Lesson 7 | Perfect Indicatives
[2] Perfect Middle/Passive Indicatives
Let’s start this step by comparing perfect middle or passive indicatives with a few other forms:
| λύω in the indicative | |||||||||||
| Perfect Active | Perfect Middle-Passive | Present Middle-Passive | |||||||||
| Singular | First | λέλυκα | λέλυμαι | λύομαι | |||||||
| Second | λέλυκας | λέλυσαι | λύῃ* | ||||||||
| Third | λέλυκε(ν) | λέλυται | λύεται | ||||||||
| Plural | First | λελύκαμεν | λελύμεθα | λυόμεθα | |||||||
| Second | λελύκατε | λέλυσθε | λύεσθε | ||||||||
| Third | λελύκασι(ν)/ν | λέλυνται | λύονται | ||||||||
| * Remember, λύῃ comes from λυεσαι. The scheming σ drops out. Then, the ε and αι merge to give us ῃ. | |||||||||||
Like perfect actives, perfect middle-passive indicatives double the first stem letter. Like their present counterparts, perfect middle/passive indicatives form with primary middle-passive endings.
But note the feature that is most unique to perfect middle or passive forms: nothing connects the ending to the verb stem.
There is neither a tense-former nor a connecting vowel (like the ο in ομαι or the ε in εται). Instead, the ending connects directly to the verb stem. Thus, the doubled first letter and the directly-connected ending are the two features that most distinguish the perfect middle/passive tense-form.
Let’s add perfect middle/passive indicatives to our four key features chart. This is the final piece we will add to this table:
Now, let’s practice parsing λύω as a perfect middle or passive indicative before we move on to consider examples from the Greek NT:
Examples from the Greek NT
δέδεσαι γυναικί, μὴ ζήτει λύσιν· λέλυσαι ἀπὸ γυναικός, μὴ ζήτει γυναῖκα. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. [modified ESV] —1 Corinthians 7:27
We see four verbs in this first example: two perfect indicatives (δέδεσαι and λέλυσαι) and two present commands (ζήτει). Let’s focus in on the two perfect indicatives:
δεδε+σαι
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
λελυ+σαι
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
In this verse, we see the stative aspect wonderfully exemplified. Here, Paul has in view the current state that resulted from a past action. The perfect tense-form with its stative aspect really provides the only way for Paul to communicate what he wants to say here.
Consider if Paul had used a present tense-form with its imperfective aspect: “Are you being bound (δέῃ) to a wife? Do not seek release.” What this sentence would now mean differs greatly from the original. While in the original Paul spoke to those who are currently married, changing the perfect tense-form to a present causes Paul to speak to those who are engaged or who are in the act of getting married at that moment. Paul focuses on this group later in the chapter. The perfect tense-form with its stative aspect uniquely allows Paul to focus on the resulting state of a past action: those who are married.
Similarly, if we were to replace Paul’s other original perfect tense-form with an aorist tense-form (perfective aspect), we would lose Paul’s intended meaning: “Are you free” becomes “Were you free (ἐλύθης) from a wife?” This summarized past action does not communicate what Paul intended. Paul was not speaking to those who were once unmarried but now are not. Nor does Paul intend to communicate to those who are currently being released from a marriage as the imperfective λύῃ would communicate. Instead, he is speaking to those who refrained from marriage and still remain single.
In both cases, we see how the stative aspect of the perfect tense-form allowed Paul to focus on the state that resulted from a past action, be it marriage or singleness.
ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς, But when they saw on the other hand that I have been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcision just as Peter for the circumcision, —Galatians 2:7
As you can see from the diagram, this verse is one long participial phrase. Although πεπίστευμαι is an indicative verb, it is part of a subordinate clause that provides the content of the participle ἰδόντες. Amazingly, the main verb of this long, complex sentence that stretches from Galatians 2:6–10, comes only in v.9!
