Morphology &

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
ὁ λόγος Paradigms ὁ λόγος

Imperatives & Tenses

Imperatives
& Optatives An imperative can be a command (“Read this chapter!”), a prohibition
(“Don’t read this chapter!”), or a request (“Please read this chapter.”).
Chapter 23
It occurs almost exclusively in the present and aorist tense-forms.
There are no imperfect, future, or pluperfect forms and only 2 perfects.

There is no 1st person imperative because it is not

normal to command yourself to do something.

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Present Active Present Mid/Pass

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Imperative ὁ λόγος Imperative ὁ λόγος

Singular Plural Singular Plural

2nd Person λῦε λύετε 2nd Person λύου λύεσθε

3rd Person λυέτω λυέτωσαν
έτωσαν 3rd Person λυέσθω λυέσθωσαν
έσθωσαν

λῦε = “loose” λύετε = “loose” λύ ου = “be loosed” λύεσθε = “be loosed”

λυέτω = “let him/her loose” λυέτωσαν
υέτωσαν = “let them loose” λυέσθω = “let him/her be loosed” λυέσθωσαν
υέσθωσαν = “let them be loosed”

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Aorist Active Aorist Middle

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Imperative ὁ λόγος Imperative ὁ λόγος

Singular Plural Singular Plural

2nd Person λῦσον λύσατε 2nd Person λῦσαι λύσασθε

3rd Person λυσάτω λυσάτωσαν
σάτωσαν 3rd Person λυσάσθω λυσάσθωσαν
σάσθωσαν

λῦσον
ῦσον = “loose” λύσα
ύσατε = “loose” λῦσαι = “loose (for) yourself” λύσασθε = “loose (for) yourselves”
λυσάτω = “let him/her loose” λυσάτωσαν
υσάτωσαν = “let them loose” λυσάσθω = “let him loose (for) himself” λυσάσθωσαν = “let them loose (for) themselves”

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1
 Aorist Passive Imperative
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Imperative ὁ λόγος Endings ὁ λόγος

Singular Plural Active Endings Mid/Pass Endings

Person Sg Pl Sg Pl

2nd Person λύθητι λύθητε

3rd Person λυθήτω λυθήτωσαν
θήτωσαν
2nd – –τε – –σθε

3rd –τω –τωσαν

τωσαν –σθω –σθωσαν
σθωσαν
λύθητι = “be loosed” λύθητε = “be loosed”
λυθήτω = “let him/her be loosed” λυθήτωσ
υθήτωσαν
αν = “let them be loosed”

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Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Uses of Imperatives ὁ λόγος Uses of Imperatives ὁ λόγος

1) Command 2) Prohibition

διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην

ἀγάπην µὴ ἀγαπᾶτε
ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσµον
“[You all] Pursue love” “Do not love the world”

ὅς ἔχει ὦτα
ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω µὴ γίνεσθε ὡς οἱ ὑποκριτ
ὑποκριται
οκριται
“The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!” “Do not be as the hypocrites”

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Subjunctives
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Uses of Imperatives ὁ λόγος as Imperatives ὁ λόγος

3) Request 1) Hortatory Subjunctive

σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέληµά σου

ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· Because there is no first person imperative form, the first person
plural subjunctive is used to exhort a group that includes the speaker.
“Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done”
ἀγαπῶµεν ἀλλήλους
δύνῃ, β
εἴ τι δύνῃ, οήθησον ἡµῖν
βοήθησον “Let us love one another”
“If you can do anything, please help us” No introductory conjunction is used (such as ἵνα, ἄν, or ἐάν).

