Verb – Luo medio-passive, Aorist middle infinitive

ObjectivesLearning objectives

How enclitics are accented when focused
The morphology of medio-passive Luo and middle Aorist infinitives
The use of the infinitive as a purpose adjunct

VocabularyVocabulary

Greek	Gloss	Part of speech	Paradigm
ἡ οἰκουμένη, -ης	the world	noun	B.a.α.i
ἡ διαθήκη, -ης	the covenant	noun	B.a.α.i
παραχρῆμα	immediately	adverb
ἡ κτίσις, -εως	the created thing	noun	B.a.γ.v
τοιοῦτος, τοιαύτη, τοιοῦτον	such as this	adjective	48.4.3.1
ἁμαρτάνω εἰς σέ	(I) sin against you (acc)	verb	C.a.α

PhonologyPhonology: Enclitic rule 8 (focused enclitic retains)

Sometimes we see an enclitic accented in an environment we wouldn’t normally expect, as in this example given by Carson:

Example 247Focused enclitic

τέκνα θεοῦ κληθῶμεν· καὶ ἐσμέν (1 John 3:1)

We should be called children of God; and so we are

We would expect καί ἐσμεν without the accent on ἐσμεν, but that is not what we find. The reason Carson gives for this is “emphasis.” Although this term is used often, it is quite vague. Instead, we can say that enclitics are accented when they are focused (for more on focus, see Syntax C and 48.1.3). To illustrate, this is the meaning difference between the sentences Jesus WALKED on water and JESUS walked on water. The word we stress (in all caps) is focused, and when we change the focus, our understanding of the sentence changes. Coming back to our enclitic rule, we can say that when an enclitic is focused, it retains its accent.

MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Luo medio-passive, Aorist middle infinitive

med-psv Luo and mid Aorist infs both end in -σθαι
In Luo and Efagon this ending begins with ε; in the Sigmatic Aorist, it begins with σα
The accenting is regressive in Luo and Elusa, but falls on the penultima in Efagon

Morphology: Verb – Luo medio-passive, Aorist middle infinitive

	Infinitive (‘to become’)	Infinitive (‘to taste’)
Luo medio-passive	γίν-εσθαι	γεύ-εσθαι
Efagon middle	γεν-έσθαι	-
Elusa middle	-	γεύ-σασθαι

SyntaxSyntax-Semantics: Verb – Infinitive (2 – Purpose adjunct)

Verb – Infinitive: all 3 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 16.2, Lesson 39.2

In addition to infinitives being used as complements (see 16.2.4.2), they are also commonly found as adjuncts after verbs that do not require them. When used as an adjunct, infinitives are often interpreted as indicating the purpose of the subject for doing the action described by the main verb:

Example 248Infinitive adjunct indicating purpose

καὶ ἀνέστη ἀναγνῶναι (Luke 4:16)

And he stood up to read

The meaning of the verb ἀνέστη ‘stand up’ does not require another eventuality, so the following infinitive is not a complement. Rather, the infinitive ἀναγνῶναι ‘to read’ gives the reason why Jesus stood up. Infinitive adjuncts need not be interpreted as indicating purpose, but this is one of the most common interpretations.

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