[B-Greek] PEPOIHKEN in Heb. 11:28

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Tue Jun 5 07:08:14 EDT 2007


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth Kline" <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net>

>
> On Jun 4, 2007, at 9:43 AM, Webb wrote:
>
>> PISTEI PEPOIHKEN [MWUSHS] TO PASCA KAI THN PROSCUSIN TOU hAIMATOS
>> (Heb.
>> 11:28).
>>
>>
>>
>> Zerwick-Grosvenor says that PEPOIHKEN, as perfect, refers to
>> "inauguration
>> of a rite still observed". This seems reasonable to me, but I also
>> find
>> perfect forms tossed in as though they were aorists occasionally in
>> the GNT.
>> Is Zerwick-Grosvenor over-interpreting the perfect here?
>
> It is possible that Z-G is over-interpreting the perfect. Westcott
> (Ep.Hebrews p.177) gives a list of perfects in Hebrews which he
> considered significant and PEPOIHKEN in 11:28 is on the list.
> Ellingworth (Hebrews NIGTC) "... the perfect in contrast to the
> aorists in vv. 27 and 29, marks the establishment of the passover as
> a permanent institution ..." C.Koester (Heb.AB) "he kept the
> passover" with no comment on tense/aspect.

Well, I am afraid I disagree somewhat with both Koester and Ellingworth. The word POIEW here does 
not mean "keep", but "create/institute". I don't think the perfect indicates the passover as a 
permanent institution, but rather that it was definitely and unarguably instituted by Moses.

> In narrative the relative levels of markedness for verb tense/aspect
> looks something like:
>
> aorist [perfective] -- imperfect/present [imperfective] -- perfect
> [stative]

For some verbs the semantic content will allow the perfect to indicate a stative aspect, but I don't 
think that applies to POIEW. There are 18 perfect forms of this verb in the NT, and none of them can 
reasonably be described as stative. However, the perfect does seem to have a ring of finality about 
it. It might be called an "emphatic past". That this event has happened cannot be argued against.

For instance, Paul says in 2 Cor 11:25 that he has spent a night and day in the deep (ocean):
NUCQHMERON EN TWi BUQWi PEPOIHKA.

Paul is not in a stative position in the deep, nor is the "day and night" in any way stative. He is 
emphasizing that he actually did spend a day and night in the deep waters. One might say that he is 
in the position of having had this experience, but IMO that is stretching the idea of "stative" 
beyond its normal usage.

Iver Larsen 




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