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2
 Subjunctives Subjunctives
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
as Imperatives ὁ λόγος as Imperatives ὁ λόγος

2) Prohibitory Subjunctive 2) Prohibitory Subjunctive

With the negative µή,

µή the present imperative prohibits an καὶ µὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡµᾶς εἰς πειρασµόν
action. The aorist imperative, however, is not used.
Instead, the 2nd person aorist subjunctive is used. “And do not lead us into temptation”

Present λυέ (loose) µὴ λυέ (don’t loose) µὴ φονεύσῃς … µὴ κλέψῃς, ψευδοµαρτυρήσῃς

κλέψῃς, µὴ ψευδοµαρτυρήσῃς
Aorist λῦσον (loose) µὴ λύσῃς (don’t loose)
“Do not murder … Do not steal, Do not bear false witness”
The last form given is not µὴ λῦσον (aorist imperative).

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Imperatives & Imperatives &

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Verbal Aspect ὁ λόγος Verbal Aspect ὁ λόγος

Imperatives: Tense & Aspect Aorist Imperatives

The tense-form (pres or aor) does not convey the time of the action. Often used to give a command that is to be obeyed
on a specific occasion.
Perfective aspect: portrays the action from an external
Aorist perspective viewing the action as a whole, without
focusing on the unfolding internal details. κατὰ τὸν νόµον ὑµῶν κρίνατε αὐτόν
Imperfective aspect: portrays the action from an “You judge him according to your law”
Present internal perspective viewing the action as a process
without focusing on the end of the action.

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Imperatives &
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Verbal Aspect ὁ λόγος Optative Mood ὁ λόγος

Present Imperatives Moods in Greek

Often used to give a command that is to be obeyed So far we have studied 3 other moods
as a general practice. (not including participles, and infinitives).

κρίνετε ἵνα µὴ κριθῆτε

µὴ κρίνετε, Indicative statement λύω,
λύω “I am loosing”
Subjunctive indefinite λύῃ
λύῃ, “he might loose”
“Do not go around judging (others),
then you will in no way be judged” Imperative command λῦε,
ῦε “loose”

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3
 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Optative Mood ὁ λόγος Optative Mood ὁ λόγος

Optative Mood Optative Mood

There are only 68 occurrences in the NT (45 aorists and 23 The two most common forms of the optative mood:
presents)—mostly in Luke and Paul. Although it was fairly
common in classical Greek, it was passing out of use by NT times. γένοιτο γίνοµαι A M Opt 3 sg (17x)
The most common use of the optative mood is the
volitive which is used to express a wish.
εἴη εἰµί P A Opt 3 sg (12x)
The most famous is Paul’s use of µὴ γένοιτο (“may it
Optative wish “I wish I had known her”
never be”) used 14 times (and once by Luke).

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Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Optative Mood ὁ λόγος Vocabulary ὁ λόγος

Benediction/Prayer ἀνίστηµι,
ἀνίστηµι I stand up, arise (Anastasia)
ἔλεος ὑµῖν καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ἀγάπη πληθυνθείη ἀποδίδωµι,
ἀποδίδωµι I give back, pay
“May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you” ἀπόλλυµι,
ἀπόλλυµι I destroy, am lost (mid) (Apollyon)
Abhorrence ἀφίηµι,
ἀφίηµι I forgive, let go, divorce
ὁ νόµος ἁµαρτία; µὴ γένοιτο δίδωµι,
δίδωµι I give (donation)
“Is the law sin? May it never be!

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Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν
Vocabulary ὁ λόγος Vocabulary ὁ λόγος

ἵστηµι,
ἵστηµι I stand, set (stand) γενεά,
γενεά –ᾶς, ἡ, generation, family (generation)
παραδίδωµι,
παραδίδωµι I hand over, betray, entrust µικρός,
µικρός –ά, –όν, small (microphone,
τίθηµι,
τίθηµι I put, place, appoint micrometer)
φηµί,
φηµί I say, affirm (prophet) ὅµοιος,
ὅµοιος –α, –ον, same nature, similar
ἄχρι,
ἄχρι until
ἁµαρτωλός
ἁµαρτωλός,
αρτωλός –όν, sinful, sinner (subst)
οὐαί
οὐαί,
αί woe

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