Future Passives categorized (LONG)
Iver Larsen
iver_larsen at sil.org
Sat Dec 14 13:34:15 EST 2002
>
> And now the verb-forms with middle sense, some of which are arguable. I've
> commented on all of them, more or less:
Some are more arguable than others. I'd like to comment on some of them. The
rest I accept as middle:
> =============================
> (Sequence of entries: Verb, Simple Definition, #MP2 forms, # mid, *notes)
>
> ALLASSW, change, exchange, 3 hits, 3m (1Cor. 15:51, 52, Heb. 1:12); I
> believe these MP2 forms bear the sense "undergo a change."
Since the subject undergoes change, and the verb is used in the active
sense, then the MP2 form is a good candidate for a passive sense.
> ANAPAUW, stop, give rest, refresh, 1 hits, 1m; Rev 4:13 ANAPAHSONTAI is
> surely middle and is usually translated "rest."
I am not so sure. It could well be translated passively as "were given
rest", especially since the future MP1 form occurs in Rev 6:11.
>
> APARNEOMAI, deny, renounce, 1 hits, 1p; in Lk 12:9 APARNHQHSETAI must be
> understood as passive, although this verb never appears in "active" form.
Agreed, so maybe this one should be moved to the indisputably passive forms
above. I think it is important to check whether the verb appears in the
active form. If so, the passive sense is more likely.
>
> DIASKORPIZW, scatter, squander, 2 hits, 2m; DIASKORPISQHSONTAI Mk
> 14:27, Lk
> 26:31 the sheep scatter abroad of their own accord because they have no
> shepherd to restrain them.
Since this verb does occur in the active form, the forms here may be taken
as passive. Someone or something caused them to be scattered.
>
> EKTREPW, turn, change, wander, 1 hits, 1m; 1 Tim 4:4 EKTRAPHSONTAI is
> clearly middle, of those who turn away from truth and take
> refuges in MUQOI.
Should be 2 Tim 4:4. Could be passive in that it is the false teachers
mentioned in v. 3 that turn them aside towards myths.
> EKCUNNW, pour out, 1 hits, 1m; Lk 5:37 EKCUQHSETAI: the wine will
> spill out when the skins burst.
A passive does not require a human agent. One could say that it is the burst
wineskins that cause the wine to be poured out.
>
> ENTREPW, make ashamed, respect, 3 hits, 3m; in the Synoptic
> accounts of the
> Wicked Husbandmen; in each instance ENTRAPHSONTAI takes a direct object;
> these are middle.
Yes, and this verb has a couple of instances of aorist passives.
> QAUMAZW, wonder, 1 hits, 1m; while this verb is commonly active and very
> commonly so used in the GNT, QAUMASQHSONTAI in Rev 17:8 means "will
> wonder," not "will be marveled at."
As does the aorist MP2 form in Rev 13:3. Not used in this sense outside of
Revelation.
> KATAISCUNW, shame, be ashamed, 1 hits, 1m; Rom 9:33, 10:11, surely middle.
I would argue for passive when I look at all the forms of this verb. If A
shames B or puts B to shame, then B is shamed by A.
> KATALUW*, destroy, disperse, 3 hits, 1m, (1m2p); in the saying about the
> temple stones (Mt 24:2, Lk 21:6) the sense is pretty clearly passive, but
> in Acts 5:38, the prophecy of Gamalilel in the Sanhedrin, the sense seems
> to be "fail, come to naught."
Not necessarily. It could well be passive, because God is the implied agent
who will destroy it.
The way this verb is normally used, argues for the passive.
>
> KERDAINW, gain, 1 hits, 1m; 1 Pet 3:1 husbands KERDHQHSONTAI through the
> life-style of their wives: will the husbands themselves profit, or will
> they "be made a profit"? I choose the former.
Of the 17 instances of this verb in the NT, 16 are A, one is MP. The active
can mean "bring profit to", so I would take this form as passive: "was
brought profit to". The active can also mean "gain, acquire" in which case
the passive means that the husband is gained or acquired for the Kingdom of
God.
>
> KOLLAW, glue, join to, 1 hits, 1m; in Mt 19:3 Jesus cites Genesis 2 of a
> man leaving father and mother and "cleaving" to his wife. Clearly middle.
Yes, all 12 instances of this verb in the GNT were tagged as passive in the
Friberg tags, but the sense is clearly middle. Reference above should be 19:
5.