By the way, can you parse ἰδόντες? Note the three key features for this participle: an aorist stem (ιδ from ὁράω), οντ tense-former, and a third pattern ending (ἰδόντες). Thus, we can parse ἰδόντες as a (second) aorist, active, participle, nominative, masculine, plural from ὅράω: “after/when they saw…”
Now, let’s focus in on our perfect indicative, πεπίστευμαι:
πεπιστευ+μαι
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
When you come to πεπίστευμαι, you should immediately notice the two key features that distinguish this tense-form: (1) the doubled first stem letter, which tells us that this is a perfect tense-form and (2) the ending attached directly to the stem without any connecting vowel or tense-former. These two key features immediately indicate that this is a perfect middle or passive indicative. We can then finish parsing by looking more closely at the ending. πεπίστευμαι is a perfect, passive, indicative, first person, singular from πιστεύω.
Now, what did Paul communicate by choosing a perfect tense-form with its non-past time and stative aspect? The main verb that v.7 supports comes in v.9: “When they saw that I have been entrusted with the gospel...James, Cephas, and John gave right hands of fellowship to me and to Barnabas.” What did these three pillars of the church see? They saw that Paul was currently Jesus’s apostle because the Lord had entrusted him with his gospel. The stative aspect of πεπίστευμαι includes the past action of Paul’s being entrusted but focuses on the results of that action: Paul has a divinely given authority and office directly from the Lord Jesus.
ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ λέγων ὅτι πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God and saying: “The time has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has arrived. Repent and believe in the gospel!” —Mark 1:14-15
All kinds of verbs fill these two verses. While you have not yet learned about Greek imperatives (the two verbs at the end of v.15), you should be able to parse all the other verbs in these verses. Take a moment to do so before we consider the two purple perfect indicatives.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the first perfect indicative: πεπλήρωται.
πεπληρο+ται
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
With the four key features, we can parse πεπλήρωται as a perfect, middle or passive, indicative, third person, singular from πληρόω. Notice how the extra vowel at the end of the stem lengthens from ο to ω. While it looks like this is a connecting vowel, the ο in πληρόω is actually part of the stem (just like the ε in ποιέω or the α in ἀγαπάω).
But we are not done there. While perfect middle and passive verbs have the same form, we can distinguish with context. Remember:
- Active voice means that the subject does the action of the verb, like in the sentence: I hit.
- Passive voice means that the subject receives the action of the verb, like in the sentence: I was hit.
- Middle voice means that the subject is involved or affected by the action, like in the sentence: I hit myself.
From the ending and lack of tense-former, we know that πεπλήρωται is either middle or passive voice. So, we need to ask: What does the context tell us about what the author intended to communicate? When we consider the wider context, the meaning of the verb (πληρὀω - “I fulfill), and the impersonal subject (ὁ καίρος - “time”), it is clear that the author intended to communicate with a passive voice here: “the time has been fulfilled” rather than “the time fulfilled itself.” Here the passive voice indirectly announces Jesus’s coming. God has ended the period of waiting for his new, promised redemption.
The other perfect verb in these verses is ἤγγικεν. While the η in ηγγικεν looks like an augment, we know from the perfect active tense-former (κε) that it is not. Remember, stems that begin with a vowel (like ἐγγιζω) lengthen rather than double the initial vowel in perfect tense-forms. Thus, we get ηγγικεν.
ηγγι+κ+εν
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
From these four key features, we can parse ἤγγικεν as a perfect, active, indicative, third person, singular from ἐγγίζω: “it has come near.” Notice how the stative aspect focuses us on the present state and implications of the verb’s action. When King Jesus arrived on the scene, he brought the Kingdom with him. With the coming of the King, the Kingdom had arrived. Therefore, they should repent and believe the gospel.
οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας· οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Now they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it has been written through the prophet…” —Matt 2:5
In this final example, we have only two verbs. You should be able to parse the first verb, εἶπαν. Go ahead and try before we move on.
Now, let’s focus on γέγραπται:
γεγραπ+ται
[Augment]
[Stem]
[Tense-Former]
[Ending]
Noting the key features, we can parse as a perfect, passive,¹ indicative, third person, singular from γράφω. Once again, the stative aspect focuses us on the results of the verb’s action. The prophet wrote in the past and it is now written in the Scriptures. The priests and teachers of the law look to the words that resulted from the prophets’ writing.