Infinitives

An infinitive is a verbal noun. For example, in the sentence, “The dog jumped over the table,” the term “jumped” is a verb that describes the action of the dog. But just as a verb can be used as a participle or verbal adjective (“the jumping dog”), it can also be used as an infinitive or verbal noun (“To jump is difficult for the dog”). In this last sentence, the phrase “to jump” functions as the subject of the verb “is difficult.” Thus, in English, an infinitive is formed by the word “to” plus a verb. This chapter will discuss the forms and usage of Greek infinitives.

In Matt 4:17, we read,

Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς κηρύσσειν καὶ λέγειν· μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

From then on Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, because the kingdom of the heavens has come near.” (authors’ translation)

The two Greek words in bold are present active infinitives, translated “to preach” and “to say.” They complete the idea of the aorist middle verb ἤρξατο, “began.” Without these complementary infinitives to finish the author’s verbal assertion, we would be left in suspense: “Jesus began …” (Began what?) “Well, he began to preach and to say.” (The two Greek infinitives translated literally sound redundant to us, but the pleonastic style is reflective of an underlying Semitic idiom we often detect in the Gospels.)

As you will learn in this chapter, there are three possible tense-forms for an infinitive: present, aorist, and perfect. Why do you think Matthew chose present infinitives to complete the idea of ἤρξατο in Matt 4:17? What nuance are we missing in the English translation by simply translating the infinitives as “to” plus the meaning of the verb?

The unpublished work of S. M. Baugh, Introduction to Greek Tense in the Non-Indicative Moods (2009) is helpful for us here. Baugh points out that in all eighty-seven instances of the verb ἄρχομαι followed by a complementary infinitive, the infinitive is in the present tense. This is an extremely strong default stylistic pattern, so we should not ask about any special nuance for the present tense. If an aorist or perfect tense infinitive had appeared in this verse, however, that would have been unusual and worthy of consideration. One reason you are learning Greek well (we pray!) is so that you will be guarded against over-interpreting default or expected grammatical constructions.

Because an infinitive is a verbal noun, it has some features that are noun-like and other features that are verb-like. Like a verb, an infinitive

• has aspect (perfective, imperfective, or stative) and voice (active, middle, passive).

• can take a direct object or be modified by an adverb.

• is negated by μή (like all other non-indicative mood verbs).

In addition, the subject of the infinitive is in the accusative case rather than the nominative case. In Mark 8:31 we read, δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν, “The Son of Man must suffer many things” (NIV). Notice that τὸν υἱόν (“the Son”) functions as the subject of the infinitive (παθεῖν, “to suffer”) even though it is in the accusative case.

Unlike finite verbs, infinitives do not conjugate. Finite verbs conjugate because each form is limited to a particular subject (first, second, third person singular or plural). For example, βλέπομεν Ἰησοῦν is translated “we see Jesus.” The ending of the verb (-μεν) limits the subject to first person plural. If the author wanted to state “he sees Jesus,” he would need to write βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Because infinitives have no person and number, there is only one form for each tense-form and voice.

Like a noun, an infinitive can

• take an article (which is always neuter and singular = τό, τοῦ, and τῷ).

• have a variety of different case functions.

• occur after a preposition (infinitives following prepositions are always articular).

Infinitives appear quite frequently in the New Testament (almost 2,300 times). Of these, most are present and aorist. There are, however, forty-nine perfect infinitives and five future infinitives in the New Testament.

All present and aorist infinitives end in -ειν (λύειν) or -αι (λύεσθαι, λῦσαι, λύσασθαι, λυθῆναι). The chart above only includes present and aorist forms since they are the most common by far. Perfect infinitives will be discussed below, but future infinitives do not warrant further comment.

Present

Present infinitives are based on the present stem of the verb and will either end in -ειν or -αι. The present infinitive of εἰμί is εἶναι. (There is no aorist form).

Contract verbs behave the same way as indicative mood verbs. Remember, only present tense-forms are affected by such changes since the aorist and perfect verbs add a consonant to the verb’s stem. To be morphologically precise, the present infinitive morpheme (sound unit) is εν, which is preceded by the epsilon connecting vowel (ε) when it is joined to the verb stem. Normally, this results in the infinitive ending ειν (ε + εν = ειν). With contract verbs, however, there is a domino effect of morphological combinations successively from left to right, resulting in a final combined form.

