basis of these descriptive rules, it is possible to know what the form will be for any part of any tense of any regular verb, when you are given the lexical form of that verb.

 

C8.04 This can be summed up by saying that, upon the basis of the descriptive rules, all the forms of all the tenses of a regular verb are entirely and accurately predictable.

 

C8.05 An irregular verb is a verb which has some forms that are not predictable from its lexical form, on the basis of the descriptive rules. ³⁴

 

C8.06 The extent of the irregularity can vary from very small (for example, in the verb αἰνέω, for which the irregularity is only that it does not lengthen its short stem vowel -ε- to -η- informing its various tenses - see #C1.48) to very extensive (for example, in the case of the suppletives - see #C2.8).

 

C8.07 The irregularities of irregular verbs occur in the formation of the tense stem for each of its Principal Parts (see #9.6). Once a particular Principal Part is known, all the forms and flexions derived from that Principal Part will follow regularly, according to the paradigm of the verb's particular Conjugation. Exceptions to this are almost non-existent; the only one of any consequence is the durative aspect of ζάω, live/be alive.

 

C8.08 The durative forms of ζάω, together with the regular forms of τιμάω for comparison, are:

 

PRESENT		IMPERFECT			INFINITIVE
INDICATIVE		INDICATIVE			ζῆν	τιμᾶν
ζῶ	τιμῶ	ἔζων (ἔζην)	ἐτίμων
ζῇς	τιμᾷς	ἔζης	ἐτίμας		PARTICIPLE
ζῇ	τιμᾷ	ἔζη	ἐτιμᾶ	NS M	ζῶν	τιμῶν
ζῶμεν	τιμῶμεν	ἐζῶμεν	ἐτιμῶμεν	F	ζῶσα	τιμῶσα
ζῆτε	τιμᾶτε	ἐζῆτε	ἐτιμάτε	N	ζῶν	τιμῶν
ζῶσι(ν)	τιμῶσι(ν)	ἔζων	ἐτίμων	GS M/N	ζῶντος	τιμῶντος

 

For both ζάω and τιμάω the present subjunctive of each verb is identical with its respective present indicative flexion. No forms of the optative or imperative of ζάω occur in the New Testament. It will be noticed that the “irregularity” of ζάω is that it has -η- in its ending wherever τιμάω has -α-. This arises because the root of the verb is in fact ζη- rather than ζα-

 

C8.09 Iregular verbs can be classified according to the nature of the irregularity. Many of the various categories or groups of irregular verbs have already been discussed in this Appendix.

 

C8.1 SHORT VOWEL STEM VERBS WHICH DO NOT LENGTHEN THE VOWEL

 

These have been discussed in #C1.48.

 

C8.2 VERBS WHICH ADD -ε- IN FORMING THE FUTURE AND/OR PERFECT STEM

 

These have been discussed in #C1.88.

 

C8.3 VERBS OF THE SECOND AND THIRD CONJUGATIONS

 

C8.31 Although most verbs of the Second and Third Conjugations follow regular patterns in the formation of their other tense stems from their aorist root, what the Principal Parts will be cannot be predicted in advance, either from the lexical form or from the aorist of a verb. That is, the Principal Parts need to be separately noted for each verb of these Conjugations. Thus, as they have Principal Parts which are unpredictable, these verbs must all be classified as irregular.

 

C8.32 The verbs of the Second and Third Conjugations found in the New Testament are listed and discussed in C2 and C3 respectively.

 

C8.4 VERBS WITH DIRECT FLEXIONS/TWO ASPECT MORPHS

 

Verbs in these two categories have been discussed in #C4 and #C5 respectively.

 

C8.5 DEPONENT VERBS

 

C8.51 Many of these verbs are regular in their forms; their irregularity consists of the fact that they take a middle or passive form with active meaning, instead of an active form. It could be argued however that merely being deponent does not mean that a verb is irregular, as the fact of its being deponent is indicated by the lexical form being middle, not active.

 

C8.52 Some deponent verbs, though, are irregular in other ways. Certainly the verbs that are deponent only in their future (#C7.6) are to be classified as irregular, because this feature is unpredictable from their lexical forms.

 

C8.53 The deponents found in the New Testament are listed and discussed in #C7.

