Verb: Verb - α contract

MorphologyVerb - α contract (lengthening)

• If the suffix begins with a consonant, the α lengthens to η, e.g. ἐβόα-σα → ἐβόη-σα
• Some verbs are irregular where the α remains, e.g. κλῶ → ἔκλασα (cf. ε-contract verbs like ἐκάλεσα; 26.2.3.1)

fromLesson 37.1

SyntaxVerb – Passive (4 – Agents; 5 – Causers)

Remember, passive verbs suppress the original subject in an active verb and turn the object into the new subject. So where does the original subject go when a passive verb is used? Under the standard analysis of the passive, it is not deleted – it just isn’t expressed, and it can be added back in. The preposition used to reintroduce the argument depends on the argument’s role in the eventuality and the nature of the eventuality the verb refers to. Some verbs, for example, might not allow an agent in the passive because there is no agent in the active. At other times, a verb allows for both agents and causers, and the difference between the two might be exegetically significant. Agents are expressed with ὑπό:

• (367) Agent of passive verb introduced with ὑπό πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ (Mark 1:13)
• Being tempted by the Satan

In this context, Satan was speaking to Jesus and telling him to do certain things; in other words, he was actively engaged in tempting Jesus, i.e. he was an agent. In contrast, the preposition ἀπό introduces causers. A causer is not an active participant in the event, though it is necessary for the event to take place. The verb πειράζομαι may also have a causer argument reintroduced:

fromLesson 37.1