Starting at the left, alpha and epsilon combine to be alpha. Then, the new alpha combines with the remaining epsilon to be alpha.

Starting at the left, epsilon combines with epsilon to be ει. Then, the diphthong ει combines with ε to be ει.

Starting at the left, omicron combines with epsilon to be ου. Then, the diphthong ου combines with epsilon to be ου.

Aorist

The aorist active and middle forms have the characteristic -σα and the aorist passive form has -θη (lengthened from -θε). Second aorist infinitives are built on the second aorist stem. Such verbs have present endings but have a spelling change of the stem (and a change in the accent). For example, we read in Matt 17:10, Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον, “Elijah must come first” (NIV). Although ἐλθεῖν has a present tense-form ending (-εῖν), it is a second aorist form because the lexical form is ἔρχομαι. Below is a list of common second aorist infinitives. You should be able to recognize these if you know your second aorist indicative forms.

Some second aorist verbs end in -αι (καταβαίνω → καταβῆναι, φέρω → ἐνέγκαι, γινώσκω → γνῶναι). Note that aorist infinitives have no augment. (This is similar to all non-indicative aorist forms.)

Perfect

Because there are only forty-nine perfect infinitives in the New Testament, it is unnecessary to memorize their infinitive forms. They are, however, often easily identifiable because of the reduplication and -αι endings: active (λελυκέναι) middle/passive (λελύσθαι). Also, note that the active form has the additional kappa (λελυκέναι) and the middle/passive form has no connective vowel (λελύ-σθαι). Both elements are common with perfect verbs.

What makes infinitives difficult is not the forms (since they do not conjugate) but the various ways they are used in sentences and the challenge that presents for translation. Perhaps in the majority of cases, an infinitive can simply be translated as “to” + the meaning of the verb. Yet, as we will see from the categories that follow, infinitives are sometimes used in constructions with prepositions. Such uses are idiomatic constructions and cannot usually be translated word-for-word. The following prepositions are used with infinitives in the New Testament: εἰς (72×), ἐν (55×), διά (33×), μετά (15×), πρός (12×), and πρό (9×). When a preposition is used in combination with an infinitive, it will always precede the infinitive.

Below are several categories of uses that should be mastered. We begin with the most common use of the infinitive in the New Testament, the complementary function, which is directly parallel to English and easily translated. Additionally, all but the last category (i.e., substantival) could be classified as adverbial uses of the infinitive because the verbal quality is dominant.

Complementary

Certain (finite) verbs need to be completed by another verb. Sometimes the verb that completes the verbal idea is an infinitive. For example, in English we might say, “I am going to read a book tonight.” The infinitive “to read” complements or completes the meaning of the verb “going.” In Greek, the following verbs require a complementary infinitive: ἄρχομαι (“I am beginning”), δεῖ (“It is necessary”), δύναμαι (“I am able”), and μέλλω (“I am about to”). Additionally, the verbs βούλομαι (“I am wanting”), δοκέω (“I am thinking”), and θέλω (“I am wishing”) can also be completed with an infinitive.

• θέλομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδεῖν, “we want to see Jesus” (John 12:21).

• ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς κηρύσσειν, “Jesus began to preach” (Matt 4:17).

• οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν, “none is able to serve two lords” (Matt 6:24 YLT).

Purpose

An infinitive can be used to communicate an intended purpose. This can be done using three different constructions: (1) infinitive alone, (2) infinitive with τοῦ, and (3) infinitive with εἰς τό. In most cases, you can still translate the purpose infinitive as “to” + the meaning of the verb.

• πορεύομαι ἑτοιμάσαι τόπον ὑμῖν, “I am going to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

• ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι, “a sower went out to sow” (Luke 8:5).

• ἔπεμψα εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν, “I sent [him] to know about your faith” (1 Thess 3:5).

Result

A result infinitive is one that expresses an actual result and not merely an intended one (i.e., purpose). This usage typically occurs after ὥστε (“so that”) and less commonly after εἰς τό (since it usually communicates purpose). Don’t forget that any explicit subject of the infinitive will be in the accusative case. In the translations below, you will note that the result infinitive is rendered into more standard English with a finite verb.

• καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε τοὺς πολλοὺς λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν, “And he became as a dead person, so that many said that he died” (Mark 9:26).

• ἐπίστευσεν εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν, “He believed so that he became the father of many nations” (Rom 4:18).

