Second-Aorist Indicative Verbs

In the previous chapter, we discussed the form and function of first aorist verbs. In this chapter, we will consider a second pattern used with some verbs which have a different form but the same function. The personal endings these verbs use are identical to the imperfect tense-forms. The way to distinguish between the two forms is that second aorist verbs undergo a spelling change to the stem. The change can be very slight (just a single letter!), so students are advised to pay careful attention.

If the verb λέγω followed a regular pattern, we would expect its third person singular aorist form to be ἐλέξεν. Yet, like quite a few common Greek verbs, λέγω is not regular. Just as the past tense of the English verb “to go” is unpredictable and irregular (i.e., “he went,” not “he go’ed”), so the third person singular past tense of λέγω is εἶπεν. This particular form occurs 613 times in the Greek New Testament! (Think about it—how many times does Jesus or another individual say something to someone in the Gospels or Acts?)

As you read through the Gospels and Acts, you will note that both λέγει (historical present) and εἶπεν (second aorist) are regularly used to introduce direct quotations, with a report of the specific content of what was said. For example,

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said (εἶπεν), “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” (Matt 2:8 NASB)

[The devil] said (λέγει) to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” (Matt 4:6 ESV)

The verb λαλέω, on the other hand, typically reports the activity of speech without emphasis on the specific content of the speech. See, for example,

After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke [ἐλάλησεν]. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” (Matt 9:33 NET)

Reading the New Testament in Greek allows you to pick up on slight nuances of vocabulary that are inaccessible to English readers.

For the second aorist, both the tense and meaning are the same as for the first aorist. The only difference is the spelling of the verb (form), not the meaning of the tense (function). Thus, second aorist indicative verbs communicate both the time of action (typically in the past) and perfective aspect (that is, the author depicts the action as complete or as a whole). Thus, it describes a given action simply as occurring or as having occurred without indicating how the action took place. Whereas imperfect verbs are typically translated as a progressive action in the past (“I was eating”), the aorist is typically translated as a simple past action (“I ate”). Verbs will usually be either first or second aorist, not both.

The paradigms above do not need to be memorized—because you should already know them! The endings of second aorist verbs are identical to those of the imperfect. The only difference between the two forms is that the imperfect uses the stem of the present tense-form (e.g., λαμβαν-, γιν-) while the second aorist uses the stem of the aorist tense-form (e.g., λαβ-, γεν-).

Although all second aorist verbs undergo stem spelling change, some verbs use an altogether different stem to form the second aorist. This is similar to the English verb “go,” where the past tense is “went” (which comes from the obsolete present tense “to wend”). Here are a few verbs that have a completely different root for their second aorist forms. Memorize the initial (first person singular) second aorist forms of these verbs.

About 40 percent of all occurrences of aorist verbs in the New Testament are second aorist verbs. So, although they are outnumbered by first aorist verbs, many of these verbs are extremely common (e.g., ἔρχομαι occurs in the aorist more than 350 times).

Because the second aorist builds on an altered stem, it is extremely useful to learn the stem of each verb. Below are the stems for the verbs learned for this chapter, followed by the verbs learned in previous lessons. You will find it helpful to memorize the bold second aorist forms below.

Here is a more precise breakdown of the component parts (morphemes) of the various forms.

Like the imperfect, the first singular and third plural forms are spelled the same. Although context will usually make this clear, it is also helpful to know that the third plural form is much more common. Some verbs go from middle in the present or imperfect forms to active in the aorist form (e.g., ἔρχομαι → ἦλθον).

Most of the second aorist verbs learned thus far do not have a passive form since many of them are intransitive verbs. Below are the passive forms of the second aorist verbs learned to this point. Be able to recognize these forms.

Because the aorist stem of γινώσκω is γνω-, the stem vowel (ω) combines with the connecting vowel, causing the connecting vowel to drop (ablaut). Thus, the forms are similar to the second aorist, with the omega in the place of the connecting vowel. The only other differences are (1) the third person singular form does not use the movable nu and (2) the third plural form is not the same as the first singular but follows a first aorist ending (cf. ἔλυσαν).

Instead of keeping the normal spelling which follows the imperfect endings, some verbs assimilate to the first aorist spelling. Thus, the connecting vowel is switched to an alpha (α). Here are a few examples:

A. Second Aorist Stem: Match the lexical form of the verb with its second aorist form.

B. Parsing: Parse the following verbs.

1. ἀπέθανον

2. ἐφάγομεν

3. ἀνέβην

4. εὑρέθημεν

5. κατέβησαν

6. ἠνέχθη

7. ἠγάγετε

8. ἐγένετο

9. ἔσχες

10. συνήχθησαν

C. Translation: Translate the following sentences.

1. ἐντολὴν ἐλάβομεν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός (father) (2 John 4).

2. ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον (Gal 2:19).

3. ἤνεγκα τὸν υἱόν μου πρὸς σέ (Mark 9:17).

4. ἀνέβη Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐδίδασκεν (John 7:14).

5. καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ εἰς ἔρημον (deserted) τόπον (Mark 6:32).

6. Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς (Scriptures) (1 Cor 15:3).

7. ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος (Rom 5:12).

8. ἄγγελος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ (temple) τοῦ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ (Rev 14:17).

9. κατέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν (John 6:16).

10. ἔπεσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας (feet) αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκρός (dead) (Rev 1:17).

11. ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ (that) ὥρᾳ προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ (Matt 18:1).

12. εἶδεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλάλησεν περὶ αὐτοῦ (John 12:41).

13. ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν τὴν παραβολὴν (parable) (Luke 20:19).

14. ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω (John 1:10).

15. εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως (presence) ἔφαγον (Matt 12:4).

D. Translation: Translate the following sentences into Greek.

1. The child fell on the road.

2. You (pl) found the Lord of life.

3. He went down to the synagogue.

4. We entered into the house of God and heard the Word.

5. They spoke the promise to the crowd.