LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

Objectives:
By the end of the discussion, the students shall have:

1. Memorized and identified the different form endings of the 1st and 2nd Aorist Active, Middle,
and Passive Indicative Tense.
2. Pointed out the letter(s) used as tense identifiers for active, middle, and passive voices of the
1st and 2nd Aorist Tense.
3. Differentiated the forms of the First and Second Aorist.

Vocabulary:
Present 1st Aorist

ἀκούω I hear ἤκουσα I heard

ἀποστέλλω I send out ἀπέστειλα I sent out
ἄρχομαι (D) I begin ἠρξάμην (D) I began
βαπτίζω I baptize ἐβάπτισα I baptized
βλέπω I see ἔβλεψα I saw
γράφω I write ἔγραψα I wrote
δέχομαι (D) I receive ἐδεξάμην (D) I received
διδάσκω I teach ἐδίδαξα I taught
δοξάζω I glorify ἐδόξασα I glorified
θέλω I wish, will ἠθέλησα I wished, willed
θεραπεύω I heal ἐθεράπευσα I healed
κηρύσσω I proclaim, preach ἐκήρυξα I proclaimed, preached
πείθω I persuade ἔπεισα I persuaded
πέμπω I send ἔπεμψα I sent
πιστεύω I believe, have faith (in) ἐπίστευσα I believed, had faith (in)
σῴζω I save ἔσωσα I saved
φέρω I bear, bring ἤνεγκα I bore, brought

Present 2nd Aorist

ἄγω I lead ἤγαγον I led

ἀποθνῄσκω I die ἀπέθανον I died
βάλλω I throw, cast ἔβαλον I threw, cast
βλέπω I see εἶδον I saw
γίνομαι (D) I become ἐγενόμην (D) I became
γινώσκω I know ἔγνων I knew
ἔρχομαι I come, go ἦλθον I came, went
LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

ἐσθίω I eat ἔφαγον I ate

ἔχω I have ἔσχον I had
λαμβάνω I take, receive ἔλαβον I took, received
λέγω I say, speak εἶπον I said, spoke
λείπω I leave ἔλιπον I left
παραλαμβάνω I take, receive, take παρέλαβον I took, received, took
along along
πάσχω I suffer ἔπαθον I suffered
πίπτω I fall ἔπεσον I fell
φέρω I bear, bring ἤνεγκον I bore, brought
LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

First Aorist Indicative

The aorist is the most prevalent tense in the Greek New Testament. This tense is similar
to the English past tense in that it can have different endings for different words. For example,
with the English word “preach” (present tense), the past tense is “preached.” However, with the
word “teach” (present tense), the past tense is “taught,” which is a different stem. So, in Greek,
there are two ways to form the aorist. Some verbs add σ to the present stem and are called “first
aorist.” Others do not add σ, and the stem is different from the present. The latter form is called
“second aorist”.

Since there is no difference in the translation of first aorist and second aorist, most verbs
will have only one of these sets of endings, though a few verbs have both. Verbs used in the
indicative mood of the aorist tense will have an augment. Just as the imperfect tense either has a
temporal or a syllabic augment, so does the aorist since in the indicative it is past tense. The
aorist has similar endings to the imperfect, but the predominant connecting vowel is α instead of
ο/ε. Unlike the imperfect, the aorist middle and passive forms are different.

To form the first aorist active, find the present stem and add the augment in front of the
stem. Then add the tense suffix σ (a few verbs take κ instead of σ) after which comes the
connecting vowel (usually short α). Finally, attach the ending. Thus, with λύω the process for
forming the first-person plural is ε (augment) + λυ (present stem) + σα (tense suffix including
connecting vowel) + μεν (ending) = ἐ-λύ-σ-α-μεν, “we loosed.” Note that the third singular has ε
for the connecting vowel and usually has a movable ν.

Summary:

ε- (augment) + -λυ- (present stem) + -σα- (tense sign including connecting vowel) + -μεν
(personal ending) = ἐλύσαμεν

The process for forming the aorist middle is the same as the action except the middle
endings are added. These are identical to the imperfect middle endings except for the second
singular, which is the result of a contraction of vowels.
Summary:

ε- (augment) + -λυ- (present stem) + -σα- (tense sign including connecting vowel) + -μην
(personal ending) = ἐλυσάμην
LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

First Aorist Active Indicative of λύω

Singular
1st ἔλυσα I loosed

2nd ἔλυσας you loosed

3rd ἔλυσε(ν) he/she/it loosed

Plural

1st ἐλύσαμεν we loosed

2nd ἐλύσατε you loosed

3rd ἔλυσαν they loosed

First Aorist Middle Indicative of λύω

Singular
1st ἐλυσάμην I loosed myself

2nd ἐλύσω you loosed yourself

he/she/it loosed
3rd ἐλύσατο
himself/herself/itself
Plural

1st ἐλυσάμεθα we loosed ourselves

2nd ἐλύσασθε you loosed yourselves

3rd ἐλύσαντο they loosed themselves

Verb stems ending in a mute consonant experience the following changes:

LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

Present Aorist Passive

ἀκούω I hear ἠκούσθην I was heard
ἀποκρίνομαι (D) I answer ἀπεκρίθην (D) I answered
ἀποστέλλω I send out ἀπεστάλην I was sent out
βάλλω I throw ἐβλήθην I was thrown
γίνομαι (D) I become ἐγενήθην (D) I became
γινώσκω I know ἐγνώσθην I was known
γράφω I write ἐγράφην I was written
διδάσκω I teach ἐδιδάχθην I was taught
δοξάζω I glorify ἐδοξάσθην I was glorified
ἐγείρω I raise up ἠγέρθην I was raised up
κηρύσσω I proclaim ἐκηρύχθην I was proclaimed
κρίνω I judge ἐκρίθην I was judged
λαμβάνω I take ἐλήμφθην I was taken
λείπω I leave ἐλείφθην I was left
πέμπω I send ἐπέμφθην I was sent
πορεύομαι (D) I go ἐπορεύθην (D) I went
σῴζω I save ἐσώθην I was saved

First Aorist Passive Indicative of λύω

Singular
1st ἐλύθην I was loosed

2nd ἐλύθης you were loosed

3rd ἐλύθη he/she/it was loosed

Plural

1st ἐλύθημεν we were loosed

2nd ἐλύθητε you were loosed

3rd ἐλύθησαν they were loosed

When the stem ends with a consonant, various changes occur before the θη of the first aorist
passive. You should always check the sixth form to be sure, but in general the changes listed
here will take place.
LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

a. Liquid Consonants
• ν drops out before θ. Example: κρίνω → ἐκρίθην
• λ and ρ are retained before θ. Examples: ἀγγέλλω → ἠγγέλθην; αἴρω → ἤρθην.

b. Mute Consonants
1. Palatals
• κ and γ change to χ before θ. Examples: ἄγω → ἤχθην; διώκω → ἐδιώχθην.
• χ is retained before θ. Examples: διδάσκω (stem διδαχ-) → ἐδιδάχθην.

2. Labials
• π and β change to φ before θ. Example: λείπω → ἐλείφθην.
• φ causes the θ to drop out and the form becomes second aorist (See 16.3) Example:
γράφω → ἐγράφην.

3. Dentals
• τ, δ, and θ change to σ before θ.
Example: πείθω → ἐπείσθην.

c. Sibilant Consonants
• ζ, ξ, and ψ change to σ before θ.
Example: δοξάζω → ἐδοξάσθην.

SECOND AORIST INDICATIVE

The second aorist was introduced in the last lesson. It does not add a σ and uses an
entirely different stem from the first aorist. There is no way to determine whether a Greek verb
will have a first or second aorist other than observing the vocabulary or a Greek lexicon form.

Once the second aorist form is located, you can find the stem by removing the -ον ending
and the augment. If it is a temporal augment, you shorten the initial vowel to its original form.
Thus, the stem of ἔλιπον is -λιπ-, of ἔλαβον is -λαβ-, and of ἦλθον is -ἐλθ-. To form the second
aorist indicative, add the augment to the stem, then the connecting vowel ο/ε, and finally the
active or middle endings. For λείπω the process is ε- (augment) + -λιπ- (aorist stem) + -ο-
(connecting vowel) + -ν (aorist ending) = ἔλιπον.
Summary:
ε (augment) + λιπ (2nd aor. stem) + -ο- (connecting vowel) + -ν (personal ending) = ἔλιπον
LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

Second Aorist Active Indicative of λείπω

Singular
1st ἔλιπον I left

2nd ἔλιπες you left

3rd ἔλιπε(ν) he/she/it left

Plural

1st ἐλίπομεν we left

2nd ἐλίπετε you left

3rd ἔλιπον they left

The second aorist middle is formed similarly to the action except the middle endings are
added. As in the first aorist, the second aorist’s passive is altogether different from the second aorist
middle.
Second Aorist Middle Indicative of λείπω

Singular
1st ἔλιπον I left

2nd ἔλιπες you left

3rd ἔλιπε(ν) he/she/it left

Plural

1st ἐλίπομεν we left

2nd ἐλίπετε you left

3rd ἔλιπον they left

LESSON 10

AORIST TENSE INDICATIVE

Second Aorist Passive Indicative

The second aorist passive is formed similarly to the first aorist passive except for the
absence of the θ. The steps in the formation of ἀποστέλλω are shown below. You will not be able
to determine whether a verb is a first or second aorist passive by observing the aorist active form.
Some verbs have first aorist active and second aorist passive.
Example: γράφω → ἔγραψα (1st aor. act.) and ἐγράφην (2nd aor. pass.); others have
second aorist active and first aorist passive. Example: λείπω → ἔλιπον (2nd aor. act.) and
ἀλείφθην (1st aor. pass.).
Second Aorist Passive Indicative of ἀποστέλλω

Singular
1st ἀπεστάλην I was send

2nd ἀπεστάλης you were sent

3rd ἀπεστάλη he/she/it was sent

Plural

1st ἀπεστάλημεν we were sent

2nd ἀπεστάλητε you were sent

3rd ἀπεστάλησαν they were sent

Translating the Second Aorist

The function and translation of the second aorist are the same as the first aorist. The only
difference is the form. For example, the first aorist and the second aorist of φέρω are translated
the same: ἤνεγκα (first aorist) (I bore, brought); ἤνεγκον (second aorist) (I bore, brought). The
second aorist is not a different tense from the first aorist; it only uses a different form.

Irregular Forms of the Aorist

Many second aorist forms are entirely different from the present stems. Some of these
were originally from older verbs and were used later as the aorist forms of other prominent verbs
in the New Testament. For example, εἶπον is related to an obsolete verb ἔπω (I say), but it is used
as the aorist of λέγω. Also, εἶδον is used for βλέπω and ὀράω (I see), though it may be from an
older verb εἴδω (I see).