Previous Time

Previous (or antecedent) time is communicated by μετὰ τό + infinitive and signals that the action of the infinitive occurs before the action of the main verb. The use of the preposition μετά indicates that the action of the main verb occurs after the action of the infinitive.

• μετὰ τὸ ἐγερθῆναί με προάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, “After I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee” (Mark 14:28 ESV). Note that Jesus is first raised; then he will go to Galilee. Try to translate the opening clause literalistically. “After the to be raised me” does not work. You must transform it into a standard English dependent clause.

Contemporaneous Time

Contemporaneous time is communicated by ἐν τῷ + infinitive and signals that the action of the infinitive occurs at the same time as the action of the main verb. The prepositional phrase is usually translated with the English word “while,” “as,” or “when.”

• ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, “as he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path” (Matt 13:4 ISV).

Subsequent Time

Subsequent time is communicated by πρὸ τοῦ or πρίν (ἤ) + infinitive and signals that the action of the infinitive occurs after the action of the main verb. The use of the preposition πρό or πρίν indicates that the action of the main verb occurs before the action of the infinitive.

• πρὸ τοῦ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι … εἶδόν σε, “before Philip called you … I saw you” (John 1:48).

• πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

Causal

A causal infinitive is communicated by διὰ τό + infinitive and expresses the reason or ground for the action of the main verb. This use answers the question “Why?” and is usually translated using “because,” “since,” or “for” plus the meaning of the main verb.

• διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη, “they withered because they had no root” (Matt 13:6 NIV).

Substantival Uses

Whereas the categories above could all be seen as adverbial uses of the infinitive, in this category the infinitive will function more like a noun. Such uses can be categorized as substantival uses. That is, there are uses where the infinitive functions as either the subject or the object of a sentence.

• Subject: ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Here the two infinitives function as the subject of the understood verb “is.” (The verb εἰμί is often implied but not written.)

• Object: ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι, “they were seeking to arrest him” (Mark 12:12 ESV). Here the phrase “to arrest him” functions as the direct object of the verb “they were seeking.”

Like all non-indicative verbs, infinitives do not convey the time of the action (i.e., tense). The time is not established by tense-form but must be determined by the context (often by prepositions used in infinitive constructions). The various tense-forms convey the author’s portrayal of the verb’s action (or aspect). Often it is difficult to bring out the aspectual nuance in English, so most of the time there is no difference in translation between a present or aorist infinitive. In addition, the reasons behind an author’s choice of a particular tense-form is complex, with multiple factors that limit or influence his choice. Such factors can be categorized as (1) lexical, (2) grammatical, and (3) contextual.

• Lexical Factors: A verb’s semantic meaning often has a significant influence on the tense-form selected by the author. This influence is due to the overlap in function of the verb’s aspect and the inherent meaning of the verb. In other words, because the perfective aspect (aorist tense-form) is used by the author to portray the action as a whole, it is more natural to use the perfective aspect with verbs whose actions are normally completed in a relatively short period of time. For example, in the New Testament the infinitive of βάλλω occurs twelve times as an aorist but never as a present. This usage is expected when one considers that the action to “throw” or “put” takes place almost instantaneously. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive of the imperfective aspect being used when there would be virtually no time to portray the action as in progress or incomplete. A specific example can be found in Acts 25:11: οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν, “I do not refuse to die” (NIV). The verb ἀποθνῄσκω is found as an infinitive fifteen times in the New Testament, all in the aorist tense-form. Some actions naturally occur quickly without the opportunity for progress to be portrayed.

Conversely, because the imperfective aspect (present tense-form) is used by the author to portray the action as in progress or ongoing, it is more natural to use the imperfective aspect with verbs whose actions normally are viewed as having no natural endpoint or are stative verbs. For example, in the New Testament, the imperative of ἀγαπάω occurs eight times as a present infinitive but never as an aorist infinitive. Again, this usage is expected when one considers that the action of “loving” is not normally completed in a short period but is an action that has no natural terminus. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive of the perfective aspect being used when the action is not easily portrayed as a whole. The influence of a verb’s lexical meaning can be demonstrated in Phil 1:21: ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV). Note that the first infinitive is present (ζῆν), whereas the second is aorist (ἀποθανεῖν). This example is especially telling since these two infinitives occur in a parallel construction. Why the switch in tense-form? The answer relates to the lexical meaning of each verb. As an infinitive, ζάω occurs as a present infinitive twelve times and never as an aorist. As we saw above, ἀποθνῄσκω is just the opposite (fifteen aorists and no presents).

