Hellenistic Greek © 2009
Lesson 22: Present Middle and Passive

Grammatical Discussion

Introduction

The Greek middle/passive form presents the subject as receiving or benefiting from the action expressed by the verb. We do not have in English a verb form that parallels this implication. There are several different ways we can express this. All of the following English sentences contain this implication: the subject acts for its own benefit, and the underlined transitive verbs could be expressed in Hellenistic Greek using a present middle/passive form.

The subjects of the English sentences above are We, I, and That door. Take a minute now to look at how those words are used in these sentences. They express the beneficiary or recipient of the action expressed by the verb (the underlined word in the examples above). For this reason, the Greek middle/passive voice form would be an appropriate way to express these verbs in Greek.

The implication of using the middle voice form διαμερίζονται rather than the active form διαμερίζουσιν is that they divided the clothes among themselves. That is, "they" are presented as acting for their own benefit. The passive voice has a similar implication (the subject is acted upon), but the subject does not represent the person performing the action expressed by the verb.

εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται (Matthew 3:10)
[It] is thrown into the fire

The subject of this verb (It in the English translation) represents the thing thrown into the fire, but not the person doing the throwing.

Transitivity and the Greek Present Middle/Passive

In lesson 20 you learned about transitivity, a term linguists use to express whether or not a particular verb's meaning requires an object. Transitivity is most easily observed in the active voice, but it is crucial for understanding the distinction between middle and passive uses of Greek non-active forms.

Observe the following English sentences. Each sentence contains a noun or noun phrase that functions as the object of the underlined verb.

To find the object in an active voice sentence, ask yourself "Who or what is acted on?" In the first sentence, for example, ask "Who gets welcomed?" and you will immediately see the object: "the guests." In the second sentences, if we ask "What do I comb every morning?" the object becomes obvious: "my hair."

In an active voice sentence, the direct object is the noun or noun phrase that expresses what the subject and its verb act upon. All transitive verbs have such an object.

Only transitive verbs can be assigned passive voice.

When we make a verb passive, the noun phrase that would be the object in an equivalent active voice construction, becomes its subject in the passive construction. Contrast the following intransitive verb.

Why can we not make this sentence passive? Its verb (sleeps) cannot have an object: it is intransitive. While sleep does express an action, that action has no object. It is not something you can do to someone. Such verbs cannot have a passive meaning, but many such verbs in Greek can be expressed with a middle/passive verb form because that form is used not only for passive, but for middle voice. Intransitive verbs can be middle voice, but not passive.

ἀναπαύεσθε
Are you resting? (Matthew 26:45)

In Matthew 26:45 we see the middle/passive form, ἀναπαύεσθε, but we know it has to be middle, not passive, because the verb is intransitive.

Middle and Passive Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs can be either middle or passive, and only the context can help you decide which meaning is intended.

(Transitive) Middle Voice Usage

For transitive verbs, the implication of the middle voice is that the action expressed by the verb directly affects the subject. The verbs in the following sentences are all transitive, and they all have a middle/passive form in Greek.

οὐκ οἴδατε τί αἰτεῖσθε
You do not know what you are requesting (Matthew 20:22)

ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου. (Luke 23:46)
Jesus said: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ...ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἔχετε;
Why are you discussing among yourselves ...that you have no bread?

In each of these examples, the subject is presented as acting for its own benefit. Compare the following example. The verb used there (δέχομαι) is a lexical middle.

ἐμὲ δέχεται (Matthew 10:40)
[He/she] receives me

The form of this verb that appears in the lexicon (δέχομαι) is middle voice. Since the verb always has a middle voice implication—the action it expresses (receiving) directly impacts its subject—it never appears with active voice forms. Its meaning is best expressed in the middle voice.

Passive Voice Usage (always transitive)

Observe the following sentences in which the subject is acted upon by someone not explicitly named.

οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται (Matthew 10:19)
Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny?

ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι (Mark 2:5)
Your sins are forgiven

ἕκαστον γὰρ δένδρον ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ γινώσκεται (Luke 6:44)
For every tree is known by its fruit

Notice that the subject of these verbs would be the object if the verb were active voice. This is the basic meaning of the passive voice.

