MOODS and TENSES

SYNTAX

OF THE

MOODS and TENSES

IN NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

ERNEST DE WITT BURTON

President of the University of Chicago

1923-25

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

By ERNEST D. BURTON

Published in pamphlet form 1888

Second Edition September 1898

Third Edition June 1898

Second Impression September 1900

Third Impression April 1903

Fourth Impression October 1906

Fifth Impression November 1909

Sixth Impression October 1912

Seventh Impression October 1916

Eighth Impression November 1923

Composed and Printed By

The University of Chicago Press

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

THE first edition of this work appeared as a pamphlet in

1888. In issuing this revised and enlarged edition, it seems

desirable to state somewhat more fully than was done in the

former preface the purpose which it is hoped the book will

serve. Classified according to its intent, it belongs among the

aids to the interpretation of the New Testament. It is de-

signed to assist English-speaking students in the task of

translating the Greek New Testament into English forms of

hought and expression. The work has not been undertaken

under the impression that grammar is an end in itself, or that

a knowledge of it is the sole qualification for successful in-

terpretation, but in the conviction that grammar is one of

the indispensable auxiliaries of interpretation. The book is

written, therefore, in the interest not of historical but of

exegetical grammar, not of philology as such, but of philology

as an auxiliary of interpretation. If it has any value for

historical grammar, this is incidental. Its main purpose is

to contribute to the interpretation of the New Testament by

the exposition of the functions of the verb in New Testament

Greek, so far as those functions are expressed by the dis-

tinctions of mood and tense.

The student of the New Testament who would interpret it

with accuracy and clearness must possess -along with other

qualifications for his work -a knowledge of the distinctions

of thought which are marked by the different moods and

tenses of the Greek verb. If he would acquire facility in the

work of interpretation, he must have an easy familiarity with

the leading uses of each mood and tense. It is not enough

vi PREFACE.

that he have at hand for reference an encyclopedic treatise on

the subject. He must acquire, as a personal mental posses-

sion, a knowledge of the leading functions of the several

forms of the Greek verb, and of the forms which express

those functions in English. For this purpose he needs a book

which, availing itself of the assured results of comparative

and historical grammar, and applying to the interpretation of

the Greek verb the principles of grammar and logic, the laws

both of Greek and of English speech, shall enumerate the

various functions of each mood and tense, exhibit in some

degree their relative importance, and define each clearly.

The definitions should be scientifically accurate, but they

should at the same time be constructed with reference to the

point of view of the interpreter. For the English-speaking

student English usage must be constantly considered and

must frequently be defined and compared with Greek usage.

If such a book does not solve all the problems of New

Testament grammar, it should, by its treatment of those -which

it discusses, illustrate to the student the right method of

investigation and so suggest the course which he must pursue

in solving for himself those problems which the book leaves

unsolved. My aim has been to provide a book fulfilling these

conditions.

The aim of the book has determined the method of its con-

struction. The usages which are of most frequent occurrence,

or otherwise of especial importance, have been emphasized by

being set in the largest type, with a title in bold-faced type.

The table of contents also has been so constructed as to make

prominent a conspectus of the leading uses. It may be well to

require of students who use the book as a text-book that they

be able to name and define these leading usages of each mood

and tense; if they also commit to memory one of the Greek

examples under each of these prominent usages, they will do

still better.

The matter printed in smaller type consists partly of fuller

exposition of the usages defined in the more prominently

PREFACE. vii

printed sections, partly of enumeration and definition of the

less frequent usages. The portions in smallest type are

chiefly discussions of the rarer or more difficult usages. They

are an addition to the text-book proper, and are intended to

give the work, to a limited extent, the character of a book of

reference. The occasional discussions of English usage would

of course have no place in a work on Greek grammar pure

and simple, but to the end which this book is intended to

serve they are as really germane as any discussions of the

force of a Greek tense. One often fails to apprehend accu-

rately a thought expressed in Greek quite as much through

inexact knowledge of one's own language as through ignorance

of Greek usage.

As concerns the extent to which I have used the work of

others, little need be added to the testimony which the pages

of the book themselves bear. While gathering information

or suggestion from all accessible sources, I have aimed to

make no statement concerning New Testament usage which I

have not myself proved by personal examination of the pas-

sages. Respecting classical usage and pre-classical origins, I

have relied upon those authorities which are recognized as

most trustworthy.

On a subsequent page is added a list of books and authors

referred to by abbreviations in the body of the book. To all

of the works there enumerated, as well as to those mentione:d

by full title in the body of the book, I am under obligation for

assistance or suggestion. It is a pleasure also to acknowledge

the valuable assistance privately given by various friends.