• Grammatical Factors: Grammatical factors provide the most significant influence on the author’s choice of tense form. With infinitives, attention should be given to verb combinations—especially with complementary infinitives (e.g., ἄρχομαι and μέλλω are almost always followed by a present infinitive in the New Testament).

• Contextual Factors: The most significant contextual factor is the text’s literary genre. Certain literary styles are prone to favor certain tense-forms. For example, (in most moods) historical narratives heavily favor the aorist tense-form which is often labeled the “default” form. Letters favor the present tense-form.

So, although every Greek verb conveys a particular aspect, sometimes such choices are influenced by many factors.

The verbs δύναμαι (“I am able, can”) and θέλω (“I want, wish, desire”) have slightly irregular forms. In its present indicative form, δύναμαι uses an alpha (α) connecting vowel instead of an omicron (ο) or epsilon (ε): δύναμαι, δύνασαι, δύναται, δυνάμεθα, δύνασθε, δύνανται. Additionally, when used as an imperfect indicative, the augment can be either an epsilon (ε-) or an eta (η-): ἐδύνατο or ἠδύνατο. Similarly, the verb θέλω uses an eta for its augment in both the imperfect and aorist forms: ἤθελον and ἠθέλησα. This feature is due to an older spelling of the verb that included an initial epsilon (ἐθέλω).

A. Paradigms: Memorize the present active and middle/passive and aorist active, middle, and passive infinitive forms of λύω (see section 21.4). Then write out the forms ten times from memory.

B. Parsing: Parse the following words.

1. πιστεύειν

2. γνῶναι

3. λαλῆσαι

4. ἀκολουθεῖν

5. πέμψαι

6. φαγεῖν

7. πεποιηκέναι

8. ἀποστέλλειν

9. ἐγεῖραι

10. πεποιθέναι

C. Infinitive Usage: Indicate the specific usage of the following infinitives: Complementary (C), Purpose (P), Previous Time (PT), Contemporaneous Time (CT), Subsequent Time (ST), Causal (CL), or Substantival (S).

D. Translation: Translate the following sentences, indicating the use of the infinitive.

1. καὶ πάλιν ἤρξατο διδάσκειν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν (Mark 4:1).

2. οὐκ ἔχετε διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς (Jas 4:2).

3. μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι με ἐκεῖ δεῖ με καὶ Ῥώμην ἰδεῖν (Acts 19:21).

4. βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ (1 Tim 2:8).

5. ἔδωκεν (He gave) αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων (unclean) ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν αὐτὰ καὶ θεραπεύειν πᾶσαν νόσον (sickness) (Matt 10:1).

6. οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν (ὀφείλω, I ought) [καὶ] οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα (Eph 5:28).

7. ἐν δὲ τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτοὺς αὐτὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς κώμην (village) τινά (Luke 10:38).

8. οἶδεν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν (need) ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν (Matt 6:8).

9. ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν (he gave) αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι (John 1:12).

10. Κύριε, κατάβηθι (come down) πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον μου (John 4:49).

11. ἤρξατο κηρύσσειν πολλὰ … ὥστε μηκέτι αὐτὸν δύνασθαι φανερῶς (openly) εἰς πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν (Mark 1:45).

12. ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων (ends) τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος (Luke 11:31).

13. ἐν δὲ τῷ λαλῆσαι ἐρωτᾷ αὐτὸν Φαρισαῖος (Luke 11:37).

14. εἶπεν παραβολὴν διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς (near) εἶναι Ἰερουσαλὴμ αὐτὸν (Luke 19:11).

15. ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ … εἰς πόλιν Δαυὶδ … διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς (lineage/line) Δαυίδ (Luke 2:4).

E. Translation: Translate the following sentences into Greek. The expected aspect is given for each infinitive.

1. They are able to sin (imperfective) against the will of God.

2. I want to walk (imperfective) in the light, and he wants to walk (perfective) in the night (use different verbs to translate “want”).

3. The blind [man] was about to speak (imperfective) to the servant before he was departing (use infinitive construction for “before he was departing”).

4. No one must enter (perfective) nor remain (perfective) in the house.

5. He seems to be (imperfective) blessed so that (as a result) the crowd judges (imperfective) him.