[B-Greek] Revelation 11:3 (Verb Tense)

George F Somsel gfsomsel at juno.com
Mon Nov 28 10:38:22 EST 2005


On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 08:22:47 -0600 Juan Stam <juanstam at racsa.co.cr>
writes:
> 
> Very helpful, Goerge, but then how do you explain the aorists in 
> 11:10-14?
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10 KAI hOI KATOIKOUNTES EPI THS GHS XAIROUSIN EP' AUTOIS KAI EUFRAINONTAI
KAI DWRA PEMYOUSIN ALLHLOIS, hOTI hOUTOI hOI DUO PROFHTAI EBASANISAN TOUS
KATOIKOUNTAS EPI THS GHS.

11 KAI META TAS TREIS hHMERAS KAI hHMISSU PNEUMA ZWHS EK TOU QEOU
EISHLQEN EN AUTOIS, KAI ESTHSAN EPI TOUS PODAS AUTWN, KAI FOBOS MEGAS
EPEPESEN EPI TOUS QEWROUNTAS AUTOUS.

12 KAI HKOUSAN FWNHS MEGALHS EK TOU OURANOU LEGOUSHS AUTOIS, ANABATE
hWDE.  KAI ANEBHSAN EIS TON OURANON EN THi NEFELHi, KAI EQEWRHSAN AUTOUS
hOI EXQROI AUTWN.

13 KAI EN EKEINHi THi hWRAi EGENETO SEISMOS MEGAS KAI TO DEKATON THS
POLEWS EPESEN KAI APEKTANQHSAN EN TWi SEISMWi ONOMATA ANQRWPWN XILIADES
hEPTA KAI hOI LOIPOI EMFOBOI EGENONTO KAI EDWKAN DOCAN TWi QEWi TOU
OURANOU.

10. KATOIKOUNTES     -- pres act part nom masc pl
       XAIROUSIN              -- pres act ind 3 pl
       EUFRAINONTAI      -- pres pass ind 3 pl
       PEMYOUSIN            -- fut act ind 3 pl
       EBASANISAN          -- aor act ind 3 pl
       KATOIKOUNTAS    -- pres act part acc masc pl
11.  EISHLQEN               -- aor act ind 3 sg
        ESTHSAN                -- aor act ind 3 pl
        EPEPESEN             -- aor act ind 3 sg
        QEWROUNTAS      -- pres act part acc masc pl
12.   HKOUSAN               -- aor act ind 3 pl
         LEGOUSHS            -- pres act part gen fem sg
         ANABATE               -- aor act impv 2 pl
         ANEBHSAN            -- aor act ind 3 pl
         EQEWRHSAN        -- aor act ind 3 pl
13.   EGENETO               -- aor mid ind 3 sg
         EPESEN                  -- aor act ind 3 sg
         APEKTANQHSAN -- aor pass ind 3 pl
         EGENONTO            -- aor mid ind 3 pl
         EDWKAN                 -- aor ind act 3 pl
14.    APHLQEN               -- aor act ind 3 sg
          ERXETAI                 -- pres mid ind 3 sg 

As you can see from the chart above the tense changes in v. 10 and vv. 11
ff (Can we agree to ignore the participles since they really aren't
temporal?).  In v. 10 EBASANISAN refers to a previous action of the two
witnesses upon the basis of which the inhabitants are now viewed as
rejoicing.  In vv. 11 ff, however, we have (as the discourse analysis
people like to put it) a change in the deictic center.  We are no longer
viewing it from the standpoint of that which is to happen at some time in
the future but as a contemporary or even past event (META TAS TREIS
hHMERAS KAI hHMISU).  At this point the verbs likewise change to aorist
until we reach 14b at which point we are again placed in a position of
looking forward (ERXETAI).

george
gfsomsel
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