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Chapter 47 · Lesson 47.2 · Verb
Verb – Pure state perfects
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The meaning of the pure state reading of the Leluka and elelukein forms
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ δόλος, -ου | the deceit | noun | B.a.β.i |
| τὸ ὅριον, -ου | the boundary | noun | B.a.β.ii |
| ἄφρων, -ον | foolish | adjective | B.a.γ.vii(a)2 |
| διαλέγομαί σοι | (I) argue with you (dat) | verb | C.a.ζ |
| καταισχύνομαι | (I) feel ashamed | verb | C.a.α |
| τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν | (I) give my life | phrase |
SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Pure state perfects
The pure state reading of Leluka (introduced originally in 23.2.3.2) only works for a limited set of verbs. By far the most common verb is οἶδα ‘know’. This verb is originally from the root ειδ meaning ‘to see.’ However, it would be wrong to conclude from this that the real meaning of οἶδα is to know by seeing. The word οἶδα has taken on a new meaning of ‘to know’, but you can see how this developed. The result of having seen something is that you know something about it. This points to the basic semantics of at least some verbs that fall into the pure state class. They are, or were originally, verbs that refer to a result state:
ἡ δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν (1 Tim 5:6)
The one who lives luxuriously is dead
The state of being dead implies another prior event has taken place, namely dying. The vast majority of these verbs, if not all of them, fall into this category. A prior event can be inferred, and a present state holds. The key to identifying this use is that the verb is not explicitly referring to the prior event; it is only implied. The verb is only referring to the consequent state (see Semantics C for more discussion).
This use of Leluka is also relevant for Elelukein, the pluperfect. However, because elelukein is a past tense, a verb like οἶδα, whose form is ᾔδειν, refers to a past state that holds:
οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν (John 20:14)
She did not know it was Jesus
This verse is speaking of a state of Mary Magdalene after Jesus rose from the dead, which is past relative to the narrator’s time of writing.
Finally, the pure state reading is also possible with the future tense in the future-perfect form (found once in the NT):
ὅτι πάντες εἰδήσουσίν με (Heb 8:11; quoted from LXX Jer 38:34)
Because all will know me
The verb εἰδήσουσίν is the future of οἶδα. These examples demonstrate that there is nothing inherently “present” about the pure state reading. It refers to a state that holds in any temporal relationship to the speaker.
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New Testament text shown on hover: Greek from the SBLGNT, © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0; English from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain).