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Verb · Grammar concept
Verb: active imperative
active imperative is a verb topic in Koine (biblical) Greek. This page gathers its forms, paradigms, and function, drawn from the lessons of Reading Greek Deeply.
MorphologyVerb – 3rd person active imperative
- 3rd person impvs have the ending -ετω in the sg, and -ετωσαν in the pl
- In Luo and Efagon, these attach directly to the stem, while Elusa replaces ε with σα
- With contract verbs, endings beginning in a vowel contract (e.g. -ετω), and endings beginning with a consonant lengthen (e.g. -σατω)
| Luo | Efagon | Elusa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd singular | λαμβανέτω | λαβέτω | ἀκουσάτω |
| 3rd plural | λαμβανέτωσαν | λαβέτωσαν | ἀκουσάτωσαν |
| Luo | Elusa | |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd singular | λαλείτω | λαλησάτω |
| 3rd plural | λαλείτωσαν | λαλησάτωσαν |
fromLesson 44.2
SemanticsVerb – 3rd person active imperative
Whereas an imperative in second person is directed at the addressee, a third person imperative is directed at some other individual. Because of this, third person imperatives are not used to place an obligation on the addressee but on some other person. For example, the most common phrase found in the NT that uses a third person imperative is Jesus’s refrain:
fromLesson 44.2
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