Present Participles

A participle could be described as a grammatical hybrid since it is part verb and part adjective (i.e., a verbal adjective). It is a word that is built on a verb stem but is declined like an adjective. It can be employed in a variety of ways. Depending on context, participles may function as verbs, adjectives, or substantive adjectives (nouns). Because of the complexity of participles, we will devote three chapters to them. This one will discuss present participles; the next two chapters will discuss aorist and perfect participles, respectively.

John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (see Luke 1:5–24), the prophetic forerunner of Jesus, is referred to with the titular noun, ὁ βαπτιστής, “the Baptist” or “the Baptizer.” For example, see Matt 3:1:

In those days John the Baptist (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. (NIV)

John is also called ὁ βαπτίζων in Mark 6:12–14:

So [Jesus’s disciples] went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. King Herod heard about it, because Jesus’s name had become well known. Some said, “John the Baptist (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων) has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.” (CSB)

βαπτίζων is a present participle, but it is clearly not describing activity (“baptizing”) that is happening in the narrative. (After all, John is dead, so he can’t be baptizing!) One of the functions of a present participle is to describe characteristic or habitual activity, with the time-frame of the activity dictated by the broader context. By referring to John as ὁ βαπτίζων in Mark 6:14, his contemporaries show that he was so identified with the regular activity of baptizing that he is known as “that Baptizing Guy.” The Scriptures tell us that John’s baptizing activity was intended to call people to repentance in preparation for the greater Baptizer who would come after him—the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:8). What an amazing testimony to John’s faithful fulfillment of his ministry that even after his death, he is identified by a title which reflects his prophetic call to repentance from sin and faith in the coming Messiah.

A participle can be defined as a verbal adjective. For example, the word “run” is normally used as a verb: “the girl runs down the path.” In English, if we add “ing” (or “ed”) to the verb stem, it can function as an adjective: “The running girl fell on the path.” Now, the word “running” is describing the girl (not the “sweet” girl or the “fast” girl, but the “running” girl). Also, the indicative verb of the revised sentence is “fell,” not “run.”

In Greek, participles can function in a similar manner. Since a participle is a verbal adjective, Greek participles have components of both a verb and an adjective. As verbs, they have tense, voice, and mood. As adjectives, they have gender, case, and number. Thus, in the paradigms below you will notice that there are not six forms to memorize (as is the case with verbs); rather, there are eight forms (as is the case with nouns and adjectives). So, instead of the grammatical category of person, participles have gender and case. On the next page, we first look at charts of the masculine present active and middle/passive participles, followed by large charts giving all possible present participle endings. Participles can be translated as adjectives, nouns, or verbs, depending on the context. In the two initial charts, we have provided a provisional translation of the participles as substantives (nouns), though you should note that such a translation decision cannot be made apart from context (more on this below). Also, even if we are sure of the function of a participle (e.g., a substantive), the time frame of any participle is determined by contextual factors. A final translation is impossible apart from referencing the context of a larger discourse unit.

Comprehensive charts of all regular forms of the present participle are provided:

Participles are important to master since about one in every twenty words in the Greek New Testament is a participle. That equates to almost one participle for every verse! Pay particular attention to the masculine nominative singular form as it is by far the most common form (representing almost 2,500 of the 6,600+ participles). In fact, participles comprise nearly one quarter of all verbal forms in the New Testament. Also note that there are no imperfect participles and only thirteen future participles in the New Testament.

Present Active Participles

Let’s take a closer look at the paradigms above, starting with the present active participle. First, the masculine and neuter forms follow the third declension endings.

The feminine forms, however, follow a mixed form of the first declension endings, similar to the adjective πᾶς, using both the alpha (α) and eta (η) patterns (λύουσα, λύουσης, λύουσῃ, λύουσαν; cf. πᾶσα, πάσης, πάσῃ, πᾶσαν).

Masculine and neuter active participles have a distinctive -ντ- infix (λύοντος). This morpheme communicates that the participle is in the active voice. In addition, these forms contain an omicron (ο) connecting vowel (λύοντος). The feminine infix is -ουσ- (λύουσης), also communicating the active voice.

Present Middle/passive Participles

The endings of present middle/passive participles are regular for all genders. In other words, the endings of the participle are the same as the first and second declension noun endings.

The -μεν- infix communicates that the voice is middle or passive (λυόμενος), with the addition of the omicron (ο) connecting vowel to make pronunciation easier (λυομένη).

Contract verbs of participles will react in the same way as the vowel combinations you have already seen.

Remember that the place of the contraction will often be indicated by a circumflex, particularly in the active voice (ἀγαπῶντι, καλοῦντος).

