Aorist Indicative
The aorist indicative corresponds in much of its usage to the simple past in English, expressing an action viewed as complete, having occurred in the past. The focus of this tense is on the action itself, being the most common way in Greek to designate a past event.
Comparison:
• Imperfect: past action viewed as ongoing, customary, beginning, or attempted (“The disciples were learning / began to learn from Jesus”).
• Aorist: past action viewed as finished, complete (“The disciples learned from Jesus”).
Aorist Indicative Active Voice | Sigmatic (1st Aorist)
| Person | Greek | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | ἔλυσα | I loosed |
| 2nd sg | ἔλυσας | you loosed |
| 3rd sg | ἔλυσε(ν) | he/she/it loosed |
| 1st pl | ἐλύσαμεν | we loosed |
| 2nd pl | ἐλύσατε | you loosed |
| 3rd pl | ἔλυσαν | they loosed |
The two main characteristics of the sigmatic aorist are: 1. Presence of the augment (ἐ-); 2. Addition of σ (sigma) between the stem and the ending. When the stem ends in a consonant, the following consonant combinations occur:
| Final Consonant of Stem | + Sigma | Result and Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Labials (β, π, φ) | + σ = ψ | λάμπω → ἔλαμψα | γράφω → ἔγραψα |
| Velars (γ, κ, χ) | + σ = ξ | διώκω → ἐδίωξα |
| Dentals (δ, τ, θ) | + σ = σ (dental drops out) | πείθω → ἔπεισα |
| Liquids (λ, μ, ν, ρ) | Without σ (retains the liquid) | ἐγείρω → ἤγειρα | μένω → ἔμεινα |
Aorist Indicative Active Voice | 2nd Aorist (Strong)
The 2nd Aorist has an augment, undergoes a stem change relative to the present, and uses the same endings as the imperfect (e.g., λαμβάνω → aorist stem λαβ-):
| Person | Greek | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | ἔλαβον | I received |
| 2nd sg | ἔλαβες | you received |
| 3rd sg | ἔλαβε(ν) | he/she/it received |
| 1st pl | ἐλάβομεν | we received |
| 2nd pl | ἐλάβετε | you received |
| 3rd pl | ἔλαβον | they received |
Aorist Indicative | Middle and Passive Voices
Unlike the present and imperfect, in the Aorist (and Future) the Middle Voice and the Passive Voice have distinct forms. The Passive Voice is characterized by the tense suffix -θη- before the endings:
| Person | Middle Voice | Middle Trans. | Passive Voice | Passive Trans. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | ἐλυσάμην | I loosed (for myself) | ἐλύθην | I was loosed |
| 2nd sg | ἐλύσω | you loosed | ἐλύθης | you were loosed |
| 3rd sg | ἐλύσατο | he/she/it loosed | ἐλύθη | he/she/it was loosed |
| 1st pl | ἐλυσάμεθα | we loosed | ἐλύθημεν | we were loosed |
| 2nd pl | ἐλύσασθε | you loosed | ἐλύθητε | you were loosed |
| 3rd pl | ἐλύσαντο | they loosed | ἐλύθησαν | they were loosed |
Vocabulary
Vocabulário do Capítulo
- ἔβαλον: I threw, cast (2nd Aorist of βάλλω)
- ἔγνων: I knew (2nd Aor. of γινώσκω | 2nd sg: ἔγνως, 3rd sg: ἔγνω)
- εἶδον: I saw (2nd Aorist of ὁράω)
- εἶπον: I said (2nd Aorist of λέγω)
- ἔλαβον: I took, received (2nd Aorist of λαμβάνω)
- ἔσχον: I had (2nd Aorist of ἔχω)
- εὗρον: I found (2nd Aorist of εὑρίσκω)
- ἔφαγον: I ate (2nd Aorist of ἐσθίω)
- ἦλθον: I came, went (2nd Aorist of ἔρχομαι)
- δίδωμι: I give (Passive Aor.: ἐδόθην)
- αἷμα (αἵματος), τό: blood
- δοῦλος (δούλου), ὁ: slave, servant
- λαός (λαοῦ), ὁ: people
- ὄνομα (ὀνόματος), τό: name
- πίστις (πίστεως), ἡ: faith, faithfulness
- χάρις (χάριτος), ἡ: grace
Verbs in -μι will be studied in Appendix 1. For this lesson, memorize the passive aorist forms of δίδωμι: ἐδόθην, ἐδόθης, ἐδόθη, ἐδόθημεν, ἐδόθητε, ἐδόθησαν (I was given, you were given, he/she/it was given...).
ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν
(we have believed in Christ Jesus — Galatians 2:16)