Prominent among these, though not completing the list, are

Professor W. G. Hale of the University of Chicago, Profes-

sors M. L. D'Ooge and W. W. Beman of the University of

Michigan, my brother, Professor Henry F. Burton of the

University of Rochester, and Professor George W. Gilmore

of Brooklyn, N.Y. But I am chiefiy indebted to Professor

William Arnold Stevens of the Rochester Theological Semi-

nary, under whose instructions I first became interested in the

viii PREFACE.

subject of this book, and to whom my obligations in many

directions are larger than can be acknowledged here.

In quoting examples from the New Testament I have fol-

lowed the Greek text of Westcott and Rort as that which

perhaps most nearly represents the original text, but have

intended to note any important variations of Tischendorf's

eighth edition or of Tregelles in a matter affecting the point

under discussion. The word text designates the preferred

reading of the editor referred to, as distinguished from the

marginal reading. In the English translation of the examples

I have preferred to follow the Revised Version of 1881 rather

than to construct entirely independent translations. Yet in

not a few passages it has seemed necessary to depart from

this standard either because the revisers followed a Greek text

different from that of Westcott and Hort, or because their

translation obscured the value of the passage as an illustration

of the grammatical principle under discussion, or occasionally

because I was unwilling even to seem to approve what I

regarded as unquestionably an error of translation.

While I have given all diligence to make the book correct

in statement and in type, I dare not hope that it has altogether

escaped either typographical errors or those of a more serious

character. I shall welcome most cordially criticisms, sugges-

tions, or corrections from any teacher or student into whose

hands the book may fall.

ERNEST D. BURTON

NOTE TO THE THIRD EDITION.-It having become necessary to send the

plates of this book to the press again, I have availed myself of the opportunity

to correct such errors, typographical and other, as "have come to my attention,

and to make a few alterations of statement which use of the book has convinced

me are desirable. The chief changes are in §§ 67 Rem. 1,98, 120, 137,142-145, 153, 189, 195, 198, 200 Rem., 202, 225, 235, 236, 318,325-328, 344 Rem. 2, 352

Rem., 406, 407,485.

CHICAGO, June, 1898. E. D. B.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTORY.

SECTION PAGE

1. Form and Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. The Interpreter's Relation to Grammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

3, 4. The four Moods and the seven Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

THE TENSES.

5. Two-fold Function of the Tenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

TENSES OF THE INDICATIVE MOOD.

6, 7. General Definition of the Tenses of the Indicative . . . . . . . . 6, 7

The Present Indicative.

8-10. PROGRESSIVE PRESENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 8

11. Conative Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

12. GENERAL OR GNOMIC PRESENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

13. AORISTIC PRESENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

14. HISTORICAL PRESENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

15. PRESENT FOR THE FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10

16. Present of h!kw, pa<reimi, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

17. PRESENT OF PAST ACTION STILL IN PROGRESS. . . . . . 10

18. Similar use of the Aorist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

19. Present in Indirect Discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

20. Periphrastic Form of the Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Imperfect Indicative.

21, 22. PROGRESSIVE IMPERFECT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

23. Conative Imperfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

24. IMPERFECT OF REPEATED ACTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

25-27. Minor uses of Secondary Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

28, 29. Imperfect translated by English Perfect and Pluperfect . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14

30-32. Imperfect of Verbs denoting obligation, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15

33. Imperfect of Verbs of wishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16

34. Periphrastic Form of the Imperfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

x CONTENTS.

The Aorist Indicative.

SECTION PAGE

35. Fundamental. Idea of the Aorist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17

36. Additional uses of the Aorist Indicative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 18

37. Functions of the Aorist distinguished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19

38-40. HISTORICAL AORIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 20

41. INCEPTIVE AORIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21

42. RESULTATIVE AORIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

43. GNOMIC AORIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

44. EPISTOLARY AORIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

45. DRAMATIC AORIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

46. Aorist for the (English) Perfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

47. Use of the Aorists a]pe<qanon, e]ce<sth, e@gnwn . . . . . . . . . . . 22

48. Aorist for the (English) Pluperfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23

49. Aorist Indicative in Indirect Discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

50. Aorist used proleptically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

51. Minor uses of the Aorist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

52-55. English Equivalents of the Greek Aorist Indica-

tive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-30

56, 57. Distinction between the Aorist and the Imperfect. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31

The Future Indicative.

58-66. PREDICTIVE FUTURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31-35

59. Aoristic Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

60. Progressive Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

61, 62. Relation of Aoristic and Progressive Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 38