English only uses the second person for imperatives. NT Greek, however, uses both the second and third person.¹ Third person imperatives will seem strange for English speakers. However, in most contexts, translating the third person imperative is not difficult. We will explore several examples in the next step. First, let’s focus on the forms of Greek imperatives.
3 Key Features
Since present and aorist imperatives use the same ending pattern, we are presenting them together in one step. (There are only four perfect imperatives in the entire Greek NT, so there is no need to learn those forms.)
Imperatives: 3 KEY FEATURES
Tense-Form
Voice
Stem
Tense Former
Ending Pattern
Present
Active
present
Imperative Active
Middle/ Passive
present
Imperative Middle-Passive
1st Aorist
Active
usually same as
present
σα
Imperative Active
Middle
usually same as
present
σα
Imperative Middle-Passive
Passive
usually same as
present
θη
Imperative Active
2nd Aorist
Active
aorist
Imperative Active
Middle
aorist
Imperative Middle-Passive
Passive
aorist
η
Imperative Active
Do you notice that most of these key features are not new? That should be good news for you. Let’s highlight a few details:
There is no augment. Verbs outside the indicative mood do not communicate time.
Aorist imperatives use the same tense formers as in the indicative.
As in the indicative mood, aorist passives use active endings.
Thus, the one key feature that distinguishes all imperative forms is theunique ending pattern.
Both the present and the aorist tenses use the same imperative ending pattern. The exception, as you will see, is that aorists make some changes to the second person singular forms.
So let’s now take a look at the imperative ending pattern:
Imperative Ending Patterns
Active
Middle-Passive
Singular
Second
λῦε¹
λύου²
Third
λυέτω
λυέσθω
Plural
Second
λύετε
λύεσθε
Third
λυέτωσαν
λυέσθωσαν
¹ This ending changes to ον in the 1st Aorist Active.
It changes to τι in the Aorist Passive (infrequent).
² This ending changes to ι in the 1st Aorist Middle (infrequent).
Look carefully at each row in the table above. The imperative pattern is very consistent across each row—except for the second person singular. We recommend that you memorize the ending pattern as it occurs in the present tense and then learn to recognize the variations that occur in the aorist, second singular forms. The remaining aorist forms use the aorist tense formers that you already know from the indicative mood combined with the basic imperative ending pattern.
Second aorists are fairly easy to identify because they use the same ending pattern (including the second person singular endings from the present tense) added to a second aorist stem. For example, λάβε is the aorist, active, imperative, second person singular from λαμβάνω.
Ambiguous and Similar Forms
You may have already noticed that there are a few imperative forms that could be confused with other verb forms.
The second person, plural, present, active and middle-passive forms (λύετε and λύεσθε) are identical to the corresponding indicative forms. Most often, the context will make it very clear which verbal mood the author intends.
The second person, plural, aorist, active and middle endings (λύσατε and λύσασθε) are identical to the corresponding indicative forms, but there is one key feature that clearly distinguishes them. That’s right, aorist imperatives do not have an augment.
The same holds true for the second person, present, middle or passive form λύου. The ending looks exactly like the corresponding imperfect indicative form. Again, the imperative does not have an augment.
The aorist, middle, imperative, second person, singular form λῦσαι looks like an aorist, active infinitive. In this case, the context will usually make the decision clear. (This form occurs in the Greek NT only 19 times.)
εἰμί in the Imperative
As in the subjunctive mood, the imperative of εἰμί only occurs in the present tense.
εἰμί in the imperative
Imperative
Second
ἴσθι
[you] be
Third
ἔστω
let him/her/it be
Second
ἔστε
[you (pl.)] be
Third
ἔστωσαν
let them be
Practice
Use the following quizlet to grow familiar with the present and aorist imperative forms.