The Subjunctive Mood
In Greek, the subjunctive mood projects actions into the future involving contingency, possibility, purpose, or exhortation. Morphologically, the most striking feature of the subjunctive is the presence of the long thematic vowel (η or ω) connecting the root to the ending (along with the subscript iota in the 2nd and 3rd person singular: -ῃς, -ῃ).
Morphology: Present and 1st Aorist Subjunctive (Verb λύω)
| Person | Pres. Active | Pres. Mid./Pass. | Aor. Active | Aor. Middle | Aor. Passive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | λύω | λύωμαι | λύσω | λύσωμαι | λυθῶ |
| 2nd sg | λύῃς | λύῃ | λύσῃς | λύσῃ | λυθῇς |
| 3rd sg | λύῃ | λύηται | λύσῃ | λύσηται | λυθῇ |
| 1st pl | λύωμεν | λυώμεθα | λύσωμεν | λυσώμεθα | λυθῶμεν |
| 2nd pl | λύητε | λύησθε | λύσητε | λύσησθε | λυθῆτε |
| 3rd pl | λύωσι(ν) | λύωνται | λύσωσι(ν) | λυσωνται | λυθῶσι(ν) |
1. The Aorist Subjunctive DOES NOT have an augment (the augment exists only in the Indicative mood).
2. The 2nd Aorist Subjunctive uses the strong aorist root with the present subjunctive endings (e.g., λείπω → λίπω, λίπῃς, λίπῃ, λίπωμεν, λίπητε, λίπωσιν; ἔρχομαι → ἔλθω, ἔλθῃς, ἔλθῃ...).
3. The Present Subjunctive of the verb εἰμί is: ὦ, ᾖς, ᾖ, ὦμεν, ἦτε, ὦσι(ν).
Syntax | 1. Independent Uses of the Subjunctive (Main Clause)
1.1. Exhortations (Hortatory Subjunctive — 1st person plural):
The speaker exhorts himself and the hearers (“let us do...”):
• ἄρα οὖν μὴ καθεύδωμεν ὡς οἱ λοιποί, ἀλλὰ γρηγορῶμεν καὶ νήφωμεν. (1 Thess 5:6) → “So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”
• Διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν. (Mark 4:35) → “Let us cross over to the other side.”
1.2. Deliberations (Deliberative Subjunctive — in questions):
• Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ἐπιμένωμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσῃ; (Rom 6:1) → “What then shall we say? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?”
• Τί ποιήσωμεν, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί; (Acts 2:37) → “What shall we do, brothers?”
1.3. Emphatic Negations (οὐ μή + Aorist Subjunctive):
This is the strongest way to negate a future event in Greek (“by no means / never”):
• καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζῶν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα (John 11:26) → “and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
1.4. Prohibitions (μή + Aorist Subjunctive):
Used to forbid an action from even starting:
• Μὴ σφραγίσῃς τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου (Rev 22:10) → “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Syntax | 2. The Subjunctive in Dependent Clauses
| Conjunction + Subjunctive | Syntactic Function | New Testament Example |
|---|---|---|
| ἵνα + Subjunctive | Purpose / Aim (or Result) | τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; (Acts 16:30 — “what must I do that I may be saved?”) |
| ὅταν + Subjunctive | Future Temporal Clause | μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς... (Matt 5:11 — “blessed are you when they insult you...”) |
| ἐάν + Subjunctive | Future Conditional (Possibility) | Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι. (Luke 5:12 — “Lord, if you are willing, you can cleanse me.”) |
Vocabulary
Vocabulário do Capítulo
- ἀγοράζω: I buy
- δέω: I bind, tie
- διέρχομαι: I pass through, go through
- ἐγγίζω: I draw near
- ἐπιγινώσκω: I know well; I recognize
- λύω: I loose, set free
- σταυρόω: I crucify
- ὑπάρχω: I live, exist, am
- χαρά (χαρᾶς), ἡ: joy
- πλείων (πλείονος): greater; more than
- τυφλός, τυφλή, τυφλόν: blind
- ἐμός, ἐμή, ἐμόν: my, mine
- δεύτερος, δευτέρα, δεύτερον: second
- τρεῖς: three
- τρίτος, τρίτη, τρίτον: third
ταῦτα λέγω ἵνα ὑμεῖς σωθῆτε.
(I say these things so that you may be saved — John 5:34b)