 

C8.6 VERBS WHICH CHANGE THEIR ROOT VOWEL TO ο/α IN THE PERFECT

 

C8.61 Liquid verbs with a monosyllabic root which have -ε- as the vowel in their root regularly change this vowel to -α- in the perfect and/or aorist passive. The seven monosyllabic liquid verbs which occur in the New Testament - and all of which follow this pattern (see #C1.85) - are:

 

ἀνατέλλω	rise	ἀνατελέω	ἀνέτειλα	ἀνατέταλκα	ἀνατέταλμαι	—
ἀποκτείνω	kill	ἀποκτείνω	ἀπέκτεινα	—	—	ἀπεκτάνθην
δέρω	thrash	(δερέω)	ἔδειρα	—	(δέδαρμαι)	ἐδάρθην
ἐντέλλομαι	command	ἐντελέομαι	ἐνετειλάμην	—	ἐντέταλμαι	—
σπείρω	sow	(σπερέω)	ἔσπειρα	(ἔσπαρκα)	ἔσπαρμαι	ἐσπάρην
στέλλω	send	στελέω	ἔστειλα	ἔσταλκα	ἔσταλμαι	ἐστάλην
φθείρω	ruin	φθερέω	ἔφθειρα	(ἔφθαρκα)	ἔφθαρμαι	ἐφθάρην

 

C8.62 Quite a number of other verbs change their stem vowel to -ο- in the perfect active and/or to -α- in the perfect middle/passive (and also, usually, in the aorist passive). Where the -ο- is followed by the -κα- of the perfect active, it lengthens to -ω- in accordance with the Short Vowel Lengthening Rule (#E2.31).

 

C8.63 There are eleven such verbs which occur in the New Testament in a form affected by one or both of these changes, and three other New Testament words (λείπω, πέμπω and τίκτω) the perfect active of which does not actually occur in the New Testament but which are included here for their usefulness in illustrating the change and/or because the perfect is found in other Christian writings of the Hellenistic period. In addition there are two other New Testament words (given in square brackets) which in Hellenistic Greek are found only in the perfect, the present being obsolete.

 

γίνομαι	become	γενήσομαι	ἐγενόμην	γέγονα	γεγένημαι	ἐγενήθην
[ἔθω]	be accustomed			εἴωθα
[εἴκω]	be like			ἔοικα
λείπω	leave	λείψω	ἔλιπον ἔλειψα	(λέλοιπα)	λέλειμμαι	ἐλείφθην
πάσχω	suffer		ἔπαθον	πέπονθα
πείθω	persuade	πείσω	ἔπεισα	πέποιθα	πέπεισμαι	ἐπείσθην
πέμπω	send	πέμψω	ἔπεμψα	(πέπομφα)	(πέπεισμαι)	έπέμφθην
πίνω	drink	πίομαι	ἔπιον	πέπωκα		ἐπόθην
πίπτω	fall	πεσέομαι	ἔπεσον ἔπεσα	πέπτωκα
πλέκω	weave	(πλέξω)	ἔπλεξα	(πέπλεχα)	(πέπλεγμαι)	ἐπλάκην
πλήσσω	strike	(πλήξω)	ἔπληξα			-επλάγην
στρέφω	turn	στρέψω	ἔστεψα	(ἔστροφα)	ἔστραμμαι	ἐστράφην
τίκτω	bear	τέξω	ἔτεκον	(τέτοκα)		ἐτέχθην
-τρέπω	turn	(τρέψω)	-έτρεψα	(τέτοφα)	(τέτραμμαι)	ἐτράπην
τρέφω	nourish	(θρέψω)	ἔθρεψα		(τέθραμμαι)	ἐτράφην
φέρω	carry	οἴσω	ἤνεγκον ἤνεγκα	ἐνήοχα		ἠνέχθην

                       

C8.64 When nouns are formed from verbs which have -ε- as their vowel, it is common for such nouns to have -ο- in place of the -ε-. Some examples:

ἀνατολή (ἀνατέλλω); ἀποδοχή (ἀποδέχομαι); ἀποστολος (ἀποστέλλω); ἐντολή (ἐντέλλομαι); ἐπιστολή (ἐπιστελλω); λόγος (λέγω); συνοχή (συνέχω); τροφή (τρέφω); ὑπομονή (ὑπομένω)