[B-Greek] Passive Voice

Kevin Riley klriley at alphalink.com.au
Mon Jan 31 23:23:36 EST 2005


All the discussions on the Middle voice prompted me to check just what
exactly the passive voice was meant to signify in Greek.  I have struggled
with a couple of languages where the passive is very different to in
English, so thought I may have made a mistake in assuming it was the same in
Greek.  I especially find it odd that the Passive - which is meant to
emphasise the *object* [of the corresponding active sentence] according to
the grammars I have - grew out of the Middle which emphasises the
*subject's* involvement in the action.  I also find it odd that a voice that
is meant to emphasise that the subject is acted upon can readily occur in
contexts where it is hard to see that there is really any emphasis on the
subject. Is it possible that the passive emphasises the action itself rather
than the subject or object?  Are there any good examinations of the meaning
of the passive that are generally available without access to a theological
library?

Kevin Riley




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