Wallace states that grasping participles is difficult, but is required to master Greek. He points out that context is perhaps more important with participles than for any other grammar.
The participle is a verb being a verbal adjective, and is often translated "-ing".
They must agree with the word they modify in number, gender and case. Participles convey only aspect. (Only a indicative verb carries time).
Aspect:
Aspect is the type of action, but the time the action occurs may not be indicated.
Aspect and Tense Stems of Participles
|
Aspect |
Tense stem |
Present |
continuous |
present |
Aorist |
undefined |
aorist |
Perfect |
undefined |
perfect |
|
|
Types:
- Adjectival participles - action is directed mainly towards the verb
- That jogging man, is very fit. (verb: is; participle: jogging, it functions as an adjective describing "man")
- Adverbial (circumstantial) participles - the action modifes a noun or pronoun
- John, after jogging, will go to work (verb: to; adverbial prhase: after jogging; particple: jogging"
- Genitive absolute - See Daniel Wallace for definition.
- Genitive absolutes typically involve a noun or pronoun in the genitive case (possessive form) followed by a participle, forming a construction that expresses a circumstantial relationship or a temporal clause that is somewhat independent from the main clause.
- Ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ - "When he came". The gentivie particple is Ἐλθόντος - "having come" (genitive singular masculine participle of ἔρχομαι, meaning "to come")
Tense:
- Present
- Aorist
- Perfect
Voice:
- Active
- Middle
- Passive
- Deponent
Morphemes
A morphene is the smallest unit of language that has meaning. The following are the four morphene used to build a participle.
Morphenes for forming participles
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
active |
ντ |
ουσα |
ντ |
mid/pass |
μενη |
|
|
Present Adverbal participle
Present Participle - Active
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
ων |
ουσα |
ον |
gen sg |
οντος |
ουσης |
οντος |
Present tense stem + Connecting vowel + Active participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Middle/passive
Present Participle - Middle & Passive
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
ομενος |
ομενη |
ομενον |
gen sg |
ομενου |
ομενης |
ομενου |
Present tense stem + Connecting vowel + Middle/passive morpheme + Case endings
The connecting vowel follows the same rules as for the present active indicative: omicrom (ο) for personal enndings begining mu (μ) or nu (ν), else epislon (ε), and if no ending, then either epislon or omicon.
|
|
Aorist
First Aorist Participle - Active
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
σας |
σασα |
σαν |
gen sg |
σαντος |
σασης |
σαντος |
Unaugmented first aorist stem + Tense formative + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
First Aorist Participle - Middle
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
σαμενος |
σαμενη |
σαμενον |
gen sg |
σαμενου |
σαμενης |
σαμενου |
Unaugmented first aorist stem + Tense formative + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
First Aorist Particple - Passive
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
θεις |
θεισα |
θεν |
gen sg |
θεντος |
θεισης |
θεντος |
Unaugmented first aorist stem + Tense formative + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Second Ariost Participle - Active
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
ων |
ουσα |
ον |
gen sg |
οντος |
ουσης |
οντος |
Unaugmented second aorist stem + Connecting vowel + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Second Aorist Particple - Middle & Passive
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
ομενος |
ομενη |
ομενον |
gen sg |
ομενου |
ομενης |
ομενου |
Unaugmented second aorist stem + Connecting vowel + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Second Aorist Participle - Passive
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
εις |
εισα |
εν |
gen sg |
εντος |
εισης |
θεντος |
Unaugmented second aorist stem + Connecting vowel + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Perfect
Perfect Participle - Active
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
κως |
κυια |
κος |
gen sg |
κοτος |
κυιας |
κοτος |
Reduplication + Perfect tense stem + Tense formative (κ) + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Perfect Participle - Middle & Passive
|
masculine |
feminine |
neuter |
nom sg |
μένος |
μένη |
μένον |
gen sg |
μένου |
μένης |
μένου |
Reduplication + Perfect tense stem + Participle morpheme + Case endings
|
|
Identifying and translating the participle
Two types of Participle
- Adverbial participles describe an action that is related to the verb
- Adjectival participles modify a noun or pronoun, and functions like a noun
Seven Questions
- What is case, number and gender of the participle and what word is it modifying?