When translating Greek middle/passive forms of transitive verbs you may need to try both middle and passive translations to see which makes best sense in the context.

Middle Voice Intransitive Verbs

For intransitive verbs, the middle voice form is frequently translated as active voice in English.

ἄγγελος κυρίου φαίνεται (Matthew 2:13)
an angel of the Lord appears
an angel of the Lord appeared (Historical Present)

Τότε προσέρχονται αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου (Matthew 9:14)
Then the disciples of John come to him
Then the disciples of John came to him (Historical Present)

Ἠλίας ...ἔρχεται (Matthew 17:11)
Elijah comes

κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου (Luke 7:37)
He reclines in the house of the Pharisee

Notice that in each of these instances, the middle voice verb form is translated into English as active voice. This is often true of intransitive verbs.

Time, Aspect, and Context: The Historical Present

As two of the examples above show, in Greek the "present" tense could be used to express past action in an appropriate context.

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις παραγίνεται Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής (Matthew 3:1)
In those days John the Baptist came

In this example the prepositional phrase Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ("in those days") clearly marks the context as past, so the present tense form παραγίνεται must be translated into English as past, not present. Context is crucial!

Notice that the verb in this example (παραγίνεται) is intransitive. Because of this, its translation is active voice even though its Greek form is middle. In the example that follows, the middle voice verb is transitive, so we see its middle voice function more clearly. As with the example above, the context refers clearly to past time.

Καὶ ἀναβαίνει εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ προσκαλεῖται οὓς ἤθελεν αὐτός, καὶ ἀπῆλθον πρὸς αὐτόν (Mark 3:13). [οὓς = the ones whom, those whom.]
And he went up to the mountain and called those he wanted, and they came to him.

This selection has two present tense verbs (ἀναβαίνει and προσκαλεῖται) but only the second one is middle voice. It also contains an imperfect tense verb (ἤθελεν) that clearly marks the context as past. The final verb (ἀπῆλθον) is aorist. Both the present tense and the imperfect convey imperfective aspect. That is, the beginning point and the end point of the action they describe are not in focus. The aorist, on the other hand, conveys perfective aspect. The beginning and end of the action it describes are in focus. The time reference for the entire construction is conveyed by the imperfect tense verb. It alone directly conveys past time. You will learn more about the imperfect in the next lesson.

In English we have to translate the Greek present tense verbs here as past in order to faithfully represent the time reference of the Greek text. This is what linguists and grammarians call the Historical Present: the present tense used in a context where its time reference is controlled by another word or phrase in the immediate context that demands past time.

Formation of the Present Middle/Passive

In this section you will learn a new set of verb endings that are used for the present middle/passive and other verb forms that you will learn later. They are called the "Primary Middle Endings."

Present Middle/Passive Forms: the "Primary Middle" Endings

The present middle/passive indicative of Ω conjugation verbs is formed using the endings -μαι, -σαι (➾ -ῃ), -ται, -μεθα, -σθε, and -νται (that is, the primary middle endings). These endings are added to the present tense stem plus its thematic vowel.

The basic endings for both the present and future middle are as follows:

Notice that the second person singular ending (-σαι) begins with a sigma immediately followed by a vowel. When the thematic vowel is added before this ending, the σ will be intervocalic (located between two vowels, neither of which belongs to the stem). When this happens, the sigma is normally eliminated. Without this σ the ending is reduced to -αι, and this diphthong then contracts with the thematic vowel (ε) to produce the ending -ῃ. Notice this contraction in the chart below.

Present Middle/Passive: Ω Conjugation Verbs

Study the following table well. It shows the verb νίπτω (I wash [something]) as an example.

Exercise 1: Recognizing Present Middle/Passive Forms—Ω Conjugation

Click here to practice recognizing the present middle passive forms of MI conjugation verbs.

Present Middle/Passive: MI Conjugation Verbs

Μι conjugation verbs use the same endings. Compare the verb ἀπόλλυμι (I destroy [something]). Since -μι conjugation verbs have no thematic vowel in the present tense, though, the second person singular retains its original form (-σαι).

Exercise 2: Recognizing Present Middle/Passive Forms—ΜΙ Conjugation

Click here to practice recognizing the present middle passive forms of MI conjugation verbs.