Present Participle of Εἰμί

The present participle of εἰμί occurs more than 150 times in the New Testament and so deserves attention.

Because this form is identical to the combined endings (connecting vowels, infixes, and case endings) of regular forms, this paradigm does not need to be memorized. Once you know the present active participle paradigm of λύω, then you will know the paradigm for εἰμί. For example, the present masculine nominative singular participle of λύω is λύων. And the present masculine singular participle of εἰμί is ὤν. So, if you see what looks to be an ending all by itself (with its own smooth breathing mark and accent), it is most likely a participial form of εἰμί. As a present participle, εἰμί is usually translated “being.” Finally, εἰμί only has an active form and never a middle or passive form.

Parsing

Below are some examples of how participles are parsed. Notice (1) that these forms are parsed as half verbs (tense, voice, and mood) and half adjectives (gender, case, and number); (2) they are not translated since it is not possible to translate them without knowing how they are used; and (3) the mood of the verb is now listed as a participle (a “ptc”) instead of indicative.

What makes participles difficult is two-fold. (1) The number of forms to know (3 genders x 4 cases x 2 numbers [singular and plural] = 24 forms for every tense and voice). (2) The variety of uses can be daunting, too. Because a participle is a verbal adjective, it can be placed into one of the three adjectival positions: attributive, substantive, or predicate. Each of these uses requires a different method of translation.

Attributive Use

With the attributive use, the article (when present) occurs directly in front of the participle which modifies an expressed noun or pronoun. It is often best to translate an attributive participle with an English relative clause (“who” or “which/that”).

In the above cases, the participle agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, case, and number. Participles can also take direct objects or can be modified by other parts of speech (e.g., adverbs, prepositional phrases, or negative particles). For example, ὁ ἔχων τὰς ἐντολάς μου, “the one who has my commands.” The accusative phrase τὰς ἐντολάς is the direct object of the verbal idea “the one who has.”

Substantival Use

A substantive is an adjective (or another part of speech) that functions as a noun. The article (when present) occurs directly in front of the participle which modifies an unexpressed noun or pronoun. Thus, a substantival participle is really an attributive participle whose modified noun is unexpressed. Sometimes this type of participle loses its verbal force and becomes a mere noun, especially if the verb describes an occupation or characteristic activity (e.g., ὁ ἄρχων, “the one who rules” = “the ruler”). It is usually best to translate a substantival participle as “the one who” + verbal meaning, but it could also be “he who” or “she who” if the gender of the person is known.

The case depends on the participle’s function in the sentence, and the gender depends on the referent to which the participle applies.

Adverbial Use

With the adverbial use, the participle is in the predicate position (meaning that the article is not directly in front of the participle). Although the most common use involves a temporal focus, there are several uses of the adverbial participle (such as causal, purpose, etc.). With a present tense-form temporal participle, the action of the participle often occurs at the same time (contemporaneous with) the action of the main verb—whether the main verb is past, present, or future. Ultimately, the broader literary context must determine the temporal relationship. Most adverbial participles are in the nominative case.

The following categories are common enough to mention here. What we are determining is the relationship of the participles to the main verb. (This is why it is an adverbial participle.) These categories depend on the context and are not communicated by the participle. It is often necessary to add words in English to communicate the relationship.

• Temporal: communicates the time in which the action was performed in relation to the main verb (add “while,” “as,” or “when”).

ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ, “He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum” (John 6:59).

βλέπων δὲ τὸν ἄνεμον ἐφοβήθη, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid” (Matt 14:30).

• Causal: communicates the reason why the verbal idea is performed (add “because” or “since”)

Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου πάντοτε … ἀκούων σου τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν, “I always thank my God … because I hear of your love … and faith” (Phlm v. 4–5).

• Means: communicates the means by which the verbal idea is accomplished (add “by” or “by means of”)

κοπιῶμεν ἐργαζόμενοι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσίν, “we labor by working with our own hands” (1 Cor 4:12).

• Purpose: communicates the purpose or motive for the verbal idea performed (add “in order to” or “in order that”).

τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν πειράζων αὐτόν, “he was saying this in order to test him” (John 6:6).

ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, “He was in the desert forty days in order to be tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:13).

Because participles are verbal adjectives, they can be in one of three voices: active, middle, or passive.

Active: πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς, “[the one] who calls you is faithful” (1 Thess 5:24).

Middle: σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, “with all [the ones] who … call upon the name of our Lord” (1 Cor 1:2 ESV).

Passive: καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, “when [he is] called by God” (Heb 5:2–4 ESV).

The distinguishing trait of the masculine and neuter active form is the infix -οντ- to which third declension endings are added. The distinguishing characteristic for the feminine is -ουσ- to which first declension endings are added.

The distinguishing trait of the middle or passive form is the infix -μεν- to which the regular adjectival endings are attached.

It is a bit dangerous to talk about “tenses” when it comes to participles since that term involves time. In Greek, participles don’t convey the time of the action—that is controlled by the main (usually indicative) verb. Instead, the Greek tense-form communicates the author’s perspective on the action.

In the indicative mood, there are six tense-forms: present, imperfect, future, aorist, perfect, and pluperfect. These verbs communicate both time of action (tense) and the author’s perspective on the action (aspect). But since participles (like all non-indicative verbs) don’t communicate time, the tense-form used only communicates aspect. Because there are only three aspects, the number of tense-forms used with participles is essentially one for each aspect.

1.Imperfective (action presented in progress): Present tense-form (no imperfect)

2.Perfective (action viewed as a whole): Aorist tense-form (almost no future)

3.Stative (action complete with resulting state or relevance): Perfect tense-form (no pluperfect)

Again, the time of the action is not determined by the participle, but by the broader context. Indicative verbs nearby provide some of the most significant context, and as an initial attempt at contextual translation, you should translate a present tense-form participle in the same time frame as indicative verbs that are close at hand. To clarify, a present participle does not necessarily communicate that the participle’s action is contemporaneous with the writer’s time of writing; rather, the action is likely in progress when the action of the main verb in the sentence occurs (past, present, or future).

• If the action of the main verb is past, then the action of the present participle is likely a continuous past (ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν κηρύσσων, “Jesus came into Galilee while he was preaching,” Mark 1:14).

• If the action of the main verb is present, then the action of the participle is likely a continuous present (βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτόν, “he sees Jesus while he is coming to him,” John 1:29).

• And if the action of the main verb is future, then the action of the participle is likely a continuous future (πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες, “For many will come in my name, saying” Matt 24:5 ESV).

This cannot be over-reiterated: the literary context provides the final and definitive guidance regarding into what time frame to translate a participle. The translation guidelines in this chapter are simplified for beginning students.

A. Paradigms: Memorize the present active and middle/passive paradigms of λύω (masc only) (see section 17.4). Then write out each paradigm ten times from memory.

B. Parsing: Parse the following words.

1. θεωροῦντας

2. καθημένῳ

3. μένουσαν

4. λαμβάνοντες

5. κρίνοντα

6. ὑπάρχοντος

7. γραφόμενα

8. ἔχοντι

9. καλούμενον

10. οὔσῃ

C. Participle Usage: Indicate whether the following participles are used Attributively (A), Substantivally (S), or Adverbially (Adv).

D. Translation: Translate the following sentences.

1. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον (John 3:36).

2. βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ λέγει, Ἴδε (Behold) ὁ ἀμνὸς (lamb) τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου (John 1:29).

3. καὶ ἦλθεν κηρύσσων εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν εἰς ὅλην (all, whole) τὴν Γαλιλαίαν καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλων (Mark 1:39).

4. ὁ δεχόμενος (δέχομαι, I receive) ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται, καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά (the one who sent) με (Matt 10:40).

5. δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται (φανερόω, I reveal) μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν (Rom 3:21).

6. ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης (Mark 6:48).

7. Καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι … ζητοῦντες παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πειράζοντες (πειράζω, I test) αὐτόν (Mark 8:11).

8. Σίμων Πέτρος εἶπεν, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος (Matt 16:16).

9. καὶ εὐθὺς, ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, εἶδεν … τὸ πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν (dove) καταβαῖνον εἰς αὐτόν (Mark 1:10).

10. καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἰσχυρὸν (ἰσχυρός, strong) καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (Rev 10:1).

11. ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐν σκότει (τὸ σκότος, darkness) φῶς εἶδεν μέγα (Matt 4:16).

12. ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Acts 8:12).

13. ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω (after) μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός (ἰσχυρός, strong) μού ἐστιν (Matt 3:11).

14. Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν (trespasses) καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν (Eph 2:1).

15. καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδίδασκεν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν δοξαζόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων (Luke 4:15).

E. Translation: Translate the following sentences into Greek.

1. He went outside to them, proclaiming the eternal Word.

2. Truly, truly I say to you, they know neither the day nor the hour.

3. The elders brought each child as he beheld the signs.

4. Then Jesus said, “I am the One who sits on the throne.”

5. No one saw the one announcing the good news.