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| Greek | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ἀκήκοα | I have heard | Perfect Active of ἀκούω |
| βεβάπτισμαι | I have been baptized | Perfect Passive of βαπτίζω |
| γέγονα | I have become | Perfect Active of γίνομαι |
| γέγραφα | I have written | Perfect Active of γράφω |
| ἐγήγερμαι | I have been risen | Perfect Passive of ἐγείρω |
| ἔγνωκα | I have known | Perfect Active of γινώσκω |
| ἐλήλυκα | I have come | Perfect Active of ἔρχομαι |
| ἑώρακα | I have seen | Perfect Active of ὁράω |
| λέλυκα | I have loosed | Perfect Active of λύω |
| πεπίστευκα | I have believed | Perfect Active of πιστεύω |
| πέποιθα | I have persuaded | Perfect Active of πείθω |
| πέπονθα | I have suffered | Perfect Active of πάσχω |
| πέφευγα | I have fled | Perfect of φεύγω |
| σέσωσμαι | I have been saved | Perfect Passive of σώζω |
Patterns of the Perfect Tense
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| λέλυκα | I have loosed | λελύκαμεν | we have loosed |
| λέλυκας | you have loosed | λελύκατε | you have loosed |
| λέλυκε (ν) | he has loosed | λελύκασι (or λέλυκαν) | they have loosed |
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| λέλυμαι | I have loosed for myself | λελύμεθα | we have loosed for ourselves |
| λέλυσαι | you have loosed for yourself | λέλυσθε | you have loosed for yourselves |
| λέλυται | he has loosed for himself | λέλυνται | they have loosed for themselves |
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| λέλυμαι | I have been loosed | λελύμεθα | we have been loosed |
| λέλυσαι | you have been loosed | λέλυσθε | you have been loosed |
| λέλυται | he has been loosed | λέλυνται | they have been loosed |
| Singular | Plural | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | |
| Nom | λελυκώς | λελυκυῖα | λελυκός | λελυκότες | λελυκυῖαι | λελυκότα |
| Gen | λελυκότος | λελυκυίας | λελυκότος | λελυκότων | λελυκυιῶν | λελυκότων |
| Dat | λελυκότι | λελυκυίᾳ | λελυκότι | λελυκόσι (ν) | λελυκυίαις | λελυκόσι (ν) |
| Acc | λελυκότα | λελυκυῖαν | λελυκός | λελυκότας | λελυκυίας | λελυκότα |
| Singular | Plural | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | Masc. | Fem. | Neut. | |
| Nom. | λελυμένος | λελυμένη | λελυμένον | λελυμένοι | λελυμέναι | λελυμένα |
| Gen. | λελυμένου | λελυμένης | λελυμένου | λελυμένων | λελυμένων | λελυμένων |
| Dat. | λελυμένῳ | λελυμένῃ | λελυμένῳ | λελυμένοις | λελυμέναις | λελυμένοις |
| Acc. | λελυμένον | λελυμένην | λελυμένον | λελυμένους | λελυμένας | λελυμένα |
| Active | λελυκέναι | to have loosed |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | λελύσθαι | to have loosed for one’s self |
| Passive | λελύσθαι | to have been loosed |
Construction
- Reduplication
- The Perfect Tense adds reduplication to the front of the stem.
- In most instances, this means repeating the initial consonant and puting ε between them.
- The Perfect stem of λύω is λελυ-
- For γράφω it is γεγραφ-
- For γίνομαι it is γεγον-
- Verbs stems beginning with φ, θ, or χ
- φ adds π in front (φιλέω becomes πεφίληκα)
- θ adds τ in front (θνήσκω becomes τέθνηκα)
- χ adds κ in front
- Verbs stems beginning with a vowel lengthen the vowel.
- α becomes η
- ε becomes η (ἐλπίζω becomes ἤλπικα)
- ο becomes ω
- Verb stems beginning with two consonants sometimes reduplicate by prefixing an ε (like a past tense augment).
- The stem of γινώσκω is γνω- so the perfect becomes ἔγνωκα
- In most instances, this means repeating the initial consonant and puting ε between them.
- Since there are so many ways to create the perfect form, the fourth principal part is the perfect active stem
- The Perfect Tense adds reduplication to the front of the stem.
- The tense sign for the perfect tense is κ.
- There are a few perfects which do not use the κ and they are called second perfects.
- The perfect of ἀκούω is ἀκήκοα
- The perfect of γίνομαι is γέγονα
- The primary form involves the κ
- When the κ is added to a verb stem that ends in τ, δ, or θ, they drop out before the κ
- The stem of ἐλπίζω is έλπιδ-, so the perfect becomes ἤλπικα
- The perfect is a primary tense, but it uses secondary personal endings.
- The endings are the same as those of the first aorist except in the third person plural form where -κασι is more frequently found than -καν.
- In the perfect middle and passive, there is no thematic ο/ε vowel.
- In the listing of verbs, the fifth form is the perfect middle
Function
- The function of the perfect is different from the other tenses.
- The idea of the perfect is completed action with on-going result.
- In English, we translate it with the words have/has plus a past tense participle
- Example: λέλυκα = I have loosed.
- Example: λέλυμαι = I have been loosed
- γέγραπται = It has been written but gives the idea that it has been written and it stands written.
- ἐγήγερται = he has risen (with the result that he remains risen)
- χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι = by grace you have been saved (with the result that you are still saved)
- Some wrong views of theology have developed over Gal. 2:20
- Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι
- In the King James Version, it is translated I am crucified with Christ
- Some have concluded that we are to keep on being crucified with Christ as though the verb is in the present tense.
- Since the verb is in the perfect tense, it should read, I have been crucified with Christ with the ongoing result that I am dead
Translate the following:
- τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου ἐστὶν ἀγαθά.
- ὁ προφήτης εὐηγγελίσατο λέγων ὅτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἤγγικεν.
- ἀκηκόαμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστίν.
- γεγόνατε τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ.
- χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ πίστεως.
- ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ὑμεῖς οὐ δέχεσθέ με.
- πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ.
- ταῦτα εἶπεν ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας εἰς αὐτόν.
- ἤδη τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
- οἱ βεβαπτισμένοι μαθηταί εἰσιν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ.
- οἱ μαθηταὶ βεβαπτισμένοι συνῆλθον εἰς τὸν οἶκον.
- διὰ τοῦ προφήτου γέγραπται ὅτι ὁ χριστὸς ἐλεύσεται ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις.
- ὁ κύριος ἀπέθανεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐγήγερται.
- οἱ ἐξεληλυθότες ἐκ τοῦ σκότους εἰς τὸ φῶς ἔγνωκαν ὅτι ὁ θεός ἐστιν ἀγάπη.
- ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς ἀπεκτάνθη, γέγονε δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κόσμου.