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Verb · Grammar concept

Verb: Leluka active infinitive, Aorist passive infinitive

Leluka active infinitive, Aorist passive infinitive is a verb topic in Koine (biblical) Greek. This page gathers its forms, paradigms, and function, drawn from the lessons of Reading Greek Deeply.

Verb1 lesson3 paradigms

MorphologyVerb – Leluka active infinitive, Aorist passive infinitive

  • The Leluka inf begins with the typical perfect reduplication
  • This combines with the κ(ε) of the perfect and the suffix ‘-ναι’ indicating the inf
  • All Aorist psv infs are formed like this, e.g. πορευ θῆναι (Elusa) ≈ ἐγερ θῆναι (Efagon) ≈ δο θῆναι (μι verb)
Morphology: Verb – Leluka active infinitive, Aorist passive infinitive
Leluka active infinitiveAorist passive infinitive
σε-σαλευ-κέ-ναιπορευ-θῆ-ναι

fromLesson 31.3

SyntaxVerb – Leluka infinitive

Leluka infinitives are always found in subordinate contexts in the New Testament. This is most often after verbs of thinking or communicating:

  • (291) Past event (after verb of thinking/communicating)
  • λέγοντες τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἤδη γεγονέναι (2 Tim 2:18)
  • Saying the resurrection has already happened

fromLesson 31.3

SemanticsVerb – Leluka infinitive (Past-in-the-past)

Infinitives are, by their nature, tenseless forms. However, we can still talk about past events with infinitives in certain contexts, namely with the Leluka infinitive. In fact, this is the only viable interpretation of 2 Tim 2:18. The people who have swerved from the truth are saying that the resurrection has already happened. In other words, it occurred before their time of speaking, which is in the present.

In addition to this use, the Leluka infinitive can also be used for past situations relative to another past event. One such example is

  • (292) Past-in-the-past event
  • The crowd ἤκουσαν τοῦτο αὐτὸν πεποιηκέναι τὸ σημεῖον [heard this sign that he had done] (John 12:18)

fromLesson 31.3

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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).