- Is the action directed toward a verb (adverbial) or noun (adjectival)?
- If adverbial: use "—ing", key words, while, after, because. Must be anarthrous
- If adjectival: is it attributive modifying: "-ing" with key words "who" or "which" or it is substantive functioning: the one who
- Aspect: continuous, undefined or completed
- Voice: active, middle or passive
- Meaning: Sipplest form are the "-ing" with key words while or because.
|
|
Infinitive morpheme chart
Tense/Voice |
Stem |
t/c |
Morpheme |
Principle forms |
|
Present
Active |
pres |
ο |
ντ /
ουσα |
ων,
ουσα, ον
οντος, ουσης,
οντος |
Present
Middle |
pres |
ο |
μενο / η |
ομενος,
ομενη, ομενον
ομενου, ομενης,
ομενου |
1
aorist act |
aorist act |
σα |
ντ/σα |
σας,
σασα, σαν
σαντος, σασης,
σαντος |
1
aorist mid |
aorist act |
σα |
μενο / η |
σαμενος... |
1
aorist pass |
aorist pas |
θε |
ντ |
θεις,
θεισα, θεν
θεντος, θεισης, θεντος |
2 aorist act |
aorist act |
ο |
ντ /
ουσα |
ων... |
2 aorist mid |
aorist act |
ο |
μενο / η |
ομενος... |
2 aorist pass |
aorist pas |
ε |
ντ |
εις,
εισα, εν
εντος, εισης,
εντος |
Perfect
act |
perf act |
κ |
οτ |
κως,
κυια, κος
κοτος, κυιας,
κοτος |
Perf
mid/pas |
perf mid/pas |
|
μενο / η |
μένος, μένη ... |
|
Genitive Absolute (translation is idiomatic)
By definition, an 'absolute' has no direct grammatical relationship to the rest of the sentence. e.g. "Lord willing, we will arrive at noon."
The genative absolute consists of a noun or pronoun, and participle in the genitive.
The participle may have additional modifiers.
Genitive absolutes tend to occur at the beginning of sentences.
Note that αὐτοῦ often functions as subject in genitive absolute:
e.g. Present: αὐτοῦ ἐρχομένου – "(he) while coming"
e.g. Aorist: αὐτοῦ ἐλθόντος – "(h e) after coming"
e.g. Perfect: αὐτοῦ λελυκότος – "(he) having loosed"
Example
Καὶ εὐθέως, ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος, παραγίνεται ᾿Ιούδας (Mark 14:43)
"And immediately, while he was yet speaking, Judas comes up."
|
|
Periphrastic Constructions
In English the helping verb "will" is used, but in Greek such helping words are not used.
A periphrastic construction (of one type) is when εἰμί and a participle is used together to convey a single idea
Tends to emphasize continuous aspect commonly, and often in the 3rd person plural, perfect middle/passive e.g.: "ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι" formed with ειμί + participle
|
Present |
present εἰμί |
+ |
present participle |
Imperfect |
imperfect ἤμην |
+ |
present participle |
Future |
future ἔσομαι |
+ |
present participle |
Perfect |
present εἰμί |
+ |
perfect participle |
Pluperfect |
imperfect ἤμην |
+ |
perfect participle |
Future perfect |
future ἔσομαι |
+ |
perfect participle |
|
Participle of εἰμί (being)
Case |
Mas |
Fem |
Neut |
Nom |
ὤν |
οὖσα |
ὄν |
Gen |
ὄντος |
οὔσης |
ὄντος |
Dat |
ὄντι |
οὔσῃ |
ὄντι |
Acc |
ὄντα |
οὖσαν |
ὄν |
|
|
|
|
Nom |
ὄντες |
οὖσαι |
ὄντα |
Gen |
ὄντων |
οὐσῶν |
ὄντων |
Dat |
οὖσι (ν) |
οὔσαις |
οὖσι (ν) |
Acc |
ὄντας |
οὔσας |
ὄντα |
|
Note
Future particples are not provided here, being very rare in the NT.
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