MELLW followed by Present

Dale Noonan dknoonan at hotmail.com
Wed Nov 13 01:50:01 EST 2002


I was suprised to find that nearly all the infinitives following MELLW are
in the present tense.  There are a few exceptions in the NT, such as Rev
3:2,16.  But even for contexts that would seem to take an aorist, the verb
following MELLW is in the present.  Examples are:
Luke 19:11  ... kingdom of God MELLEI appear at once.
John 11:51  ... that Jesus EMELLEN die for the nation...

Did the above writer mean to convey a durative sense for "appear" and
"die"?  Or is there some other factor at work specifically with this word
MELLW?

Other verbs that function in a similar fashion, such as DUNAMAI, are
followed by a more balanced distribution of verb tenses  -- it seems about
75% aorist and 25% present.  What is it about MELLW that seems to call for
a present tense verb to complete the action?

Thanks,
Dale Noonan






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