>
> LUW*, loosen, release, 3 hits, 2m, (2m1p); While in Rev 20:7
> Satan "will be
> set free," in 2 Pet 3:10, 12 LUQHSETAI seems to mean "melt."
I prefer the passive with God as the implied agent for the verb which has
the sense "destroy" here as in several other places.
> PALAIOW, make or become old, 1 hits, 1m; in Heb 1:11 the sense is clearly
> "obsolesce," grow useless.
Yes, this is one of those verbs that are basically middle in sense. The
active form means "cause to become obsolete" (Heb 8:13) with a corresponding
present passive (MP1) participle in the same verse.
> PERISSEUW, abound, 2 hits, 2m; in the same Jesus-saying in Mt 13:12 and
> 25:29 the sense of PERISSEUQHSETAI is simply "will multiply (grow by leaps
> and bounds)."
This is a verb that has no simple equivalent in English. Of the 39
occurrences in the GNT, 37 are active. If the subject is inanimate it seems
to mean "exist in a measure above expectation". If the subject is human, the
meaning is either "possess something in a measure above expectation" or
"give someone something in a measure above expectation" (Eph 1:8). Since the
future MP2 form comes after another future passive with the sense "to be
given", a good case can be made for a passive sense: "he is given
(something) in a measure above expectation" corresponding to the active in
Eph 1:8.
>
> PIMPLHMI*, fill, fulfill, 1 hits, 1m; PLHSQHSETAI of John the
> Baptist in Lk
> 1:15: is it "be full" or "be filled?" I choose the former; I expect some
> will prefer the latter; I think the Greek makes no distinction.
I would agree that this verb is basically middle in sense. The two A
occurrences are causative as usual when a verb is basically middle, that is,
"cause to become full" (Mt 27:48, Lk 5:7)
> SALEUW, shake, quake, 3 hits, 3m; in the 3 Synoptic apocalypses
> the heavens
> SALUEQHSONTAI: will they "quake" or will they be "caused to
> quake?" I think the middle sense is appropriate here.
I prefer to look at all the occurrences of the word, rather than just at the
context of the verb form in question. The meaning of the active form is
"shake" rather than "quake". In the places you refer to, I prefer to see God
as the implied agent. In Mt 11:7 the agent/cause is made explicit with a
hUPO phrase. (When James Bond says "shaken, not stirred" an agent is clearly
implied.)
> SUNTRIBW, crush, break, 1 hits, 1m; Jn 19:36: "not a bone will be broken"
> or "not a bone will break." I'd go with the middle, others may prefer
> passive.
Definitely passive.
> hUYOW*, lift up, exalt, 5 hits, 2m, (2m3p); 3 instances of hUPWQHSETAI (Mt
> 23:12, Lk 14:11, Lk 18:14 seems pretty clearly to mean "will exalted,
> raised up high," but in the parallel Mt 11:23 and Lk 10:15 hUYWQHSHi seems
> to suggest that Capernaum expects to exalt ITSELF to heaven.
To exalt oneself is expressed by the active plus a reflexive pronoun, so a
passive sense is most likely here.
> FAINW, appear, shine, 1 hits, 1m; Mt 24:30 "the sign will appear."
There are two competing usages in the GNT without any apparent difference in
meaning. John and Peter use the active forms, all others use the MP forms.
All MP2 forms are middle in sense.
>
> FQEIRW, corrupt, destroy, 1 hits, 1m; FQARHSETAI in 2 Pet 2:12
> means simply "will perish."
Or "will be corrupted/destroyed". The common use of the active, transitive
form, suggests that the passive is most likely.
> FRASSW, silence, stop, 1 hits, 1m; BDAG suggests, "2 Cor 11:10 means this
> boasting will not (let itself) be quashed (permissive pass.,
> Gildersleeve I §168."
Since the active in Heb 11:33 means "shut the mouth of" with mouth as object
and since the passive in Rom 3:19 has mouth as subject "will be shut", it
seems likely that also 2 Cor 11:10 has an implied agent or cause for Paul's
mouth to be shut (his boasting to be stopped). So, a passive sense is very
likely.
> undoubtedly many will deem passive several that I have deemed
> middle, but I don't think that the list of forms deemed middle can be
> reduced to 0.
Agreed. I and probably others consider some of the forms passive which you
have interpreted as middle, but even so, there are a substantial number of
future "passives" which are "passive" in form only and not in meaning.
Iver Larsen
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