Verb – Aorist thematic plural

ObjectivesLearning objectives

The morphology of pl Aorist thematic verbs
The semantics of the Aorist not used in sequences

VocabularyVocabulary

Greek	Gloss	Part of speech	Paradigm
τὸ πάθημα, -ατος	the suffering	noun	B.a.γ.i(a)
μόνος, -η, -ον	only	adjective	A.a.α
ἔρημος, -ον	uninhabited	adjective	A.a.γ
ἡ ἐπαγγελία, -ας	the promise	noun	B.a.α.ii
ἡ ζώνη, -ης	the belt	noun	B.a.α.i
τὸ γράμμα, -ατος	the letter (alphabet)	noun	B.a.γ.i(a)

MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Aorist thematic plural

Like in the Aorist thematic sg, the pl forms have an initial short vowel after the stem and the endings are related to the present tense pl endings (see 5.1.3.1).
For the 3p, you have -ον in the Aorist thematic rather than -ουσι(ν) as in the present. This form ends up being identical to the 1s form (ἔ-λαβ-ον).
The 1p and 2p endings for the present and Aorist thematic are identical, since both have an initial short theme vowel after the stem: -ομεν and -ετε.

Morphology: Verb – Aorist thematic plural

	Singular	Plural
1st Person	ἔ-λαβ-ον	ἐ-λάβ-ομεν
2nd Person	ἔ-λαβ-ες	ἐ-λάβ-ετε
3rd Person	ἔ-λαβ-ε(ν)	ἔ-λαβ-ον

SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Aorist (2 – Completed, non-sequential, event)

Verb – Aorist: all 7 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 11.1, Lesson 14.1, Lesson 21.1, Lesson 24.2, Lesson 26.2, Lesson 31.2

In 11.1.3.2, we introduced the sequential use of the Aorist as one event happening after another. While this is the most common interpretation of the Aorist in stories, the past-perfective meaning of the Aorist need not refer to events that happen in a sequence. The Aorist could also be interpreted as two events overlapping in time or as two verbal descriptions of the same event:

Example 95Aorists referring to overlapping events

Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy (Aorist) in your name, and cast out (Aorist) demons in your name, and do (Aorist) many mighty works in your name? (Matt 7:22)

Example 96Aorists describing a single event in two ways

The lord answered (Aorist) him καὶ εἶπεν [and said] (Luke 13:15)

In Matt 7:22, Jesus is speaking to those whom he will reject on judgment day for not knowing him. Those rejected protest saying that they certainly did know him because they prophesied in his name, cast out demons in his name, and did other mighty works in his name. All three of these events are in the Aorist, but the events they refer to did not necessarily occur sequentially. There would seem to be no temporal relationship between prophesying in Jesus’ name and casting out demons in his name – the point is not that the prophesying happened and then the casting out demons happened, but simply that both occurred. The last general statement about ‘many mighty works’ is also not temporally related to prophesying and casting out demons.

Similarly, Luke 13:15 describes an answer Jesus made with two distinct Aorist verbs, but the event is the same. Both verbs ‘answered’ or ‘said’ refer to the single event of Jesus saying something in response to someone else. Thus, the two Aorist verbs cannot refer to sequential events here, since only one event is being referred to.

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